bioshock

No Gods or Kings: Objectivism in BioShock

By: Brian Crecente

The sunken city of Rapture, a world of art deco aesthetics, neon sales pitches and looming architecture, is home to more than just murderous splicers and lumbering Big Daddys, it's also a surprising breeding ground for introspection.

BioShock may have been conceived as a study in nuance, a place for gamers to discover and explore at their own pace, but its dip into the ethical morass of Ayn Rand's objectivist philosophies has brought her beliefs back into the mainstream spotlight and even piqued the interest of the Ayn Rand Institute's president, Yaron Brook.

Brook, a former member of the Israeli Army military intelligence and award-winning finance professor at Santa Clara University, first took notice of the game when he discovered his 18-year-old son playing it. It's a fact that didn't bother Brook despite his son's objectivist beliefs and the game's not so positive take on the philosophy.

"My son has to find his own way in life," he said. "There are certain games I wouldn't want him to play, like Grand Theft Auto, games that celebrate criminality. But a game that might lead him to think and have him challenge his ideas, I'm fine with.

"Luckily for me he doesn't agree with the game, he still seems to believe in objectivism"

Objectivism as a central theme in BioShock was actually the result of a confluence of ideas and happenstance. The heart of the game started, as do most of Ken Levine's games, as the answer to a problem.

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bioshock

Gamers With Jobs Takes an In-Depth Look BioShock

Julian "Rabbit" Murdoch over at Gamers With Jobs took the trek to Irrational Games' studios in Quincy, MS and had a chat with ken Levine about BioShock. Of course, in and of itself, this is nothing new. Levine has been interviewed up one side and down the other about his creepy underwater brainchild, but what sets this article apart is it's attention to the details of the story and not just the gameplay. There's a great breakdown of the game's plot as well as a showing the comparisons between it and Ayn Rand's Atlas Shrugged. If you are a BioShock fan and looking to learn more than just surface details, this is a great piece of weekend reading. Flynn De Marco More »

bioshock

Ken Levine Shows Everyone BioShock

If you still remain unconvinced that Bioshock is going to be one of the best games of 2007, set aside fifteen minutes and watch this video as Irrational's Ken Levine leads us through one of Bioshock's sub-aqueous Art Deco levels. More »