This entry contains massive spoilers for the Bioshock
series. If you haven’t played it by now however, you’re probably not going to…
It’s not often (though it’s becoming increasingly common),
that a game comes out that makes you think and analyze the philosophy behind
it. One such occasion, was the Bioshock series. Initially it started as the
successor to System Shock 2 but I’m sure by now most people have heard this at
least fifty times over. Bioshock at the time sported some pretty okay gameplay
which wasn’t entirely innovative, but gave you more options to play as you
wanted. It gave you a task and the tools to complete it, but which tools you
used was up to you. This plays into the central themes of the series’ writing.
Bioshock takes place in a city which initially looks like an
Ayn Rand fan’s wet dream. However, while Rapture may look like a crazy fanfic
of The Little Mermaid meets Atlas Shrugged, it take a very paradoxical turn
from Rand’s philosophy. Rapture is an underwater city where each person is said
to be free from tyranny and taxation. Andrew Ryan, the progenitor and owner of
Rapture, makes sure this propaganda is spouted whenever possible. He makes it
clear that because of his doings, the citizens of Rapture are free. But here’s
where the philosophical dichotomy emerges.
Throughout the game, the protagonist is constantly asked to
do things using trigger terms from Atlas, a character that functions as the
narrator of sorts and your guide to Rapture. Later on, you find out Atlas is
simply using you for his own goals. He wants Andrew Ryan out of the way and you
serve as his hand in doing so. This leads to one of the most profound scenes
ever seen in a video game.
This sets up for that paradox I was speaking of earlier.
Atlas makes it seem like you get something out of this, but you’re just doing
someone else’s dirty work, giving the illusion of personal desire. It’s not
surprising though, considering Rapture is rife with Big Daddies, which are
essentially people stuck in diving suits, stripped of their humanity by being
given one simple task. They seek to protect the only vessels which can support
and cultivate Adam, the lifeblood of Rapture’s hierarchal system. With their
humanity gone, these beings don’t exactly embody freewill.
Why is this worth mentioning? Andrew Ryan creates a world
for those who want to get away from the grasp of the government, living in a
society that lets them do as they please. It is by all means, an illusion of
Libertarianism. Ryan basically dictates what goes on in Rapture, very similar
to a tyrant. He even kidnaps people and experiments on them. Even one reporter
from the surface was subject to Ryan’s wrath. Think about this for a second. In
a society that says you are free, there is always someone looming over you. The
things you want are sometimes things that you were “programmed” to want. “A man
chooses, a slave obeys” is the perfect quote illustrating this point.
When all is said and done, I’ve read different analyses of
what people think of the idea of Rapture. Normally, there are three mindsets.
One is Andrew Ryan is nothing but a dictator ruling a kingdom. It’s not too far
off considering the amount of control he has. On the other side of this argument,
is Rapture is a true Galt’s Gulch solely for Andrew Ryan himself and no one
else. My interpretations lies somewhere between these two. The last, is simply
anarcho-capitalism. The Splicers basically do as they want for what they want,
but because of the location to Rapture, this is basically a prison so again,
how much freedom is there?
I will do a piece on
Bioshock 2 and Infinite at a later point in time. Both are different beasts and
my ramblings about them would be too long for one post. That being said, when
people call Video Games art, games like Bioshock spring to mind immediately
because of their philosophical points, symbolism, and their uncanny ability to
be seen through different lenses.
