Objectivism meets 18 year olds in an award-winning BioShock video game. The game can surely be seen as an attack on Ayn Rand's philosophy, but Brian Crecente has written a good article on the positives of bringing the philosophy to a mass audience in a new way. And it's not just any game, it's one a slew of Game of the Year and Best Story categories.
The game isn't a 'serious' look at objectivism, but the philosophy is a strong thematic element. The president of the Ayn Rand Institute, Yaron Brook, has some positive analysis of the issue in the Crecente article. I'm pleased that my son has been assigned both Anthem and The Fountainhead in his high school, and I look forward to further discussion with him after he 'experiences' the game. Here's a quote from the article:
"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."
--------------
And here's the 4th installment of the political-photoshopping fun:
No comments:
Post a Comment