When I played through Bioshock, I though it was a wonderful and atmospheric game. I was also very young, I knew little of politics, and cared little of them. I still do; however, I understand much more about them now. Bioshock is about objectivism, which is the idea of valuing one’s own greed more then anything else will create the ideal society. In essence, Bioshock is a critique of objectivism, as the city of Rapture was fallen apart at the seams. I would argue that making a game about politics first would create a very boring game, because of the “perceived conflict between making games to be “values conscious” and making them fun”(Belman and Flanagan). However, Bioshock does this perfectly, and in fact, the game would be worst if it was not a value conscious game. Bioshock’s harsh critique of objectivism results in the creation of a the beautiful and hauntingly atmospheric city of Rapture.
As the player explores the city, it becomes clear that Rapture fell due to the ideals of its creator, and its remaining denizens are usually just as selfish. The player will meet few in Rapture who are driven by something other than their pure selfishness, and in the end most the player meet will either immediately try and kill the player, or turn on them for their own personal gain. The criticism of objectivism is baked into more then just its story and setting, as the game will reward the player for being selfless, and punish them for being selfish. Throughout the game, there are NPC’s called “little girls” who are guarded by the most vicious of enemies. If the player captures one, then they have the option of either destroying the little girl for a massive boost in power, or sparing and saving them, for a small boost of a power. IF the player sacrifices them, then they will get a worst ending, but If they spare them, then the player will get the good ending. The player is directly rewarded for being selfless, as opposed to be selfish, and thus, Bioshock masterfully expresses its political values through its gameplay.
Belman, J., & Flanagan, M. (2010). Eludamos: Journal for computer game culture. Choice Reviews Online, 47(11), 57–67. doi:10.5860/choice.47–6067
