Essay: How Do Video Games Control Us Through The Investigation Of The Game 'Bioshock'

 

How do video games control us through the illusion of choice?

How is the theme of control explored in the narrative of Bioshock?

 

Bioshock is a first-person, action-adventure/horror game designed to simulate an alternate reality dystopian civilisation, set in the 1950/60s. Within this world, advanced technology has led to the discovery of ADAM, a substance that enhances the human form, and eventually causes the destruction of the city known as Rapture. The purpose of this essay is to explore how the game uses a simulacra world to immerse the player; this is a theory laid out by Jean Baudrillard to describe the creation of a hyperreal world. He states that the development of technology and other forms of media have led to a passive human existence, whereby people are willing to give up reality for an idea (). When linking to Bioshock, it can be argued that Rapture acts a commentary for the wider world, as it is a creation designed to escape the real world, much like the concept of simulacra. When referring to the question, it will be explored as to how the player/main character is controlled from the outset by Fontaine, who masquerades as your guide ATLAS. The sense of escapism sought out by the player is then subverted, as they are not taking part in the action/adventure game as a hero, instead a puppet, allowing the game to take full control, and eliminate any choice made by the player. This will be explored through studying the characters, the narrative and the wider world of Bioshock.

Andrew Ryan, Atlas, the main character and their relationship to the world of Bioshock.

Ryan and splicers, Atlas and main character/city as mafia boss – Ryan weak.

 

It can argued that Bioshock presents the illusion of choice, through the use of the character Andrew Ryan, the essential component behind the player’s purpose in the narrative. Ryan immediately lays out his beliefs to the player, perfectly encapsulating his ideas of what Rapture was envisioned to be. In this introduction to the world, the player can see the stark contrast between Ryan’s words and the reality of Rapture, showing his obvious delusions spurred on by his ideological beliefs. It suggests that he is trying to convince the player of his vision, using rhetoric such as “I chose the impossible”, implying that he was successful against all odds. It says a lot about what sort of man he is, regardless if you share the same beliefs as him. Ryan used this same inspiring tone to trick the residents to surrender all of their assets to him and follow in his dream of a world out of the world. This not only helps the player understand the situation from a resident’s perspective, but also makes the downfall of the city feel so much more impactful.

It can be said that, Ryan’s characterisation throughout the game embodies the notion of objectivism, the idea that every man acts according to his own self-interest and for personal gain. Theorist Ayn Rand states that every person should have equal opportunity to strive towards a goal in which they believe in, and when it comes to Andrew Ryan, this is seen through his construction of the city, which he states is only possible “when we struggle in our own interest that the chain pulls society in the right direction”. Ryan’s motivations for building Rapture, is to escape the surface world and the clutches of society he deems oppressing. However, his ideals and paranoia of losing it all to the outside world, lead him into becoming the very thing which motivated the creation of Rapture, an oppressing force over the people. This is all in an effort to protect his perfect vision, which requires that everything goes the way in which he has planned. Rapture acts as his own vision come to life, and shares many similarities to other hyperreal environments described by Baudrillard’s theories. A prominent example which Baudrillard uses, is Walt Disney World, in which one man’s idea builds the basis for a simulated reality come to life, ”by concealing the fact the real is no longer real”, due to the use of “illusions and phantasms” (Baudrillard,). Rapture is an extreme example of this, due to the discovery of the resource know as ADAM, which Ryan is able to convince the residents of Rapture that they are living in the perfect world and can become the perfect version of themselves. This is limited to cultural and social biases of the 1950’s, as explained by Fern Opal Drew “women are expected to wear dresses and work within gender coded occupations, while men are predominately business workers.” It is even suggested that black men, such as Charles Milton, so simply “splice white” (Drew, September 2017). This mediates the lack of cultural diversity. This once again is Ryan attempting to control his representation of what Rapture is, and who should be allowed into his vision. However ADAM ultimately ends up as catalyst for Rapture’s demise. The city is built upon a inherently flawed belief, ADAM simply elevates this to bring forth the downfall much quicker than expected.

Andrew Ryan set out to achieve his dreams of the impossible, and was successful with Raptures’ completion, however it seems as though the city has fallen into despair regardless of his determination. This is due to the false narrative expressed by Ryan to the people that Rapture is a utopia, when in fact it becomes the opposite. This is because Ryan believes that Rapture is his perfect vision and his alone, with him constantly referencing within his opening monologue that “I [Ryan]…chose Rapture”. This shows that although Rapture is sold as a Utopia for all, in reality it is simply a dictatorship controlled by Ryan’s own beliefs. However Ryan is willing to compromise his beliefs if it means ultimately achieving his goal, stating himself that “Alterism is the root of all wickedness”. Although he is seen as a character built upon objectivism, he is still willing to work with others, he describes as “like minded”, in order to achieve his goal. It could be argued that because they share similar views, they therefore share the same vision, however Ryan sees it more as a means to an end, as represented by the fact that he is the last man standing with control over the city. The beliefs controlling Ryan are seen as a prominent theme throughout the narrative, one that the player is quickly subjected to through his mindless ramblings. This is seen through the many audio logs found in the environment of Bioshock as well as his frequent interactions through the radio, in which the player has no choice but to listen to; this again takes the power out of the player’s hands and surrenders it to Ryan. These are completely unfiltered, streams of thoughts which put Ryan’s mentality on full display for all to see. This is a man who has nothing to hide and truly believes in himself.  In his mind he has already proven that his way of thinking is the right way and has Rapture as living proof that his way of thinking works. This may be true for Ryan himself, as he is living comfortably within the quarters of the head office, however the rest of Rapture and its residents are in ruin. Ryan is unbothered by the state of Rapture, as in his mind, he has achieved his goal set out by his objectivist nature, therefore he does not concern himself with the fate of others. This mind-set is arguably what causes Rapture to crumble, as it was based on a selfish ideology, and Ryan’s ultimate goal, which was power. Therefore, it can be argued that the player is at a disadvantage, as they are dealing with a man who has shunned God in favour of his own beliefs. Going as far as to state “God did not plant the seeds of this Arcadia…I did!”. This quote references the man-made forest found within Rapture which provides the city with oxygen. This follows along with the narrative that Ryan has made the impossible, possible, something God himself could not do. It is worth noting that, Ryan did not created the wildlife for Rapture and it was instead developed by a scientist called Julie Langford, who was recruited by Ryan to help construct the city. Ryan, however, sees her creation as his own as he believes that it is his vision, therefore he deserves full credit for all ideas. When the player reaches the underwater forest, Ryan feels threatened and sets it on fire, along with Langford, putting his selfishness on full display, while simultaneously endangering the cities stability. The man who claimed from the beginning that he is at a higher standing than God, crumbles in fear when confronted with the idea of losing his own creation. This displays Ryan weakness, one which Fontaine manipulates throughout the narrative, which is that Ryan fears losing control, which therefore causes him to lose power. In a sense, you could argue that, they game has the player exploring a world which puts Ryan’s insecurities on full display, which ultimately fuels the narrative and highlights the flaw in Rand’s theory of objectivism.

“Could I have made mistakes? One does not build cities if one is guided by doubt. But can one govern in absolute certainty? I know that my beliefs have elevated me, just as I know that the things I have rejected would have destroyed me. But the city... it is collapsing before my... have I become so convinced by my own beliefs that I have stopped seeing the truth? Perhaps. But Atlas is out there, and he aims to destroy me, and destroy my city. To question is to surrender. I will not question.”

 It could be argued that not only are the people of Rapture controlled by Ryan, but Ryan himself is controlled by his own beliefs, due to his pursuit of a perfect world. Even when referring to his own death, Ryan is in full control over the player, commanding them to kill him. In summary Ryan can be seen as a man who is dedicated to his beliefs until the very end. His life was dictated by the rules of objectivism, in both his actions and beliefs. Ultimately, his constant need for control leads him to control the player themselves into his demise.

 

 

Ryan is a man who cannot be controlled by others, the same however cannot be said for the player, who for the greater part of the narrative is unknowingly controlled by Atlas, later to be revealed as Frank Fontaine. This contrast between the player and Ryan is essential in order for the player to recognise the lack of power they possess throughout the narrative. The fact that the player sees the city in its devastating state, exposes “how the city is a cheap and cruel façade by design” (Fern Opal Drew, Sep 1^st 2017). The version of the city the player explores is the true form of the city constructed like an “ideological diorama” (drew) in the mind of Andrew Ryan.

The narrative itself reflects Baudrillards 3 stages of simulacra, with the player understanding that they are entering the world of an action adventure game. The game describes itself as a “shooter unlike any you’ve ever played”, which will have the player “genetically modify their DNA to create an even more deadly weapon: you”. It can be argued that the player being called a “deadly weapon” is a double entendre, foreshadowing how the character, Fontaine, will use the player as a weapon to combat Ryan for the greater part of the narrative. The player is unaware of this fact, and instead intends to use the world of Rapture as a form of escapism, or as described by Baudrillard as “an illusion as a place marker for the real” (Baudrillard,). It can be argued that, the second order of simulacra takes place immediately after the player picks up the radio to Atlas, upon entering the city of Rapture. Atlas “misrepresents and masks an underlying reality by imitating it so well” in order to execute his plan and get the player to trust him (Baudrillard,). This is done by Atlas creating a fake reality, one in which he explains to the player that his family is in danger, and the only way of them escaping is the player assuming the role of the hero. This feeds off of the ego of the player, through using traditional action adventure tropes, causing the player to believe they are the centre point in the reality. At this point the player believes they know the distinction between what is real and fiction, and are the active participator in the narrative, still convinced they can make their own decisions. The third and final order takes place when it is revealed that the player is simply a puppet on a string for the character Frank Fontaine. Rather than the player having free will, they are instead a cog in the machine for Fontaine, created for the soul purpose of carrying out his bidding. It could be argued that, the player is essentially the least important part of the narrative, and their only true role is to further the agenda set forth by the other characters in the world. This is odd for an action adventure style game, which usually has the player taking centre stage and be an integral part of the narrative. Most of the key events within the world of Bioshock, actually take place before the player arrives in Rapture. This distances the player from the events, minimalizing their importance and emphasising the fact that they are simply a pawn in a much larger game.

 

 

Frank Fontaine plays a pivotal role in the downfall of Rapture, through his persistent attempts to undermine Andrew Ryan’s vision. He enacts a plan to overthrow Ryan’s control, and begin to sell ADAM to the surface world. He teams up with scientists, such Dr Tenenbaum, to perfect the extraction of ADAM from the little sisters, whilst also building up his presence within the underworld. Ryan is enraged by Fontaine’s attempt to destroy the world he has created, and it begins to affect his mental state, creating the splicers to destroy any opposition. Fontaine fakes his own death, and creates a fake alias known as Atlas, in order to adapt to the hostile environment left in the wake of the oppressive measures put in place by Ryan. It reveals to the people the true motive of Ryan’s vision, and the illusion of utopia begins to crack. With the hyper reality broken, the people look towards Atlas as their saviour, with posters found throughout Rapture coining the phrase ‘Atlas, voice of the people’. In reality, Fontaine uses the growing class system divide to create an “army” in order to claim Rapture as his own. In this sense, Fontaine is an unstoppable force, hell-bent on his desire for power and money, manipulating the people, the scientists and even the main character themselves.

These events take place two years before the player arrives, and gradually provides the context for the strange and befallen world the player is exploring.

Atlas is an unknown entity and voice of the people, who is regarded as a hero within Rapture before the arrival of the player. He states in an audio log that “I am not a liberator. Liberators do not exist. These people will liberate themselves”, selling the idea, to poorer sections of society, that he holds an ideology different to that of Ryan. In reality, Atlas AKA Fontaine’s true beliefs are reflected by the statement: “I hand these mugs a cot and a bowl of soup, and they give me their lives.” It implies that Fontaine manipulates the clear class system divide which becomes prominent within the society with  , against Ryan, and becomes the figure for the people. This is all in an attempt to achieve his overarching goal of smuggling ADAM to the outside world, in order to yield a profit for self-gain. In this sense, Fontaine was able to exploit the flaws of Ryan’s objectivist ideology and create the underworld of Rapture.

BioShock contains a bleak depiction of what might happen under an unfettered system of objectivism. This philosophy champions an antiquated ideal of rugged individualism and meritocracy to create a "perfect" society, one without fail-safes for people deemed "weak.”

 

 

The game uses a character named Atlas, who unbeknownst to the player is Fontaine, forces you to do his bidding through mind control. This effect is created whenever Atlas utters the simple phrase "Would You Kindly" before issuing a command. As the game follows a traditional structure for linear style video game, it seems natural for the unknown man to be telling you what to do, much like other first person action games at the time such as Halo and Call Of Duty . His soft tone and seemingly good nature is described by Fontaine as a “masquerade” used to trick the player, as well as the wider population. In doing so, he manages to smuggle ADAM to the surface, whilst simultaneously

As part of his grand plan, code named in the narrative as "Fontaine’s ace in the hole", Fontaine dehumanises the player, through explaining in his monologue the purpose of the player as being “built” to kill Andrew Ryan. He describes Jack’s memories as being “tattooed” inside his head, addressing the player as if a fictional character within his reality. This causes the player to question their own reality, as their actions have been controlled from the very beginning. The narrative represents how much control video games have over a player, and that although the player is participating within said reality, they have little control over the events that unfold.

Roger Travis suggests that the illusion of choice presented in Bioshock acts within Ryan’s notion that “A man chooses; a slave obeys”, a phrase used shortly before his death. By referring to the player as a slave, it strips the player of human status, thus preventing them from participating in the idea of objectivism. Therefore they are unable to think for themselves, and described by Fontaine as being “genetically conditioned to bark like a cocker spaniel”, once again belittling the character to a sub-human position. 

preventing them from participating in the idea of objectivism. Therefore they are unable to think for themselves, and described by Fontaine as being “genetically conditioned to bark like a cocker spaniel”, once again belittling the character to a sub-human position.