How BioShock uses World-Building to Critique Objectivism

Welcome back to my blog my little noodles~

Today we are going to be discussing a new game I've been playing- BIOSHOCK!

I know, I know, I'm playing a shooter! That's crazy! And don't worry, I'm just as bad at it as you would expect me to be, but I'm still making it through the game and I gotta say, I'm highly impressed so far, despite it taking me far too long to get through each level.

The only thing scarier than a big daddy is my inability to play this game, lmaooo...

As stated in Ubik’s article, “BioShock’s Critique of Ayn Rand and Objectivism,” BioShock’s developers specifically created the world of Rapture around Ayn Rand’s philosophy of Objectivism and what would happen if a society ruled by such beliefs existed. As soon as the player steps into the world of BioShock and the underwater kingdom of Rapture, the player witnesses the downfall of society, and it is made clear that Rapture serves as a critique of Rand’s beliefs, which deny the need for a “collective good” philosophy to hold civilizations together.

As the player traverses Rapture, they witness what would happen when a civilization of top inventors and scientists live together only to acquire their own financial gain without incorporating any moral guidelines to ensure the continual well-being of the entire society. As stated in Ubik’s article, the highly intellectual members of Rapture all believed themselves to be above manual labor that is needed to maintain an underwater society such as Rapture, and thus the society quickly went into ruin. BioShock’s developers leave clues of this decay in their world design; we witness busted pipes where the temperature wasn’t maintained, overturned and looted offices, and the player often comes across audio diaries of Rapture civilians who witnessed firsthand the fall of their society.

Somebody clean this up...

The reason why Rand’s philosophy of Objectivism is flawed is because it denies both our human nature to take care of one another, as well as our human tendency to be selfish and take what we want, especially in a civilization where the only rule is to not physically harm one another. In such a society where selfishness overcomes human decency, where there isn’t an instilled obligation to take care of society and one another, it can be argued that the logical outcome of such a civilization is its demise. This is what the developers of BioShock are arguing through their plot and world building. It makes sense that such a story would fit within a shooter game, because where selfishness broods, violence follows, as seen in the world of Rapture, where every man wields a weapon and is out for themselves. This littering of weaponry is another way the developers build the world of Rapture, by emphasizing the selfish desire to protect oneself at the cost of others’ lives.

Until next time~

ricecakerabbit