[VIDEOGAME] BioShock 1 & 2... *Awesome* Games Based on Ayn Rand & Objectivism

[Sentient Void]

You guys should play BioShock 1 & 2 (came out within the last few years, available on PC and XBOX 360). Not only AWESOME first person shooters with *great* graphics... the story is *awesome* and is *heavily* based on Ayn Rand and Objectivism, along with the art and architecture style being along the lines of what you'd imagine from her time.

Andrew Ryan (a play on the name Ayn Rand?) asically got sick of the statist, and religion based societies. He wanted to create a society, culture and city free from the state, religion and morality (I know it diverts from the Randian message a 'little' here). He successfully gets enough investment money to build a massive city under the ocean called 'Rapture' in the ideal of his vision of such a society. The society prospers and grows quickly and advances significantly in technology.

Some shit starts to hit the fan and he becomes a despot - and then shit *really* hits the fan, and the society and economy collapses. Rapture is in ruins, and everyone goes crazy and you have chaos. Your character's plane crashes into the ocean near this city, and you must survive and figure out what and why everything happened.

Voice-acting - top notch. Graphics - top notch. Story - top notch. Action with role-playing elements - top notch. Moral choices that affect story - check. Story twists - best in any videogame. Period.

I think you guys would love it!!!

YouTube - Bioshock Trailer

YouTube - Bioshock Launch Trailer

 

[0zzy]

Ayn Rand was not a big fan of religion so I think it probably doesn't divert too much ^_^.

 

[t0rnado]

The first Bioshock is one of the greatest games to ever exist.

 

[silus]

What about the second? (i'm about to order the first based on your testimony).

 

[Cdn_for_liberty]

What about the second? (i'm about to order the first based on your testimony).

I beat the game last week and it was just as good.

The story talks about the other side, which is about how collectivism is harmful.

 

[Sentient Void]

0zzy, I meant the 'morality' part, not the religion - I know she was against religion

Silus, as for the second one, it was also really good - though not quite as good as the first. It still has a lot of Randian and objectivist themes in it - but more as remnants of the city of Rapture. In the second game, it's some collectivist (the antithesis of Andrew Ryan / Ayn Rand) and the story is flipped on it's head showing the dangers of collectivism. I actually haven't finished the second one, yet...

But definitely pick it up.

I don't know the cheapest you can find it for... but you can get it for as cheap as 15 bucks including S+H if you get it from Glyde.com

http://glyde.com/#!viasearch/products/7956203/BioShock

Bioshock II for 26 bucks

http://glyde.com/#!viasearch/products/7971253/BioShock-2

On ebay it seems to be around 10-12 bucks +S+H

 

[ClayTrainor]

I played the first one, and it was awesome.

 

[silus]

Just ordered the first one. Thanks. 13 bucks w/shipping on Amazon via goHastings.

 

[Sentient Void]

Hell - I might buy the first one again to play through it with different eyes.

When I played this back in 2007, it was when I was politically apathetic and generally unaware of libertarian philosophy. I was introduced to Ron Paul and libertarianism in Jan 2008 by a stripper friend of mine... lol.

Might be a different experience this time around.

 

[ClayTrainor]

Hell - I might buy the first one again to play through it with different eyes.

I was kinda thinking the same thing. I think i played it before I knew who Ayn Rand, or even Ron Paul was.

 

[Vessol]

Andrew Ryan, while he fucked up a lot, is probably the most sympathetic character in the game. To those not of objectivist mind, he'd seem like a visionary who went overboard and got power hungry. He's not sinister like every other villain in the game.

 

[2young2vote]

The story is kind of hard to follow, but it shows a society that is supposedly modeled after Galts Gulch. It shows it in ruins. There are two main "antagonists". Andrew Ryan who is the individualist who started the underwater city, and Fontaine who is the collectivist who is trying to take over.

I thought they did a poor job of actually demonstrating why a society like Galts Gulch may be impossible. Irrational basically plopped us into the world and let the beautiful scenery do the talking, but that wasn't enough to prove anything or get a point across.

I'm not playing the second one. It didn't have a reason for being made like the first one was - it was just a cash in on the name.

 

[BenIsForRon]

I still have System Shock 2 on my hard drive, waiting to be played.

I heard that game had some pretty deep themes as well.

 

[Vessol]

I still have System Shock 2 on my hard drive, waiting to be played.

I heard that game had some pretty deep themes as well.

Better gameplay too. Bioshock had good visuals and good story, boring gameplay.

 

[Andrew Ryan]

Andrew Ryan ftw!

 

[sevin]

I've never really played this kind of game. Is it very hard to learn (lots of controls, weapons, gear, etc.)? I've only really played games like Mario Brothers, Guitar Hero and Simpsons Hit & Run.

 

[Kludge]

The first Bioshock was fantastic -- great story and I was genuinely terrified a few times by suspense (esp. on Cohen's level). The gameplay was fresh & combat innovative for its time. Voice acting was incredible and the devs gave the characters fascinating depth.

The second lacked suspense, the story was dull & somewhat cheesy, the characters were "vague," and the gameplay/graphics were recycled (seemed far easier -- even its hardest mode was easy) with just a few interesting changes, such as being able to cart Little Sisters around to collect ADAM. Coincidentally, I ended up playing B2 last night when I couldn't sleep -- worth playing, but I wouldn't pay for it. Unfortunately, B2 ended up being mostly about scouting around collecting items while looking at the scenery & listening to a fantastic selection of music.


The best way I can imagine to compare is to say it'd be like buying Napoleon:Total War after you already bought Empire:Total War.

 

[jmdrake]

Not a libertarian and haven't played the game though I am familiar with it from reading reviews and walkthroughs. I'm confused as to why libertarians would like the game. It didn't exactly show Andrew Ryan's society as being in anyway "successful" long term. What am I missing?

 

[Xenophage]

The game seems to be more critical of Rand and libertarianism than for it. Am I wrong? I played through the first couple of boss fights in the first game and lost interest. I didn't like the gameplay much, and the story was rubbing me the wrong way.

 

[Kludge]

The story is critical of immoral people attempting to form a moral society more than anything, though the barbs at a potential free society are amusing. The basis of the plot is irrelevant to the game -- I can't imagine people actually have their opinions on a system of government swayed by the setting in a video game.

The second does a reversal and shows what could happen if a collectivist religion-abusing psychologist rose to power in the same society, declaring the "self" a tyrant and demanding everyone form into a Family for the Common Good.