Bioshock 2: A long winded post about political philosophy.

[Sgt.Chilly]

Although certainly not as enthralling as it's predecessor (But let's be honest no one could feel just as impressed the second time they step into Rapture as they were the first time) It still manages to accurately depict the failures involved with an unyielding single minded philosophical/political viewpoint and the forced application of said viewpoint onto an unwilling society with the conviction of "knowing what is best" and shrugging off any doubts or arguments that would contradict your ideas.

With Andrew Ryan from Bioshock 1 it was the Strict Capitalist whose mantra of "A Man is entitled to the sweat of his brow" lead his utopia to be sabotaged and taken from him by an Opportunistic Con Man.  This ultimately lead Ryan (Someone who ultimately was a metaphor for the Ayn Rand Philosophy) to become the very fascist dictator whom he sought to escape in creating Rapture,and eventually escaping the monster he had become by assisting his illegitimate son Jack to obtain true free will through his death.

In Bioshock 2, We have Sofia Lamb.  A psychiatrist who believes the next step in the human evolution both in physically and philosophically is a collective society.  Originally her ideas lend toward the concept of removing the self preservation of one's self from the human psyche and to replace it with a drive of preserving and improving the whole of the species.  She is clearly depicted as having a falling out with the ideas of competition breeds a better model but ultimately she too ends up becoming the very monster she sought to undo.  Her experiments put her into the same mindset as Andrew Ryan, condemning not just self-desire but individuality and the state of being self-aware all together.  Condemning all who do not fall in line with her 'Family' mantra as being selfish and self-destructive.  Lamb clearly represents the idealistic leader of a communist/socialist movement that very often is quickly poisoned with the absolute power they find themselves.

Although these concepts of philosophy the tragedy of their application is certainly not new, Bioshock definitely has a flare for really bringing these stories some weight.  The splicers in particular are an effective means of showing cultural change.

In Bioshock they were merely drug addled junkies willing to kill for even the tiniest morsel of Adam to continue their genetic mutation binging.  Being coaxed by their addiction through Ryan to fight Atlas and Jack's progress every now and again, but for the most part they simply stuck to their territories waiting for any unfamiliar face to unluckily wander into their sights.  In Bioshock 2 they are more organized as Lamb uses their Adam use and desperation for survival to make them into hunting parties which hunt Delta down to stop him or to retrieve a little sister he has abducted from a Big Daddy.  Lamb's influence can be seen almost everywhere as the grateful splicers create murals to her and her daughter Eleanor praising her not unlike deity.

Again Rapture will never have the same impact as that first trip down the Bathysphere but it certainly is a worthy follow up for the story of city built on a dream and perverted by our own ambition.

[Cornwad]

So Bioshock 2 is about how communism always fails? Sounds like my kind of game. It's true too, communism doesn't work above or below water. I'm glad that the good folks at 2K are spreading the word.

[Friendly Hostile]

So Bioshock 2 is about how communism always fails? Sounds like my kind of game. It's true too, communism doesn't work above or below water. I'm glad that the good folks at 2K are spreading the word.

And it's good they showed how much pure capitalism can't work either in the first game.

[Cornwad]

And it's good they showed how much pure capitalism can't work either in the first game.

Yeah, it's always good to find a working balance. If you're extremely capitalist all the rich people go crazy with power until you're practically living in China again.

On closer inspection, there would have never been any problems with Rapture at all if the working class people didn't riot. Without dem commies it would have worked perfectly.

[Friendly Hostile]

On closer inspection, there would have never been any problems with Rapture at all if the working class people didn't riot. Without dem commies it would have worked perfectly.

...that's the point though.  Pure capitalism ultimately leads to an unhappy working class as the gap in wealth grows larger and larger, since due to human behavior, the system never works properly.  Pure capitalism and communism don't factor in human behavior, which is why neither can ever succeed. 

[Cornwad]

I guess you could interpret it that way, but I think the real lesson is that everything is better without communists, even if they do have cool Irish accents.

[DededeCloneChris]

So this game has some kind of controversial matter? Wow, that's surprising. It must be one of those games where you find something subtle about life. Too bad I don't know which kind of games are those.

Wait, so this game hasn't been mentioned about its "suggested" point of view yet?

[Cornwad]

The first game is pretty much an Ayn Rand book ruined by people trying to play God with sea slugs. The message is about how the horrors of boundless technology can end even the greatest city.

I haven't played the second one yet, so I don't know what it's about.

[Sgt.Chilly]

Man I'm glad someone read this, for a while I thought nobody cared about my long winded rant.

Thanx for your thoughts and opinions.

[The Seventh]

A rather interesting way of viewing those games.  I never imagined them that way, to be honest.

Yes, it is true, pur capitalism and communism NEVER works, for reasons as mentioned above (human nature, corruption, gaps in wealth causing riots, stuff like that).

I will keep that in mind and try and use that knowledge when I get to play those games myself.

[Macawmoses]

bumped for move

[2-D]

I never thought of it that way :O

To be honest I beat the game in one night and I guess I was just too busy killing people and running around to pay attention to the deeper meaning lol