My experience playing Bioshock was simply amazing. It’s a game I’ve been meaning to play for a while now and I am so glad this class gave me the opportunity to finally sit down and play it.

What always enticed me about this game was the setting and time period—and boyo was it great! Rapture might be one of my favorite settings in any video game. Not just because of the extraordinary amount of detail put into the advertisements littered on the walls or the architecture, but because it feels so real and lived in for a place so fictional and out there.

The atmosphere is absolutely nailed! It is creepy and dark in some areas, but also colorful and beautiful in others. The 1950’s aesthetic is what really drew me in since I love the music and designs from those times and how they were incorporated into the background of the game. The city of Rapture itself was definitely my favorite part of the game.

I was also delightfully surprised by how good the story and characters were. There is so much depth to every character even if we only hear them through audio tapes. Speaking of the audio tapes, I really appreciated how the developers inserted these into the game to flesh out Rapture’s past and the people inhabiting it. I’ve seen this audio log system in other games which I like, but in this game it is used best. I specifically liked when you would come across a room with a dead character and you would hear what happened to them through the audio log. Dr. Suchong’s death tape in Olympus Heights specifically comes to mind. Just to add to the level of detail, there were ads for the audio tapes on the walls which is just one of many examples of how the developers implemented game mechanics into the canon and day to day life of Rapture. Every piece of equipment you use is incorporated into the setting, not just for the sake of gameplay. This creates a sense of reality and cohesiveness.

Back to the characters and story though, the reveal of Atlas being Fontaine and how he controlled Jack was my favorite moment in the story. This is one of the best uses of game mechanics to tell a story. Bioshock is using gaming conventions like, “listen to the guy telling you what to do in this new, mysterious place” to secretly control the mind of Jack. I never actually realized how often Atlas was saying “would you kindly”, and just assumed it was something the character said to show he was supposedly Irish. This use of game mechanics was mind blowing for me and I’ve never seen anything quite like it in a video game before.

Confronting Andrew Ryan was a great sequence too. I love how it wasn’t some big boss fight, but it was dialogue to build up to the big twist that Jack has been under mind control from the man supposedly helping him. It is a very intimate moment that is made more so when we understand Jack is the son of Ryan and Jasmine Jolene, who we learn the back story for in Fort Frolic through an audio log.

Another aspect of the characters I truly think is great is how they are all flawed. From Doctor Tenenbaum to Andrew Ryan and even to the splicers, there is understanding to their intentions but they all have some type of flaw. Tenenbaum stole little girls and turned them into Little Sisters, but then tried to save them afterwards. Andrew Ryan wanted a city of true freedom, but ended up becoming a dictator because people were threatening that perfect utopia. The splicers are so dependent and addicted to Adam they have lost their minds and basic humanity. Even Jack has flaws to a degree depending on the choices the player makes. This game has made three dimensional characters from the most important character to the least important making the game feel so real.

Overall, Bioshock is one of the best games I’ve ever played. It has a unique setting and atmosphere, three dimensional characters, a story full of twists, fun gameplay that allows for diverse play styles with the different weapons and plasmids, and a tremendous game mechanic involving the words “would you kindly” that directly impacts the story. Phenomenal game.