Video Game Futures: Mass Effect

(Video Game Futures is a series where I talk about a video game franchise's portrayal of the future, and whether it is plausible. This is the first!)
 
Game/Series: Mass Effect (Mass Effect, Mass Effect 2)
Year: 2183
  
The Mass Effect series is renowned for its gameplay, graphics and story. But what about its fictional portrayal of the future in which we might one day live? 
   

The Cities

The cities in the Mass Effect series are a perfect example of what we think of when someone says "future." Take the planet Illium, for example. This Asari-populated world is filled with towering structures and flying cars, much like the rest of the cities you visit in-game. The cityscape glows with light from who-knows where (Why are all the buildings adorned with aesthetically pleasing pink glowy lines?), and the tallest buildings make Taipei 101 look like a roadside do-it-yourself laundromat. Yes - there's no doubt we've discovered some strange material that lets us build to our heart's content. Nos Astra's trading floor, another trademark of Illium, is also futuristic-looking. Signs are replaced with holograms, plant life is carefully planted and placed at random, and yet people mill about - not fazed by any of this. It's just ordinary life! Elevators still take forever to reach their destinations, however. 

 Illium's glowing skyline. Other places, such as the criminal paradise Omega, or the Krogan homeworld Tuchanka, are futuristic, but in a different vein. Omega's nightclub "Afterlife" abuses lighting, even including a huge cylindrical screen in the middle alongside glowing tables and spotlights. As you step outside the club, however, it is immediately contrasted by Omega's market district. Hallways are littered with poor souls, scavenging for credits, and there's even a section of the area closed off due to an outbreak of a disease. Hey, the future can be grim, too! Tunchanka is an interesting place, because it contains almost no futuristic elements whatsoever. When you first visit the planet, you see that all the areas are shaped by fallen debris. I suppose it makes you realize how tough the Krogan actually are. 

Last but not least, the Citadel. It's essentially Illium, but self-contained, floating in space, and inhabited by almost all of the races. Its five-pronged structure uses Mass Effect fields to keep gravity the same on each section. It looks like a huge starship and/or base, and is also the epitome of futuristic. In addition to plant life, there are also fountains. You know, for kicks. 

The People 

Like any good fiction set in the future, the Mass Effect series features different alien races. They are quite diverse, as well.  

Of course, these races don't always live in peace with each other. Racism still exists in the future (Will it ever die?), and some races have grudges against others. I suppose the question is: Will we find other sentient races in the future?

The Technology

Would it be Mass Effect without the technology? It's all centered around Element Zero, a mysterious element that was discovered and put to various uses. Almost everything you can think of is powered by it. Element Zero creates a "mass effect" field when exposed to electricity, which can control the mass of all objects inside it. Guns have miniature fields inside them, engines are powered by them, and the "mass relays" throughout the galaxy allow faster-than-light travel. Flying cars exist, spaceships exist, holograms exist, and technology is an integral part of life. There are also "biotics," people who have been exposed to Element Zero, and can create ME fields by  
themselves.  

 Engines are powered by Element Zero and ME fields. Aside from being used in combat, using ME fields opens up countless possibilities. This would explain the very tall buildings we discussed earlier.These fields are used to enhance life in general, alongside other technology. The Mass Effect future also assumes we can create holograms, as well as interactive hologram interfaces. While these are certainly plausible, nothing like what's portrayed exists at present. In essence, ME fields can be used for almost anything, and are what this futuristic society is based upon. 
 

The Verdict

So, is all this possible in 173 years? Eh. The rapid advancement of technology is due to a very versatile element being discovered, and I doubt that such a thing exists. If it did, however, then this could all be possible, though not in the exact same way. For the events of ME to happen in the future, different alien races would have to collaborate with one another (if they exist, that is), and other extinct alien races would have to leave behind technology more advanced than ours. Again, the chances are very slim, but if everything went right, then it is possible. 
 
(I will be rating the likelihood of the events taking place in three categories: "Very unlikely," "Likely," and "Very likely." )
 

Conclusion: Very unlikely.

Again, we're talking all "if" here. The technology we have today just isn't the same as what's  portrayed  in the Mass Effect games, and a miracle discovery of such a versatile element is not very likely to happen. 
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What do you think? Have a different opinion? A suggestion on which game I should do next? Post it in the comments!