Bioshock | A Sea of Hypocrisy

[@Leadhead]

Hey guys! If you wanna join in on some games, and get involved with this cool community, you can join my discord at discord.gg/PVvXESU7WU As long as I'm throwing out links, I've got new merch that you can pick up at leadheadshop.com/ plus you can support me over on Patreon if you wanna show some more love. www.patreon.com/leadhead

[@143__rd3]

Hey man, just wanted to say keep being AWESOME dude. Seriously, you’ve been one of my favorite channels since around 10k subs? And even though you’ve blown up, you haven’t changed. Stay you, man.

[@aidencross9016]

@Lance Brantley your right, no one cares

[@nunyadambidniss]

Rapture IS Hell.

[@Foebane72]

I stopped watching early on. Honestly, the Bioshock series is SHIT BEYOND CRAP, and I won't waste my time any more on them.

[@thepaintingbanjo8894]

Nothing screams "freedom" louder than being in a building in a city trapped in the bottom of the ocean.

[@doncoria9505]

Ironic....

[@RealBradMiller]

A little too ironic Don't ya think? It's the free Eve When you already paid It's the good plasmid That you just didn't take And would have thought Of splicers?

[@acemagalor2519]

@@RealBradMilleryou’re a legend dude

[@MilsznyKicius]

it was originally planned to expand to the surface in time, but we all know how that turned out

[@alexanderh1721]

I mean where else is Ryan supposed to build it when all land is already claimed?

[@adultcool2395]

I've always loved the double meaning of "No Gods, No Kings, Only Man" in relation to the citizens of Rapture. There's nobody to tell you what you can and can't do, but there's also nobody to save you when everything goes to shit.

[@jamppamaattori]

It condenses the libertarian idea very well. From how I understand it the libertarian utopia Ryan wanted would be a paradise for some but hell for others who, for multitudes of complex reasons, wouldn't be able to survive in that system on their own.

[@zwhsantwnopoylos5972]

@@jamppamaattori Not even close , bioshock is not an accurate representation of libertarianism.

[@THRAKORZOD]

@@zwhsantwnopoylos5972 Yeah it is

[@zwhsantwnopoylos5972]

@@THRAKORZOD It's not even close .

[@THRAKORZOD]

@@zwhsantwnopoylos5972 Completely unregulated capitalism with an autocratic richest guy as the leader sounds exactly like that.

[@MysteriousTomJenkins]

Me: Ha! I killed Cohen and took a picture of him for some sweet, sweet, irony~ Leadhead: Cohen wanted you to kill him and take his picture, you did exactly what he wanted. Me:......he played me like a fiddle....

[@michaelzhang7098]

Tom McDaniel LIKE A DAMN FIDDLE!

[@masterzoroark6664]

Well, unless you are into Cohen's meaning of art

[@MrSp0iler]

Ah, Bioshock. STALKER shadow of Chernobyl of the western world.

[@clmBerserker]

@@MrSp0iler not really try again, except being shooters they have nothing in common, stalker was unknown, ugly and a buggy mess that dident run well on good rigs it. Its more like a elder scrolls game.

[@MrSp0iler]

@@clmBerserker Polished to the point of sterile.

[@warmachineuk]

I don't think a remorseful Ryan wanted to be killed by his failures. "But Atlas is out there, and he aims to destroy me, and destroy my city. To question is to surrender. I will not question." Rather, confronted by his inevitable assassin, he hands over his golf club, choosing the manner of his death, demonstrating a man always chooses.

[@bilalbhuttiali1411]

yeah, Ryan never had the humility to admit that he had faltered in his ideas. He was still proud of killing his friends who turned on him. He never understood his hypocrisy and was in to deep to ever do it. His final moment was an insult to Jack to let him know that he can choose his death but Jack is a slave.

[@viriathas9910]

Well put.

[@dumb_fox]

yeah. it's like an insult to jack - i am a man, because i chose to order you to kill me, and you're a slave because you have no option but to obey. ryan wanted to keep his pride until the very end

[@LordTyph]

To be fair, he might have also figured that there was no choice but to do it and might have wanted to set things in motion so that Atlas' own pawn would kill him. It's a victory either way for him, he just wins more if Atlas (who is actually Fontaine) gets killed after him.

[@bra-balllegend3940]

@@bilalbhuttiali1411 This. Despite his presumed abhorrence of organized religion, Ryan is a zealot to the last. Put another way, the guy's so high from sniffing his own farts, he's been hallucinating for years.

[@Nanamowa]

5:30 Diana was not seeking reconstructive surgery to be a new person, if you listen to the audio logs, she was greatly injured in the attacks by Atlas' crew and this is the reason she got surgery.

[@SlurmiWurm]

ok

[@imonke5303]

@@SlurmiWurm ok

[@janusporcincula9733]

Ok

[@drakenforge4276]

That is correct! First audio log in the game!

[@harrison131]

Another thing about Ryan’s death is that Jack is his son. Ryan accidentally impregnated his mother. Jack’s mother then sold Jack’s embryo to Fontaine. So Ryan is being killed not only a slave but his own son. Ryan greatly valued freedom and the closest person to Ryan is the exact opposite a slave.

[@goodtips8973]

not his mother (incest?) but his assistant

[@harrison131]

@@goodtips8973 sorry just some bad wording

[@DTGMRuns]

Was it an accident? I thought Tenenbaum and Fontaine actually placed Joelene in there to make Ryan fall for her and get her pregnant eventually?

[@ultrabigfella]

@@goodtips8973 JACK's mother.

[@goodtips8973]

@@ultrabigfella nah. u dont get it.

[@Rassjo]

Maybe the real parasites were the friends we made along the way?

[@ihateladymacbeth8170]

The real rapture was friendship

[@fatalbert2055]

Rapture was inside us all along

[@monad_tcp]

@Samuel Black how can I abandon government, oh, I could move to another country

[@carrotisalie]

@Samuel Black like the bottom of the ocean .... Oh wait

[@monad_tcp]

@Samuel Black Mars !

[@Tman102792]

I think this is a critical misread of Ryan's death at least. His final speech expresses no remorese and if anything sounds triumphant. As far as he is concerned, he has destroyed rapture and proven that he is a man by selecting his own way of dying. These aren't the actions of a man who regrets enslaving a population

[@PR0MAN01]

There is literally nothing redeemable about Ryan the entire game, I don't get how he read him as remorseful. Every word he says is either a contradiction or just a morally bankrupt statement that's nothing less than evil. Fontane ain't much better but they're 2 sides of the game coin.

[@ollytherevenant1653]

I don’t agree with his assertion of Ryan but it was an interesting viewpoint nonetheless. I just don’t see any signs of Ryan being remorseful. His death was a stubborn display of his philosophy through the inevitably of his fate and Jack’s lack of free will.

[@uli11]

I get a sense that Leadhead *agrees* with Ryan’s philosophy, and is therefore trying to create some sympathetic ties where none exist. Just another boring libertarian… moving on.

[@juanabenitez2673]

​@@uli11 libertarians arent trans, this is a libtard

[@CSXIV]

One thing I'm surprised didn't get mentioned: that line Ryan has about a time to live, a time to die. Yeah, it's from the song "Turn, turn, turn" (which came out years after Bioshock takes place), but the line is originally from the bible (specifically, Ecclesiastes 3:1-8). Ryan has strayed so far from objectivism that he's quoting the bible.

[@skylex157]

He is not neccessarely objectivist, he in individualist, but he is not against religion really, he banned it in rapture for the same reason he banned outside trading even if it makes it an hypocrate, he is trying to protect rapture until its developed and because countries would attack rapture and it would lose its secret side if they start trading

[@skylex157]

@Skitalets nope, he decided it with all mayor business(wo)man of rapture, most of them told him to outright kill fontaine and problem would be solved, but andrew didn't want that so he instead exiled him, which ended up worse, as fontaine faked his death in the exile and atlas was born

[@skylex157]

@Skitalets i mean, he ended up being a hypocrate, i´m not defending that side of him, i´m just telling you that he had his motives to did what he did

[@InitialPC]

@@skylex157 He is literally based on Ayn Rand, his name is even an anagram of hers. Ayn Rand is the founder of Objectivism. Andrew Ryan is an Objectivist.

[@starwarsnerd100]

Ryan knows he’s quoting the Bible, right before he says that line he says “even in the book of lies there’s some truth”.

[@Omnywrench]

Another point regarding "The Great Chain": Ryan describes it as becoming more rigid and strong with everyone pulling it towards themselves in whatever direction they choose. But if you have a bunch of people pulling an actual chain every which-where, neither the chain nor any of the people pulling it go anywhere, they're just stuck in place until someone gives or something breaks, and then it all comes crashing down.

[@pjorgen]

If it was to become more rigid that would be more like a great rope. But a rope is flexible, and Ryan’s philosophy is not. A rope stretches to accommodate for change. A chain always breaks at the weakest link.

[@FederalPandas]

35 minute in depth analysis of a modern classic? Leadhead you spoil us

[@Leadhead]

Bioshock Infinite probably won't be too far behind!

[@thepraetorian2368]

More like spoil us of other games, I only watched because I thought it was going to be only Bioshock

[@joystickwarrior7769]

@@thepraetorian2368 do you know how old those games he mentioned are?? If you don't know how they end by now you probably don't care much. So why complain?

[@thepraetorian2368]

@@joystickwarrior7769 Because I still plan on playing them, there are 1000 games I still have to play, I just don't have the time to play them all

[@joystickwarrior7769]

@@thepraetorian2368 Chances are you'll forget all that stuff mentioned by the time you play it, i already dont remember most of the games mentioned lol. I was more focused on the bioshock content.

[@SuperShyerGuy]

I don't really agree with the analysis of Ryan as penitent. Here are my reasons: 1. I think the only reason Ryan does not kill you once you get right up to him (which I have no doubt he could do - he's entirely in control of Rapture's security) is because he knows Jack is his son, and therefore has access to his personal Vita-Chambers - so killing him is useless. More, too, he likely feels disdain towards killing someone who has blood-ties to him, even if he probably feels more disdain for your being controlled by Fontaine. 2. Saying that Ryan wanted to die to atone for forcing the citizens of Rapture into servitude doesn't really add up. A similar situation is presented in one of the audio logs, where he has the beginnings of a qualm about the use of the Little Sisters - but he soon soothes his own fears by saying something akin to 'but we all pulled on the Great Chain, and her little hand was right next to mine'. If he's able to talk himself out of that moral qualm, it seems unlikely that he'd be self-aware enough to wish to atone for the brainwashing of the citizens of Rapture. I personally believe that the only reason he faces Jack as he does is because even if he is a hypocrite, he is still a brave man, and if there is truly no escape, he will face death coolly.

[@simonblackwell3576]

Cool perspective, I saw him as less as a brave man and more of a prideful fool who wanted to delude himself into thinking his death was his choice in a sort of “you can’t fire me, I quit” kinda way

[@ElionMars]

@@simonblackwell3576 I just kinda saw it as him being over dramatic (hi, Cohen) and continuing to have all the nuance of a marching band made entirely of tubas. "There are no gods. Now watch as I go hide in my bunker named after the god of creation." "You smuggled Bibles? I'm going to make you a literal martyr and use obvious symbolism that makes me the bad guy." I don't honestly think Ryan has enough self-understanding to realize how other people perceive him, which is pretty in line for him being a 2000's version of Rand's Howard Roark. He knew he didn't have anywhere else to run, so he decides he's going to put on his nice shoes before jumping off a skyscraper.

[@saekisadako2118]

ryan wasn't hypocrite compared to fontaine and dr lamb

[@SuperShyerGuy]

@@saekisadako2118 In my view, Ryan is just as much a hypocrite as either of them.

[@saekisadako2118]

@@SuperShyerGuy no he wasn't he built his city and golden ages of it just show that his system works but then fontain comes in rapture and starts to destroy it.

[@taliesin7913]

I would say that Sander Cohen's craziness as an artist isn't due to lack of having an audience, but more to do with having the lack of duty to an audience. His madness, I think, will have begun long before the fall of Rapture, with his art getting more and more abstract, and less and less meaningful. Art is how a culture knows itself, and the artist that is an individualist (which Raptures is full of), and feels he has no responsibility towards his audience, will no longer be making art that someone can appreciate to know about the people of whom he is a part, something grounded in reality, and instead only makes art that comes from, and is about, himself. Cohen's art is a twisted expression only of himself.

[@cryojudgement2376]

People hate his art and he says they dont understand it cause he makes it for himself

[@noble20xx56]

@@cryojudgement2376 Exactly. The "doubters" as he calls them.

[@olivermorin3303]

​@Mister MAGAnificentNobody said shit about postmodernism, and I doubt you could actually explain what it is or how this conversation relates to it. That being said, Sander Cohen's art is very much *not* postmodern. It doesn't seek to attack any of the establishment's fundamental principles or narratives; many of his pieces do the opposite, in fact, by stroking Ryan's ego.

[@swapode]

@Person X So, you don't like Bioshock then?

[@olivermorin3303]

​@Person X 4/10 critique; I asked for a definition, not a half-baked series of "examples" meant to smear art that you don't like.

[@Freak80MC]

I feel like this video can be summed up with one sentence, for both Andrew Ryan and just normal people in general when it comes to ideologies: "When a person cares more for an idea, than the actual living breathing people that make up said idea-the game"

[@SamuelBlack84]

Without people behind an idea to create it it can't exist

[@zesty2023]

Yeah I always found it funny how Ryan's plan fundamentally doesn't make sense. His city was made to have no rulers, but a big part of his beliefs is that you own what's yours and by every definition Rapture.. the whole city IS HIS. It was his idea, his money and company funding it, and his will as he always states. I can see what he was trying to do. Created a top council to oversee the very basics of operating the city.. intentionally created to stay out of people's business as much as possible and it even seemed like Ryan was trying to keep himself out of the council and put himself down with everyone else.. starting out "buying fish futures" and the like.. creating his own businesses. It was only after he saw someone, Fontaine, becoming more successful then him that he started to turn on his own beliefs. He started taking the city being his to heart and eventually started to see the city and everyone IN it as his. Ryan: "At last I am alone, Fontaine is gone, Lamb is gone.. or close enough. At last I am alone, alone.. with MY city."

[@yungcommi]

That's what you get with absolute private property rights. It's the same reason people starve of hunger or don't have access to clean water even though there's more than enough food and we could easily find access to water.

[@kyle857]

The biggest flaw, explored more in the books. Is that they keep letting more and more people in, but no one can ever leave. Creating massive unemployment.

[@ladygrey4113]

Honestly, I think it failed the same reason Ayn Rand’s philosophy fails. Objectivism is in my opinion the truly most ridiculous philosophy and method of governing (or rather lack thereof). The woman herself in childhood was uncaring of her family’s lack of wealth and allegedly would spend money they didn’t have on frivolous things like movie tickets. In her older years despite haranguing on social security and other safety nets for the majority of her adult life she would take full advantage of them.

[@bunnystrasse]

Senne D. Wait, how does this align with Ryan’s beliefs? Ryan turned on his own beliefs so that was how Rapture started to fail. What humans should do is NOT to violate absolute property rights like Ryan did. Also, what you have described is tragedy of the commons. Yes, the world has enough water, but not enough CLEAN water because that requires money to filter. Also, food is enough for everyone but you need people to produce it. You need to pay these folks.what is required on the other hand is productivity by the people of a nation’s economy so they can produce more goods to sell for money so they can produce more food for themselves.

[@bunnystrasse]

Lady Grey how is her actions related to the ridiculousness of Objectivism?

[@manuelseniceros9550]

ryan- makes city free of government. ryan- also becomes government.

[@Gamer-ry6xy]

Andrew ryan sure is a smart one, am i right.

[@Dishonoredeamon]

Hearing that puppy die like that still freezes my heart. I know no actual puppies died, but even the implication shakes me to my core and fills me with a teeth gritting rage. Fantastic video. Thought provoking and engagingly informative

[@jacobrobinson787]

I recommend you never watch Elfen Lied then. You will see red.

[@komeek]

The reveal that your a sleeper agent is one of the best memories I have gaming.

[@orton3541]

Good video! However I noticed one detail that was wrong. Diane McClintock went to Steinman because Diane was injured in the Kashmir Restuarant bombing not just because Ryan blew her off and didn't attend the ball. This is because her story is, she was injured in the bombing committed by Atlas and after she began seeing Ryan's flaws, Diane ironically joined Atlas' cause but then is ironically killed because she walked in on him talking in his regular Frank Fontaine accent.

[@Radkins1990]

Oh thank god I found this. I really didnt want to post a correction this late in the game. XD your doing the lords work!

[@plugshirt1684]

Bioshock has a great story and world building but it is really hard to follow it completely and understand it all without mistake

[@sierrasouthwell9237]

I thought she was killed because Ryan found out that she sold her embryo?

[@orton3541]

@@sierrasouthwell9237 No that wasn't Diane that was the one dancer from the Garden of Eden in Fort Frolic.

[@SamuelBlack84]

@@orton3541 If the residents of Rapture are there to reap the rewards of their hard work then what reward does a stripper get besides tips?

[@a.l.p.h.a.6094]

“There’s something admirable about that.” Only if you squint really, really hard. Ryan’s entire idea, that man only deserves what he fights for and builds with his own two hands, ignores the simple truth that we are social organisms, living in constant interconnection with others, and that most if not all inventions and conquests are, surprise surprise, *social* phenomena. The idea of the rugged industrialist alone inventing the lightbulb is a myth, as fictional as this very game. Ryan’s principles, being based on faulty premises, end up in hypocrisy and delusion. He burns down a forest he bought so the “parasites” couldn’t get it, but did he make the forest? Did he plant every tree, place every rock, dig every stream? No. He merely bought it. Or, that is to say, he stole a priceless resource from those who lived around it with the power of green paper. The parasite here was always Ryan. Remember that.

[@jcs6387]

You missed the opportunity for a "HypocriSea" joke

[@Ezekiel_Allium]

@Skitalets or you could have taste and realize forced puns are the pinnacle of comedy

[@ellis3320]

@Weapons Of Mass Distraction Bruh 😂

[@TeryJones]

Free tomatoes here! Get your free tomatoes! Comes with complimentary throwing lessons if you need them!

[@bybass9666]

@@TeryJones thank you good sir.

[@steelbear2063]

@Weapons Of Mass Distraction "If you're into dad humor, I guess." YOUR NAME IS LITERALLY A DAD JOKE

[@soplet6121]

Ah Bioshock, I saw my friend playing it when I was 17. And now all got old, and watching this at early 30s. Even after almost 15 years, it is still a recommandable game for gamers. Its graphics aged well enough for newcomers to pick up and play.

[@Azariachan]

Damn, that opening scene where you first see Rapture accompanied by that epic music... gives me chills every single time. One of the best games ever made!

[@obombomattatetrahondamog1461]

Every time Suchong says 'very good' after the puppy dies, I feel genuine hatred, great voice acting.

[@bitbot9834]

When you genuinely hate hearing a villains voice that's how you know they did an amazing job

[@sandran17]

He was a Japanese collaborator. That's a special type of bastard.

[@SamuelBlack84]

It's so satisfying to hear him being slaughtered by the big daddy after he slaps the little sister and she cries

[@jacobrobinson787]

@@sandran17 Considering what the Japanese did to the Chinese, you would be correct.

[@sandran17]

Such regimes give men with far too much curiosity and nowhere near enough desire to help people too much test subjects to torture.

[@RochfordFilms]

I love all these takes on the game coming out a decade later. I was so young when I beat this game in 2007-08, I was about 11-12 years old so I was incapable of wrapping my head around the philosophical implications. It was just a scary undersea survival horror game to me back then. Really eye opening how much of a masterpiece this game is now that as an adult I have more of an understanding of religion, society, art, and the fundamental concepts of americana that inspired the storytelling. The first Bioshock is a true example of the video game experience, presenting itself as almost film in its ability to peel back layers of depth depending on level of understanding or age. A game that could be played by anyone once but analyzed a hundred times over for generations to come.

[@HallowedKhaos91]

It's actually pretty incredible how good this game really is. That's why I think the sequels didn't do as well as far as fan reception. It's almost impossible to make the sequels as good when the original was already a masterpiece.

[@CombineWatermelon]

It was like that for me too Was just a little kid, and it was a fun game where I slowly became more and more of a god

[@tiacool7978]

@@HallowedKhaos91 Infinite had the best chance of doing so, but it dropped the ball in so many places. Felt so limited, and didn't feel quite as cohesive as the original. And while I wanted to revisit Rapture again, Bioshock 2 was more of the same without much else added. The big sisters were a nice addition though.

[@PLOROL]

It truly feels weird to watch such quality content with such little subscribers. Really interesting video and you kept me interested through the whole 33 minutes. great job! keep it up!

[@Leadhead]

Thanks! My whole goal with these longer videos is to keep people's attention and not ramble on, so that's great to hear!

[@Isaacfess]

Whelp, He got the subs now lol.

[@mr.positivity9972]

Isaacfess yeah the mans blew up

[@Isaacfess]

The subscribers speak for themselves.

[@lockskelington314]

Agreed

[@sleepshouter5017]

This one!... TOO SYMMETRICAL

[@MartinJHenebury]

Ugly...UGLY!!!

[@KarnivorActual]

I always thought Ryan handing you the golf club and telling you a man chooses was him trying to break through the brainwashing command by trying to confront you with it. It just didn’t work and he was killed for it.

[@HollyBunnySilly]

So, a channel that does analysis of games for an extended period of time, with a calming voice, and being perfect for background audio while still being engaging? Welcome to my, "Good Videos" playlist! Also, enjoy a new subscriber.

[@jeggsonvohees2201]

If that gets you wet you should check out MauLer's channel.

[@ShyGuyShow]

this video was the first time i ever saw what it looked like to harvest a little sister

[@SamuelBlack84]

I could never harvest them

[@DcCock]

I never harvested them because they give you a lot of goodies if you don't.

[@averagebusinessmen2]

@Clu Rosencrans a central character in the narrative is a scientist named Tenenbaum who helped create the Little Sisters and regrets it. If you rescue them, she says she'll "make it worth your while" and rewards you with extra resources if you do so. it also affects the way the game ends

[@menopillion9853]

Yeah, same here. I know it's all just electrons moving down a wire, but I just couldn't do it.

[@NotYurAverageJoe]

Wow dude; no analysis has made me realize the relevance and genius of Bioshock more than someone simply explaining it as well as you did. I think I want to share it with my father now. We’ve been distant as of late but we bond over storytelling. I think having him try Bioshock might bring us closer together despite our religious differences. Thank you for helping me realize this.

[@Leadhead]

That warms my heart :) I hope the best for you two

[@NotYurAverageJoe]

Leadhead yeah keep doing what you’re doing “big daddy” (kill me). “You just earned yourself a subscriber” as the kids say 😂. Seriously thank you though- this has also helped cement for me how potent video essays can be. I’ve been helping my friend with his channel and have been hesitant to start my own... but I’m certain now that’s what I want to do.

[@Leadhead]

Go for it man. I had 0 experience writing, editing, or voice recording before I started the channel. Everybody has something to say.

[@NotYurAverageJoe]

Leadhead thanks, that’s really encouraging to hear. If I have anything to say it’s this: It does discourage me how often substantive grassroots voices are often drowned out (no pun intended) by high-budget, artificially promoted clickbait made through celebrity and corporate partnership; rather than who the most insightful individual voices are. In the end, I hope the more earnest “Ryans” (in this narrow analogy) win out rather than the “Fontaine” channels who dominate the algorithm by exploiting social trends. Obviously, I hope no one ever actually becomes like either character; but however big you become- I’ll be rooting for you 👍. My friend’s channel is Critical Rants btw if you’d kindly check it out 😉

[@Leadhead]

You know, this is a super niche channel. Given how small my home town is, I haven't met anyone in real life whose views align with mine when it comes to gaming, but thanks to this channel I have a live counter of people whose views are similar to mine. Every voice has a potential audience. But yeah I'll check that out

[@awesomechainsaw]

It seems odd with the chapters about the faults of mixing Art with Science, and Industry with Science there isn’t one about mixing art with industry. They really could have furthered their meta commentary on games as a result.

[@Mikewee777]

@Sans Handlebars ADs are a insult to artistic intent . Holograms are used as puppets to push products that the dead celebrities would never support if they were still alive.

[@hamishbarrett7695]

Sander Cohen chapter.....?

[@Jm-ki4su]

i absolutely love this entire concept. the time setting, to the gene-altering, to the unique designs of everything, that fact that such a unique environment has gone downhill, everything is just so damn good.

[@ia2625]

the greatest nuance of bioshock is that while rapture is definitely a dystopia, it is a BEAUTIFUL one

[@I_Don_t_want_a_handle]

Every dystopia is a utopia to someone. That's the problem with utopias, not everybody agrees on what should be in them. As the old saying goes 'beware of men with Dreams.'

[@mugwump9131]

That’s not nuance or unique to bioshock. A lot of dystopian fantasies play off this, most of them.

[@ia2625]

@@mugwump9131 name 3

[@mugwump9131]

IA literally any cyberpunk dystopia.

[@wappytappy]

@@ia2625 the bioshock triology

[@sakurasleaf9780]

Honestly, I saw Ryan's death as a desperate attempt to save his son. He's not just ordering Jack to kill him, he's testing if Jack can break his programming. If his son has the choice. If he is a MAN, in Ryan's terms

[@AusSP]

I think that's not far off. If I recall correctly, he claims he won't kill Jack because Jack is his son. He can't ignore that tie. All he can do is live up to his own virtues. Having the hope his own son can live up to those virtues is very idealistic of him.

[@Bilboswaggins2077]

I always thought this as well. Ryan knew jack would kill him because jack is after all just a slave. His death helped jack realize his true purpose, which to me seems like the only “altruistic” thing Ryan ever did even if it was to preserve his dream

[@sakurasleaf9780]

@@AusSP I'd say it's not just idealistic, it's surprisingly humane of him. Can't pinpoint, where, but I remember Ryan saying "Now that I've had a good look at you, I can't kill you. Come into my office". His tone was still commanding - but way softer. One could, of course, attribute it to him being tired ot giving up, but it sounded somewhat fatherly to me. Having Fontaine use his own son, stolen from his mother's womb is an ultimate slap to Ryan's face: not only it is his flesh and blood (who, by sharing his DNA, can use the encrypted bathyspheres and Vita Chambers), his son, his physical mark on the world (besides Rapture) is a "slave" who obeys. Does Ryan hope that Jack lives up to his values? I think no, in my opinion, it has more to do with how unbearable the idea of having produced a slave into the world is for him. He even disables the vita-chamber in his office, to allow a proper stand-off (which, actually, is a crutch in lore cuz wouldn't he just respawn in another working one? The last one he passed before shutting himself in the office? Unless he has specifically recoded them into only recognising Jack's DNA and not himself, before shutting it down... oooops)

[@sakurasleaf9780]

@@Bilboswaggins2077 yeah, the fun part? Ryan's sacrifice ultimately works, we kill Fontaine because he tried to control us. So, even in his death, Ryan manages to flip a bird on Fontaine, both using Fontaine's weapon against himself, and liberating his son, showing that you can't shut down free will after all. Some argue that Jack isn't really free before Tenenbaum fixes him, and is still following her orders - but does she really order him around? She offers him a choice, and a choice that he still was able to make even under the effects of mental conditioning. He can choose between harvesting and saving Little Sisters, and he does chose to do one or another.

[@DarkAngelEU]

@@sakurasleaf9780 Harvesting or saving the Sisters isn't that much of a choice, it's part of survival through the game. I only chose to not sacrifice them when I figured out there were different endings to the game. It's a weak mechanic to display any kind of moral choice available to the player in a game where you are just a slave to expose plot. One could argue the entire game is some kind of predestinated ordeal of how one who tries to dig a grave for someone ends up digging one for themselves.

[@SmileytheSmile]

*17:10* The biggest proof that Sander Cohen was a man of art, was the number of coins he put in his music box.

[@thegoodmudkip3652]

Nice

[@lulialmir]

Nice

[@20motu08]

Why 493?

[@pippop5828]

@@20motu08 its 69$

[@__________________________Fred]

And your comment got 69 likes what the hell is going on?

[@Jootunn]

0451. Possibly the single most important lineage in story driven video games. I actually met some of the crew that worked on Bioshock infinite, the lead UI programmer is a family friend, very interesting conversations were had. Irrational Games was basically just down the street from where Looking Glass was as well, and I have been past the former Looking Glass offices many times.

[@perfectenrager]

The whole Bioshock franchise is my most favorite video game of all time.

[@ComaDave]

Even though Jack had been bio-engineered by Suchong...how could they guarantee that he would be the only survivor of a plane crashing into the ocean? Granted he has an above normal physicality...that is still a huge risk to take by Fontaine, and something that has nagged at me since wayback.

[@MatiasQuintanaV]

I thought that he was made to cause the plane crash with a command

[@ComaDave]

@@MatiasQuintanaV Yes, that's what happened. It still didn't mean that Jack would automatically survive the crash, though.

[@VisiballyDepressed]

Atlas: “Take the L Ryan!” Andrew Ryan: “I choose the Win.”

[@wiggawithattitude]

Damn. watching this reminded me that I never actually completed this game, despite loving it, mainly at the time for its visuals and setting. but since I started reading philosophy, I realised theres a lot in this game too.

[@archdiangelo7930]

"A sea of hypocrisy" you say? Well I guess You could call it... ...A *hypocri-sea* :DDDDDDDDDDD im dead inside

[@yayazou7937]

Good one

[@xChaosFlower]

*puts on sunglasses* YYYYYYYYEEEEAAAHHHH-

[@garciasa2z252]

same.

[@milbruh6671]

One thing that I love about Bioshock is that the levels have names of Greek/Roman Gods in them: Apollo, Neptune, Hephestus, Prometheus, Olympia etc. Many of these Gods tie in with the levels too, like Prometheus sacrificed himself to give humans freedom, Hephestus is the god of fire and industrialism.

[@vksasdgaming9472]

Rapture was utopia and like every utopia it was destined to fail. Ryan saw necessary safety nets as parasitism and when his own "philosophy" came to bite his own arse he couldn't handle it. He also did not see that organized cooperation is necessary for "the great chain" to pull things forward. Frank Fontaine decided to pull that chain to his direction and even that proved Ryan's ideology flawed. Frank Fontaine was obsessed about becoming head honcho of Rapture and he failed to see that unleashing all those pent-up forces he would become head honcho of smoldering heap which has no value at all left. In the end he could have just taken a recliner (a comfy chair) and declared himself a King of Rapture wearing a crown made of lampshade. I went to rescue Little Sisters and as Fontaine so much threatens to kill them just to spite Jack. It is just so right that those who actually have reason to fear Fontaine get to show that they are better than he or Ryan were. Only Little Sisters are innocents in Rapture and they do not have a choice in that matter either.

[@BienestarMutuo]

Yes, all utopias designed to please a single point of view are doomed to failure. But a utopia designed for the unity of people, that is, that accepts that each of us is different but that we have the same value, will succeed. Failure is the confusion of uniformity with unity, it is not the same. htpps://e-nation.org/

[@Handlelesswithme]

Pragmatism does not equal success, also unity of people could mean anything to any point of view

[@105rogue]

It wasn't Rands philosophy that was flawed. The problem was Ryan's inability to adhere to it.

[@qdllc]

This is how I saw it as well. Safety nets in society are necessary evils that will go wrong if not kept in line, but without them society is cruel. People went to Rapture to share in Ryan’s vision but didn’t realize they weren’t exceptional enough to exist in a higher station of society than they were used to. Their disaffection gave Fontaine a resource to use against Ryan, and when Adam was discovered, Ryan foolishly dismissed its potential while Fontaine embraced it...giving him superior clout to Ryan...who in the end wanted to be king (or god) over rapture but no longer was top dog.

[@church1391]

105rogue it’s impossible to adhere to objectivism because it is totally nonsensical. Fontaine wanted to control rapture. If Ryan wanted to maintain control he had to betray his principles, and if he didn’t, then Fontaine would have taken over. There is no way that rapture could have survived because it’s entirely founding philosophy is flawed.

[@mariokarter13]

"While we don't know at this point in the game-" Tip for essay writing: Don't tease something for half the essay, either tackle it there or avoid mentioning it again until you're actually ready to talk about it. Through sheer repetition I remember your promise to later explain your points more than your actual points.

[@DatcleanMochaJo]

Interesting point. I hope Lead sees this. Though I wouldn't know.

[@SixArmedSweater]

You are far, far more optimistic about Ryan than I am. Ryan is no better than Atlas, and their philosphies of freedom are gilded words covering up rotted souls.

[@hectichero321]

Yeah I was kinda baffled when he mentioned sympathizing with Ryan.

[@MatthewCampbell765]

According to Levine, the key difference between Ryan and Fontaine/Atlas is that Ryan is an actual true believer of an ideology and trying to do what he considers is right, whereas Fontaine is a nihilist with no desire to do anything right. This doesn't necessarily make him worse, but there is an argument to it.

[@lamb_link]

I kinda get it. Ryan wanted to create a place that humanity could grow to its fullest potential, unconstrained by law, regulation or judgement. He does turn very hypocritical and tyrannical in an attempt to achieve this, and in no way am I excusing his actions, but his end goal is noble. Unlike atlas, who does noble acts in the name of selfish goals, Ryan does evil acts in the name of noble goals. Arguably having noble goals and being willing to do anything to achieve them can cause greater horrors then just letting sleeping dogs lie, as can be seen in history by certain regimes, both fallen and still standing.

[@helenwhs]

Lamb Cronyism. The death of all great systems. Capitalism is wonderful until those successful people actively try to suppress the ambitions of others to be rid of competition.

[@ivanfloresvazquez7490]

Yeah, and I don't agree that Atlas is a perversion of Ryan's philosophy, I think Atlas is what eventually happens when a system entirely stops anyone from hoarding wealth, power and influence, and a "natural dictator" such as Atlas arises.

[@darellarocho5729]

What about Bioshock 2? I love that game, I don't understand why people hate it, it was awesome. It also has the most fun and best gameplay out of all three

[@jansamuel4666]

As for me second and third game just wasn't as good as the first and second give this strong feeling of trying to replicate first one, it lacked innovation.

[@peacekeepings1371]

make crack legal collectivism*, not communism and individualism*, not hyper-capitalism, but your point still stands. extremists will try using anything to prove their point, and if something even remotely criticizes it, they get really angry. an opposite situation happened with bioshock infinite where people on the far-right were angry because how the game criticizes nationalism and theocracy

[@lastgamecube9688]

@make crack legal Using politics as a crutch is a pretty big Cope. The sequels weren't as good as 1. Writing and the fact that Infinite had so much cut out of it should clue you in on why those games aren't liked.

[@GD30.06]

@make crack legal lol im not surprised that happened. Too many liberals these days. Its exactly whats happening to out society

[@Forestgravy90]

make crack legal i still think it's arguable whether the first game specifically targeted objectivism or whether it was also as much about the scourge of collectivism via the Fontaine character.

[@hollytalmage]

I was really confused seeing "Leadhead" in game and then I remembered that was also the name of the channel I was watching.

[@Davidgallenberger]

I just love the look and feel of BioShock. It’s just perfect for setting up an uneasy dystopian too perfect to be real feeling.

[@ElJorro]

You know how you can tell a video game is a classic? People are still talking about it over a decade after release.

[@WickedKnightAlbel]

That sounds like a nice idea on paper, but people still talk about bad games too. At length

[@frank144p4]

This one had a lot of thought put into it.

[@JohnnyBurnes]

Indeed. Superman 64. 👍

[@returnedtomonkey8886]

@@WickedKnightAlbel *cough cough* Sonic 06

[@DavidBeaumont]

Odd not to have seen much discussion on this game as a deconstruction of Ayn Rand and the morality of Objectivism / Libertarianism (Andrew Ryan ~=~ Ayn Rand). That's what the explicit sub-text of the game is about, and while I didn't listen to everything; Ayn Rand, Atlas Shrugged or The Fountainhead wasn't mentioned once as far as I could tell.

[@horizonzeromom]

I was coming here to ask "Who is John Galt?" so I'm glad someone pointed out what 2K so clearly laid out as a tribute to Ayn Rand's philosophies. I also believe the average person, including the average gamer, might find Rand's books daunting, not only in size, but also in content as they can be a very slow and tedious read, but they are worth it in every way.

[@Red-pv3tw]

i’m glad it isn’t mentioned, because andrew ryan is such an awful strawman of objectivism that every single decision he’s ever made runs counter to the philosophy he’s supposed to represent

[@frocco7125]

The virgin right libertarianism vs. THE CHAD LEFT LIBERTARIANISM

[@icancounto9994]

@@frocco7125 untill you come across daddy ancap

[@The_Jovian]

@@icancounto9994 more like a sugar daddy that doesn't actually have any money

[@aaaaaaaaaaaadddd]

I love that this game still has people talking about it, got me feeling happy.

[@coosey3764]

I didn't think I would watch the whole video, because I've only played Bioshock Infinite. But I loved every second of this video.

[@imchoosingnottoexist6894]

After all these years I have just now seen Fontaine and the ending of Bioshock

[@Drave_Jr.]

12:35 I don't remember the audio log, and no one else has talked about it that I've seen, but I 100% agree.

[@kuidel77]

great and very interesting video, i finished bioshock like 20 times but this video still contained some details i never noticed

[@wariodude128]

This video seems to have overlooked one thing that permeated the story of Bioshock: Fontaine is the ENTIRE reason Rapture went to a watery Hell in a soggy handbasket. Every problem mentioned in the video that Rapture had, Fontaine had direct or indirect involvement with it. Andrew Ryan's downfall was trusting that Fontaine held the same ideals he did. At the very first sign Fontaine didn't, Ryan should have had Fontaine either exiled from Rapture or executed as the parasite that he was. Instead, he took it on the chin and let Fontaine do as he pleased. I really think Andrew should have vetted his business partner much more closely and gone with someone else. Also, my interpretation of the giant head of Andrew Ryan when you first enter Rapture isn't him thinking himself as a god, but as a representation of what man when thinking for himself could become. Which, if you think he imagined men as gods, could mean every man is his own god and nothing is beneath him. As a man, he chose. As a slave, you and Fontaine obeyed. You obeyed by playing through the game and Fontaine obeyed by becoming the very parasitic being he always was but deluded himself into thinking he wasn't. I know I'm just a trollfacing Wario, and this is just a theory (perhaps even a GAME theory), but it makes sense considering what was shown in this video.

[@rafaelscatena7997]

Ryan was the parasite

[@DanieleCapellini]

Fontaine was a simple product of the society Andrew Ryan has created, not its opposite.

[@attackmaster519]

@@DanieleCapellini Incorrect since Fontaine was doing these things long before Andrew Ryan even had the idea of creating Rapture. Fontaine is the product of the society he was raised in, as all men are, but he was not raised in Ryan's society.

[@rafaelscatena7997]

No Ryan was the parasite

[@skylex157]

@@DanieleCapellini "fontaine" is not the real fontaine, he was murdered by atlas (i can't remember his real name) and took fontaine's place in rapture, therefore, he is an illegal faking identity with socialist ideals

[@mirakos5133]

05:12 - "Artistry should never be mixed with medical science". I have to disagree completely. A very obvious example is plastic surgery, where the surgeon needs to have a feel for aesthetics in order to do good work on his customers. It's a very superficial statement. The splicers in Bioshock are in no way a good representation for that, since they are obviously demented and insane. The root of the gore happening in the medical pavilion lies in the insanity of them, not because art and medical science are mixed here. What even is that statement supposed to mean. 32:40 - Ryan selling addictive Substances to the population of Rapture is in no way the same as taxation. He didn't force them to buy them, whereas taxation uses the threat of force to coerce you into obeying. That is a big difference. It sure doesn't sound to me like you have actually thought philosophically about that statement. I liked the part about sander cohen, since that was the one that was the most consistent and had the least statements that sound smart but really aren't. All in all, good video, though it would be nice to have less superficial statements like the two above.

[@dribbler456pls8]

What I think he’s trying to say is that we as people are imperfect, so why try to be perfect if we aren’t ready for it. We see it in our youth today they try to be perfect like their favorite celebs so they try to have plastic surgery but in the end their imperfections are shown more and more. In the game the doctor try’s to make those who don’t love themselves beautiful but ends up disfiguring them in the process.

[@Azoth86730]

Addiction is just another form of force. Biological determinism dictated by the will of someone else. I don't see a difference between the threat of imprisonment and being depraved of free will. "Illegal" drugs and the red market will always remain one of the fundamental problems facing libertarianism/minarchism/objectivism/anarcho-capitalism etc.

[@taliesin7913]

Plastic surgery for the purpose of cosmetics alone is degenerate.

[@dribbler456pls8]

Taliesin I agree, Nothings wrong with using it to fix a disfigured face but using it just to change yourself is completely shitty

[@elvingearmasterirma7241]

Well, in theory, taxes are the money you give to the government so that they can fix up roads, pay workers, fund public hospitals, and keep a country running. But yea, governments are corrupt and sometimes they push the idea that its not their job to care for the country or the people. South Africa is sadly a good example of that, as our government is super corrupt and the taxes we pay, that should go to helping to upkeep the country and help other people lines their pockets. Maybe that can be part of the comparison?

[@mcstabbins4501]

I love the detail of the giant Ryan statue looking down on you, like HE is the god here, even when entering the sphere you can see him looking down on you like some kind of peasant or bug

[@Vizimech]

Rapture is the libertarian dream, and it ended the way any libertarian dream would: consumed by the unchecked greed of a few powerful individuals.

[@13Yeared]

What does boot taste like, exactly?

[@CRAgamer]

It suits the dreams of modern politicians they're all wolf in sheeps clothing, pure capitalism, no public services, privatized everything. A rich man's paradise. And the working man's prison.

[@Outrider74]

Rapture is founded on Objectivism, not libertarianism. While Objectivism and Libertarianism overlap, they are not one and the same. Also, what you described is the very situation that people in Soviet Russia, Nazi Germany, and Marxist China find themselves in: they were promised heaven, if only the "right" people were put into office, and these governments have sheer oppression for their rule. The point in Bioshock is that ANY Utopia-propagating philosophy, left unchecked, will bring hell on earth. This doesn't have to be about Libertarianism or Objectivism: the same could be said for Marxism (U.S.S.R., China) fascism (Nazi Germany) or any system that has no checks or balances to its power. If you're just making this about "libertarianism" you're missing the point.

[@Spurgenn]

@@Outrider74 The entire game is a critique on Ayn Rands philosophies exclusively, and libertarians worship Ayn Rand like jesus. You missed the point. The final boss is literally "atlas"

[@Outrider74]

@@Spurgenn Yes, but the worship of a philosophy to the detriment of its adherents (and others) underlies the entire premise, and Rand’s philosophy is not the only one with such an inherent risk. But whereas Marx, Hitler, et al have been actually tried and failed, Rapture is an exercise in speculation that has never come to pass in reality. To my knowledge, nobody has actually ever tried to create an actual Objectivist society.

[@megacide84]

Unrestricted artistry always devolves into unrestricted perversion and depravity.

[@jacobrobinson787]

Truth.

[@Kuhmuhnistische_Partei]

How you define what 'perversion' or 'depravity' means in this context? I mean, most fascists are really into the idea to keep art 'pure' and realistic and stuff like that and they hate abstract art, because they say it's 'degenerate art'. And no, I don't mean you're a fascist because you write about perversion and depravity in art, I just want to point out where that way of thinking can lead to.

[@megacide84]

@@Kuhmuhnistische_Partei It's not necessarily the individual work of art itself. Rather... It's the seedy underbelly of the industry. I'm sure you yourself have heard the horrific tales of what goes on behind the scenes in the art and entertainment professions. Such as the casting couch. The rampant abuse of minors-both sexually and financially. The questionable business practices. Skyrocketing drug (prescription and illegal) abuse. Basically, everything that led to the MeToo movement. It's become an "Anything Goes" mentality where nearly nothing is restrained. No matter how horrific.

[@Gordon.Pinkerton]

I'm astonished you made it through a half hour video on the philosophy of Bioshock and didn't once mention Ayn Rand's 'Atlas Shrugged' lol

[@Dark_Peace]

Me too !

[@HorkSupreme]

The game is a bastardization of the book and the philosophy therein.

[@worsethanbuzzfeed6353]

@@HorkSupreme nah, more like bioshock is a more accurate representation of the philosophy ayn rand glorifies

[@Zorak9595]

@@worsethanbuzzfeed6353 Not at all. Ryan is someone who used the philosophy as a base and ran amok with it, akin to a religious movement taking the symbolism of a belief and turning it into a structured religion.

[@michalgolonka832]

"Science without conscience is but the ruin of the soul" F. Rabelais Never saw anything that is a better explanation of this quote.

[@tunebeat3809]

Science and ethics must go side by side.

[@jameskendig1506]

Within the first thirty seconds I have already gone to redownload bioshock

[@terongray1019]

An interesting take, but some criticisms of your interpretation of the game. -Frank Fontaine always was a subversive, corruptive element in the setting. He was a career criminal well before he even heard of Rapture. He did not share Andrew Ryan's ideals, and was in fact an embodiment of the "The Parasite" that Ryan's beliefs warned of. He didn't come to Rapture to create and rise up on his own merits, he only lied, cheated, and stole what he gained, and intended to make it the "biggest score" in history. Even his business empire was a fraudulent construct at its root, acquiring most assets illegitimately or having businesses be fronts for dishonest activities. Ryan was quite aware that Fontaine was not adhering to the moral rules of Rapture, but much like Mob Bosses of the real world, he was very good at remaining unconnected to the illegal dealings, and this is what Ryan was so frustrated with. Fontaine was not beating Ryan in the open market, he was undermining everything from the start. -You are not far off from the potential hypocrisy of Ryan in how he was portrayed as a 'superior' in society. But it actually does adhere to his beliefs. He built Rapture, it was his financial empire he used, and ultimately cannibalized, to create the city. So, yes, within the preview of his ideology, the physical structure of Rapture was very much his. But from the story presented, he initially tries to 'rule' minimally outside of his few rules for people to live there, it's only with Fontaine subversive intrusion into the city's society that things begin to turn away from the original ideals. -The ideological warfare that Fontaine, and then "Atlas", introduced to oppose Ryan was not merely religion. The elements of religion lingering you see, do feel more like the resurgence of organic remnants from people who came to Rapture, likely fed by the smugglers. What Fontaine specifically introduced, was the polar opposite of the principles of Ryan's Objectivism; Socialism. He was not a religious figure-head in either persona, however he was certainly portraying a Socialistic one, blaming the successful and turning the poor against them, all the while intending to use the downtrodden as pawns for his own ambitions. Comparing his propaganda to socialist forms matches far more closely than anything religious. An aside, but this is touched on again in Infinite with the Vox Populi, only more blatantly. -In the audio-logs, it is made clear that they were aware of the dangerous, addictive nature of the first generation of plasmid's defects. But as they were being made in Fontaine's criminal empire, he actually prevented that from being corrected, despite that Dr. Tenenbaum came forwards with a fix to make them function as advertised without the corrupting side-effects. Fontaine wanted it to degrade the minds of his customers, knowing it would give him control over them. The mind control additive was just an extra measure added later; which Ryan clearly had to make a very pained, similar decision with his own plasmids later on when he learned of Fontaine doing so. The review was quite interesting, I just think overlooking these facets of the plot skewed the presentation in a few odd ways.

[@taliesin7913]

But by what right would Ryan exclude someone like Fontaine? Fontaine is all of the things you said, he is dishonest, a schemer, uncreative in the useful sense, and without morals, but society will always have people of this character in it. If Fontaine never came to Rapture, then someone else like him would have arisen, if not coming from the outside, then he would have been born there. and at the end of the day, Fontaine, too, is attempting to capture the sweat of his own brow, just not how Ryan intended. The critique of the game is that the first time the anarcho-capitalist society of Rapture is ever threatened in a real way, it realized how weak it was, and then destroyed itself in order to try and save itself. It would be destroyed either by falling to the stronger force of Socialism, or by abandoning anarcho-capitalism and embracing societal planning in order to overcome Socialism, and thus no longer be what it was.

[@iamstartower]

@@taliesin7913 societies are not much different than living beings... and can become infected by malicious entities. As such if you have a parasite that is undermining your quility of life then you seek for a cure in medicine to eliminate the parasite. Ryan should have killed fountain in the first place, Rapture then would have prevailed but then you wouldn't hava a game.

[@Genrevideos]

Star Tower That is true to some degree. I do agree that Ryan could have put the kibosh on Fontaine’s criminal exploits by having him “neutralized”. But I think another thing that could also happen is that considering Frank Fontaine was proficient in smuggling operations, I could also see him telling some government body with a powerful Navy coming in and creating a “banana republic” situation. Where Fontaine’s companies are in cahoots with a powerful military and navy force. All to lay siege to the city of Rapture. So that could have happened even if Fontaine was killed before something like that would happen. Frank is a very scheming individual. He would have bought himself enough time to pull something like that off

[@emilycrow8278]

lol, Fontaine is socialism? Fontaine is anarcho-capitalist, or more to say the issues that arise from that philosophy and eventually the antithesis of why society needs boundaries. Both Fointaine and Atlas are direct references to the Ayn Rand books The Fountain Head, and Atlas Shrugged. He never once mentioned anything about the means being owned equally by all, he only said he should be in charge of it, because Ryan was blocking his profits. Andrew Ryan is also an in your face reference to Ayn Rand's name itself. With this, Fontaine is just another creation of Ryan, one he hates, and one he had to become "the government" to destroy. They both are the same person, people that profit through exploitation and think they deserve to be crowned for it. I think that's why Ryan hated him so much, because he didn't want to admit that "this parasite" was just a reflection.

[@taliesin7913]

@@emilycrow8278 The means of production "being owned equally owned by all" is Communism, lad. Fontaine uses Socialism as a strategy to amass power in Rapture with his Home of the Poor, creation of Rapture's first orphanages, and other efforts meant to aid the lower classes of society who were destitute and felt forgotten. Andrew Ryan would never do any of these things to acquire power. He is a rabid individualist who would have believed that if you're weak and stupid enough to become jobless, and couldn't invent your own way to make resources, you should just starve. He wouldn't create a homeless shelter to feed and clothe people, thereby acquiring their undying loyalty, as Fontaine saw the opportunity to do.

[@youke373]

"Break that puppy's neck" Fyah fi yuh, Dr. Suchong.

[@SEMIA123]

"0451 games" is such a good term and I want it to catch on

[@chrisakaschulbus4903]

"i chose what was impossible to capture... i chose... rapture" - dan bull

[@ctdaniels7049]

16:20 There's something subtly hilarious about him talking about art while treading through garbage.

[@aaronmicalowe]

When I played this game I was too busy trying to stay alive. I guess that's the price I paid for choosing the hardest difficulty. Great for involving yourself in the gameplay, but distracted me from the depth of the story. I'm sure there are seasoned gamers who will say the difficulty wasn't that hard, but considering that the only FPP games I played were the original Doom, Halflife and then Bioshock, in that order, I am not a seasoned player. I never wanted to be brainwashed into someone who sees killing humans as a normal everyday action.

[@fxmorin439]

16:36 WRONG! You can actually spare Cohen

[@geoffdb8118]

God I replayed this like 2 months ago and missed so much of this depth ... there will have to be another playthrough soon

[@Calum_Bell_]

I think that simply the obvious hypocrisy of Rapture is during Ryan’s initial speech. He explains that he rejects everyone’s perspectives on who deserves the sweat of their own brow however he never tells us who he believes the sweat of his own brow belongs to, because he never actually had an answer.

[@thetruewisegamer]

Well to continue his speech “no say the man in rapture it belongs to me!!!!”( the me is Ryan)

[@Chuck_McDon]

Damn, remember when amazing characters were brutally killed with golf clubs in a way that was horrifying and yet satisfying because it did the character justice in terms of story and character arc... Looking at you Last of Us 2...

[@church1391]

Getting brutally murdered by the daughter of someone he brutally murdered not only does justice to the character arc, but also is exactly what the first game was setting up. That was like the entire point.

[@tarsier8261]

@@church1391 What the entire first game was setting up was that Joel's philosophy from the death of his daughter until him properly adopting Ellie was unhealthy, and that he could still change his ways and give Ellie a better life than she'd had since her girlfriend passed away. And then 2 shits all over him for having the gall to try and become a better person, and on Ellie for wanting to get rid of the non-character that snuff filmed the last good dad in anything western for about a decade.

[@church1391]

Tarsier I’m sorry that you misunderstood the game.

[@JSJTPproductions]

@@church1391 I'm sorry that you misunderstood the game

[@angrytheclown801]

@@church1391 Does that mean we'll get to torture and kill Abby in the next one? Because that would be wonderful.

[@MRCole-cq7kc]

Looking back on this now this is still so good and I think the most satisfying explanation and breakdown given about the philosophy of the first bioshock game and I have to say as someone who played all bioshock games when they came out as a kid, religiously, I'm very happy with this.

[@RtB68]

I loved Bioshock. Equal best-game-ever for me, together with TLOU. Honourable mentions to System Shock II and Alone in the Dark (the original version). Thanks for you work. Agreed with most - but not all - of it.

[@squeakysgaming8212]

I love how you think of this video as an essay not a video for money but a video for informational purposes

[@psyxypher3881]

"I wanna create a capitalist paradise." "I'm also gonna ignore the most basic rules of economics and turn this place into a dystopian hellhole." Basically, Andrew Ryan.

[@AnIdiotsLantern]

Turns out Capitalism can’t protect you from Capitalism. Ryan did everything he was supposed to and built a society founded entirely on self interest. Of course it was just a matter of time before it tore itself apart. See also crabs in a bucket.

[@psyxypher3881]

@@AnIdiotsLantern Ryan ignored a lot of the basic rules of Capitalism. To call Rapture a capitalist experiment would be inaccurate.

[@AnIdiotsLantern]

@@psyxypher3881 Like the fact that capitalism REQUIRES an underclass, kept in poverty, to function? Otherwise who is going to clean the toilets or do the laundry?

[@moonblade7564]

@@AnIdiotsLantern Every system requires that function in society. In every system it will eventually form.

[@nonyabuznis2664]

@@moonblade7564 What if everyone was guaranteed food and shelter no matter what their level of productivity was? Do you think nobody would ever clean a toilet then?

[@Foggert772]

I still truly feel that if you kill little sisters you've played bioshock wrong. The ending for saving them is my favorite ending of a game ever. Its also the canon ending of the series which made me feel even more satisfied. In the end being a kind caring person leads to heartwarming results. You save all these little girls only seen as monsters. The 1 thing atlas didn't force on you was the choi e of being kind to monsters or being one yourself. Jack is a wonderfully written character and he never even speaks. Everytime I go back to bioshock and play it I see more and more and of how the narrative points towards Jack having something innocent inside him. Bioshock is and will always be a masterpiece in my eyes

[@GingerBeard24]

@Noobie I agree. Also one of the big reasons Bioshock is one of my favorite games is the philosophy of the characters and the story. Same goes for Bioshock 2 but it deals more about psychology (but the game still has philosophy in the second game).

[@Unownshipper]

I was liking this at first, but in presenting your evidence you make several logic leaps, misleading statements, and assumptions that mar an otherwise fine video essay. Things were going well until 5:15 when you implied Diane went to Medical Pavilion to get cosmetic surgery to impress Ryan. She was Andrew Ryan's mistress and was attending the New Year's ball at the Kashmir when she was disfigured in the bombing that took place there. She was recovering at Medical for shrapnel injuries, not going there for a simple facelift. You might not have stated this exactly, but the implication in your wording is misleading. 7:56 Fontaine smuggled Bibles because there was a market for it, nothing else. It's evident he enjoyed how it left Ryan (an avowed Atheist) pissed off, but he never expressly offered religion at his Homes for the Poor. He just sold items he knew people were willing to pay for and the citizens were nostalgic for mementos they'd lived with like religious paraphernalia, movies, and items you could only get on the surface like Cuban cigars and contemporary newspapers. Ryan cracked down on smugglers out of a belief that connections/exposure to the surface would harm the city more than capital punishment would. 7:23 She's not talking about some Garden of Eden, so that's not an expressly religious statement. 9:45 That diary never claimed representatives from any organized religion led the call to nationalize Ryan's forest. 11:04 With the "as punishment" remark you make it seem like Ryan's death was a form of penance. Where to begin? Ryan's death strikes me more as him toying with Jack by demonstrating just what a slave the brainwashed mercenary is. He knows he's lost and will either die at Jack's hands or can commit suicide. He turns the tables by going taking control over the situation and going out his own way. There's NO implication he regrets his actions or that he's even thinking of the mind-control properties of his line of Plasmids at that moment. You completely pulled that out of the air. Furthermore, it was Suchong who proposed the mind-control Plasmids course of action, not Tenenbaum 15:41 At first I had no notes about your Fort Frolic chapter, it was an immersive and compelling summary, but then your supposition about what the pupils' betrayals were... Silas Cobb and Martin Finnegan were sycophants and (likely) lovers of Cohen's, but when he locked down Fort Frolic during the war, they were trapped and turned on him. Both outright state in their battles that they're coming for Cohen, so your theory that they wouldn't kill him doesn't hold water. You don't know why Cohen let you live, he might've simply been impressed that you accomplished the quadtych and admired your capability. 21:05 Jack was not stolen from his mother at birth. At Fontaine's behest, Suchong and Tenebaum arranged for Jasmine Jolene to have unprotected sex with Ryan and then paid for the fertilized embryo. Again, I struggle with why you thought Ryan was being penitent. Ryan does fall to hypocrisy, but I don't see how you can view him as sorry for the actions he's chosen. IF we found the audio diary where he discussed the mind-control Plasmids here in his office (instead of in the Farmer's Market), THEN you'd conceivably have a case to be made. It's close proximity would indicate he had it on his mind, conceivably even replaying it over and over wracked with guilt over his failure to stay true to his beliefs. But it's not, and we don't. You're making a HUGE leap and providing no evidence that Ryan was forlorn over that action. Ryan is principally an "ends justify the means" type person, we saw that when he burns his forest, institutes the death penalty for smuggling, blows up the sub, poisons Arcadia, and finally when he sets the city's self-destruct in motion. These aren't merely nitpicks. BioShock is a HUGE game with lots of fine details to keep track of, and I appreciate that difficulty. But for someone as detailed and observant as you clearly are, these discrepancies add up to spoil your great analysis. I agree with the overarching points you're making, but I'm cringing at all the mistakes you're heralding as supporting evidence. It feels like you had a solution, went looking for the supporting details, and bent them into place if they didn't fit perfectly.That or it was a long time between when you played the game and wrote this script. I'd just encourage you to check your resources again when you review your next landmark game, or at least head to that game's Wiki for a refresher.

[@MrCTruck]

I remember playing this game for the first time. It was a family trip to my mom's best friends house and our defacto cousins, they always did pizza parties on Fridays where we did LAN parties in a bunch of different rooms on call of duty 2 and 3. The cousin who was my age was playing this game when we visited their house and I gave him my cousin a hard time about playing this game and that it's a silly game but then he let me play some and I got hooked and beat the whole game on his computer in a couple days. We went to the mall later that week and saw Bioshock 2 and bought it for his computer and we beat that one too. Such a fun game and unfortunately I don't remember anything from it but that memory

[@inkmime]

Man Bioshock 1 really does carry on the PC gaming tradition of having really interesting highs, weird lows, and kinda weird, disappointing endings. Good stuff.

[@weldsj8847]

Interesting analysis. Reminds me that I was told each book of the Old Testament is a theme on one of the 10 Commandments.

[@sandpaperseat3228]

Raycevick and mandalore are good creators worth a watch

[@markreese4991]

I’ve played the game multiple times, immersed myself in the lore, and every time I come back I learn something new. It’s art.

[@truthfulpurpose]

Plain and simply... it’s art

[@noahcox7762]

This is a fantastic video filled with great points, however one sentence sticks out like a sore thumb to me: "Fort frolic is a level more linear than the rest". I think that's wrong, I think it's the opposite. While the level may have a linear introduction, as soon as you have placed the first photo on the masterpiece, the level is totally free after that. The biggest tell of this freedom is that this is the only level where the, after that point, the quest arrow disappears completely. It is up to you to explore Fort Frolic, collaboraitng with Sander, in any order you choose or discover. You can collect all the photos at once or do them one at a time, you can do them in different orders, explore any of the shops you choose. The only restrictions on this level are the walls themselves (or Cohen yelling at you to get out of his dressing room).

[@shmackydoo]

Great commentary of a truly great game, one of my favorites. Your takes throughout really brought to light some things I haven't noticed in the game and made me appreciate it even more. I subbed, Leadhead, can't wait to watch more, you are a very talented writer. Sorry for rant, but I do have to disagree with your assertion at the conclusion that human nature is "parasitic". It's simply not something all humans naturally are, in fact people are mostly non-parasitic and altruistic to each other; greedy, exploitative tendencies seem to be the exception, not the rule with the way people interact with each other like 99% of the time, throughout all time (see Mutual Aid). This isn't to say people won't do some dastardly stuff to each other when survival is on the line, but modern society has manufactured the amalgamation of material wealth and survival. When money is tied survival, then humans will resort to all human creativity to ensure survival/wealth accumulation, but only at the expense of others if the systems we create allow it (i.e. we outlaw forms of exploitation such as slavery). When there are systems that allow exploiters to maximize their social, economic, political standing in society, then the problem is with those systems, not the people within them, not their nature. Tying back to Andrew Ryan from Bioshock, his aversion to "Gods and Kings" is linked with his belief in total freedom. the problem with kings and even gods, is that they have total authority and through that, can limit the freedom of others, addl. people have to devout their lives to kings or gods, which inhibits their human potential. Ryan's hypocrisy is, as you explain, evident from the very beginning, when he puts himself in a position of authority, and with all positions of authority, by definition, he has access to limit the freedom of the people within his domain. Andrew Ryan makes the decision to limit the citizens' free will, betraying his ideals, but it occurred because the society he designed gave him the authority to do it. A solution to this authority question, which seems to be one of the core themes of Bioshock, would be a system of governance that prescribes to dismantling the unjust, hierarchical structures and systems that lead to oppression and parasitic behavior in the first place, all in an effort to continually maximize people's individual freedom. this political philosophy is Anarchism. The thought that humans, everyone, are just 'naturally' parasitic, each individual waiting for the opportunity to take advantage of his fellow man, does not sit well with me, it's disheartening, as well as being factually incongruent with the history of human civilizations. To be frank, that thought says more about a person who thinks it, like a kind of projection. Truth is, people behave negatively toward others when there is an incentive or prerogative to do so. Desperate people steal when they're hungry, companies set wages as low as possible; these are both forms of 'parasitic' behavior, though for different material reasons. tldr; we cannot ascribe negative, 'parasitic' actions toward others to human nature, when that is empirically not the norm, all things being equal; these actions are not a product of man and his nature, but a consequence of his systems of governance and the material organization of his society.

[@CmFive]

My favorite part is that they didnt put another picture frame, or a pop-up saying, "(Optional) Kill and photograph Sander Cohen" - It just lead you there.

[@KirbyOnCronic]

Well done video...I look forward to watching your channel grow.

[@cuttlefish1801]

The issue isn't Andrew Ryan's hypocrisy - its the philosophy itself. Rapture collapsed because when you build a society that incentivizes selfishness, people will tear each other apart. The powerful will trample the powerless, and when the work the powerless were expected to do goes unfinished, pipes start bursting, holes appear in the walls, and the city starts to crumble. Fontaine's Home for the Poor became a political epicenter/locus for the rebellion because it represented everything Rapture wouldn't allow. Turns out concepts like "compassion for your fellow man" and "not starving to death" are more attractive than Ryan's bullshit about selfishness as virtue.

[@webster65600]

How do you do a 30 minute long video on Bioshock and it's philosophy, without mentioning Ayn Rand once? Huge oversight...

[@Dark_Peace]

As much as I love Leadhead, I agree

[@HorkSupreme]

The game is a bastardization of the book and the philosophy therein.

[@Kuhmuhnistische_Partei]

@@HorkSupreme Well, her philosophy was really bad and only rich guys liked her, because she validated their actions, she gave them an ideology that worked for them. And she had basically a cult around her where everyone was under constant fear to say something wrong so that she would 'excommunicate' them. She tolerated no other opinions in her cult. Murray Rothbard, the inventor of the ideological bullshit called 'anarcho capitalism' even wrote an essay with the title 'The Sociology of the Ayn Rand Cult'.

[@HorkSupreme]

@@Kuhmuhnistische_Partei " her philosophy was really bad" Why was her philosophy bad? Never had anyone answer. "only rich guys liked her" I don't care if rich people like her or her thoughts. "And she had basically a cult around her where everyone was under constant fear to say something wrong so that she would 'excommunicate' them" A cult eh? Kinda the opposite thing she advocates in the books of her's that I've read, I doubt it's a real thing. Seems like slander to me. Anyways, it's irrelevant to her IDEAS and their merit. "Murray Rothbard, the inventor of the ideological bullshit called 'anarcho capitalism' even wrote an essay with the title 'The Sociology of the Ayn Rand Cult'." So you say Murray Rothbard, who had shitty ideas, wrote a critique on Ayn Rand and I'm suppose to take that at face value as valid after you just insulted the guy. Seems rather inconsistent if you ask me. If the guy has crap ideas why should I listen to him on other issues? So easy question, what are the axioms of her philosophy? If you've read Atlas Shrugged you ought to know.

[@brettwitan6103]

A compliment. Generally I’m prone to avoiding videos with commentary because my interests are usually a desire to gain access to content I’m not in a position to gain otherwise. Often, the commentary is distracting taking me out of the experience of the game I seek. While this is a selfish position, I admit, it’s a perfectly valid specification of interest. All that said, I find your essays inspiring and passionate, showing your true appreciation for the complexities involved with the idea of games being a hitherto not experienced new form of storytelling. Your words are well chosen, ideas well structured, and choices of subject matter ones that contain deeper layers of meaning that both deserve to be highlighted as well as being nuanced enough that they may have gone unnoticed. I am indeed distracted because I’m drawn into your narrative leaving me with a greater appreciation for the humanity expressed both by the game and through the game by the developers. Being married to a game designer, I have great appreciation for these concepts. I will continue watching and will subscribe. Great work. Thank you for doing it.

[@EliahHoliday]

Great analysis. I would add that the discovery of the sea slugs and subsequently ADAM not only ended up exacerbating the flaws in the ideology of Rapture but more significantly dissolved whatever rational, intelligent behaviour might have allowed Rapture to truly flourish. ADAM gave extraordinary power to Rapture's citizens who had not the wisdom to wield that power sparingly and responsibly. ADAM also destroyed the minds and bodies of those who took it. When one arrives in Rapture at the beginning of the game you are essentially in a mental asylum full of superpowered freaks.

[@az_raelspencer4292]

you gotta love how most of the places in the game like olympus heights are based off gods or godly places

[@JayLatne]

I think that the main reason rapture failed is because his ideology and by extension ayn rand's ideology is completely flawed and self destructive. The whole ideology is doomed from the start.

[@Handlelesswithme]

The greatest satire of Bioshock is that Atlas is the perfect Randian hero for following his self interest with no compromise of morality

[@dontmisunderstand6041]

The main problem with Rand's Objectivism is that it directly contradicts itself on premise alone. Objectivism wants self-interest to be the greatest moral goal, productivity to be the most moral method, and reason to be the only truth in this world, however it also wants to value individual freedoms. This inherently contradicts itself, because basic logical reasoning would indicate that your own productivity will inevitably be outweighed by the productivity of others with enough numbers. This makes the best path to self-interest the accumulation of people working toward your own goals instead of theirs, rather than actually being productive yourself. This puts a rather obvious damper on the value of individual freedom in this system, as reason and self-interest actively discourage valuing individual freedoms at all, instead preferring absolute dominance and subjugation as a vastly superior method, very directly meaning a disrespect for the concept of individual liberty in favor of self-indulgence. Setting that aside though, it also pits its two moral imperatives as diametrically opposed concepts... self-interest and productivity are absolutely incompatible in a world where reason is the only absolute. The most moral method can never work toward the most moral goal, and the most moral goal can never be met using moral methods. In essence, Objectivism demands that immorality is the only thing that can ever be moral to begin with. The premise can only be true if the premise is false, however if the premise is false then it simply is false. Basic reasoning demands the premise of Objectivism to be false, and since Objectivists believe reason is the only absolute truth, Objectivism disproves Objectivism, all on its own.

[@jamppamaattori]

Great video essay. I just finished the game for the first time and all I can say is just 'wow'. Such a gem with writing that evokes dialogue that could fill it's own philosophy book.

[@KRIMZONMEKANISM]

I disagree with only one thing about this whole video: *Fort Frolic is NOT linear.* Like, at all. In fact it is THE less linear level of the game. The only linearity it does have is the initial "setting of the stage" by Sander Cohen. As soon as you place Fitzpatrick's photo on the frame, the level opens up. In fact the whole of Fort Frolic is an amazing subversion of everything we've had thus far, and it is overall pretty meta: -You are no longer being forced to do things by Atlas. -You are free to kill the other 3 men that Cohen told you to kill, in whatever order you desire, and it is their death that moves the plotline further. -You are free to either kill or leave Sander Cohen alone. -There are multiple optional areas with hidden stashes, and other items you can completely ignore. -And there are also the Cast Spider Splicers which are kind of a hidden secret if you wish to explore, and if you already know about them, then you CAN choose to not pick up the PTP station upgrade just to make it easier on yourself.

[@WuWeiAllDay]

Man, you're an artist yourself. I appreciate that you covered topics in this video alone that many would've broken into many smaller videos. Everyone is right, you deserve more subs than you have

[@TK2692]

How can you write such an eloquent and well thought out analysis of Bioshock and completely fail to mention that Rapture was a critique of Ayn Rand's Objectivist "philosophy"? That's a pretty important aspect of the game.

[@skylex157]

It was not a critique, it was a what would happen if we half assed what ayn rand said, rapture failed because ryan didn't followed individualism (and because a megalomaniac socialist got in power of a drug that mutates people and makes them mindless zombies)

[@TK2692]

@@skylex157 You must have played a different game then. The rise of Fontaine and Ryan's abandonment of his ideology to crush him is exactly what would happen in a society that tried to implement that philosophy. Either someone would get powerful enough that they could take over that society or the elites of that society would have to discard those beliefs to prevent a strongman from taking over. And no, Fontaine wasn't a socialist. Not even close.

[@skylex157]

@@TK2692 i said socialist, i meant as a facade so people trusted him, the atlas, fontaine is obviously not that I have to recommend you the channel love, life, anarchy, which made a socioeconomical analysis of bioshock and system shock, explaining in detail how abandonning free market, freedom of belief and letting people without the same ideals of progress in were the main causes of the downfall I could try to explain it, but there is no way i can do better than an hour long video

[@AnIdiotsLantern]

@@skylex157 if your ideal system requires complete ideological purity from every single human in its society in order to function, then you are setting yourself up to fail. Ryan (and Rand’s) ideal is complete and total self-interest, unfettered from morality or altruism. Fontaine is what happens when just one person takes that philosophy at face value. Ryan can’t even resist his takeover without making himself a hypocrite. Fontaine is just living his best life. How dare you limit him with such petty considerations as “the well being of others.”

[@Dark_Peace]

@@TK2692 I'm no Objectivist, not even right wing, but Rodrigo Zabatto is right, you should really watch Love, Life, Anarchy 's analysis of BioShock.