Can Videogames be Art? (Part One: BioShock)

If you're a gamer, like me, it's likely that you have been criticized at least once by a significant other, a parent, a friend, or a coworker for your hobby. What kind of comments do people level against you? I've come across some pretty demeaning claims: video games are mindless, juvenile, and without any point or relation to real life. Aside from some literature out there which suggests that gamers have something to offer society, or that video games can teach adults and children valuable skills, I believe that a few games have something else to offer: the same sense of deep satisfaction we receive when we engage with a work of art.

According to wikipedia.org, art usually affects one or more of the senses, emotions, or intellect. I think it's obvious that video games can affect all three, through visuals, music, storytelling, and situations that force the player to solve problems. But these things alone don't cause something to qualify as a great work of art. You couldn't reasonably compare the book Lolita, widely considered to be a work of genius in literary circles, to the Hollywood comedy Hot Tub Time Machine. Sure, both of them affect the senses, the emotions, and the intellect. But one does so more deeply and more subtly than the other. I won't give an in-depth argument for this statement, and it could be considered a matter of opinion. Let's assume, for the purposes of this article, that such an opinion is true.

In that case, I believe there are a few video games out there that approach the level of artistic genius, kind of like Lolita or The Mona Lisa. But before I begin discussing examples, I'd like to leave you with a few criteria which I'm going to judge them by. The first is immersion of the senses, or how satisfying I find a game's art and sound direction. The second is storytelling, or how subtle, complex, and compelling the plot seems. The final criteria is originality: how does the game set itself apart from other games in its genre?

Part One of this article series will consider the game BioShock, released in 2007 by Irrational Games (formerly known as 2k)

BioShock is a genre-defying masterpiece. It employs a mix of gun-based action, the improvement of the player's abilities over the course of the game through genetic alteration, and stealth/security evasion. It has been listed in the Smithsonian Exhibit, The Art of Video Games, as well as written about by the scholars Glen Creeber and Royston Martin, who make similar arguments to mine (Unfortunately, I haven't read their work, but I do provide a link to their book at the right). Bioshock is set in an underwater city called "Rapture", founded in 1946. The events of the game take place fourteen years later, in 1960. Unrestricted genetic experimentation has led the citizens to become largely deranged, and the city is falling apart both physically and politically. BioShock won several awards at the 2008 Game Developer's Conference: Best Visual Artwork, Best Audio, and Best Writing.

The visuals of BioShock, as envisioned by artistic director Scott Sinclair and his team, are outstanding. The player gradually makes his/her way through environments such as overgrown gardens, science labs, areas of commerce and entertainment, living areas and industries. Each of these environments is afforded a high level of detail and artistic attention. The culture of the 1940s and 50s is visually prevalent, with propaganda posters, stylized architecture, furniture, and fashion. The physical state of the city sets a mood of claustrophobia and horror. Water is everywhere, leaking from the ceilings and windows, pooling on the floors, and bursting forth unexpectedly in torrents and waterfalls. The sea is an omnipresent backdrop to the city of Rapture, visible through most windows: whales, fish, and undersea flora are a constant reminder of the player's location. Failing electrical systems give way to darkness and shadows.

The sound design, created by audio director Emily Ridgway, features high-quality voice-acting, contemporary popular music from the 40s and 50s, and countless effects. Eerie voices echo from unexplored corridors. Non-playing characters mutter to themselves, giving an impression of emotional instability and paranoia. The player can also detect hints of emotional subtlety in some of Rapture's less-deranged citizenry, such as the character Atlas, who communicates via radio. He rambles convincingly about his family and the political state of Rapture. In a late-game plot twist, he is also revealed as an impostor, switching accents and emotional tenor. In the midst of the player's exploration, jazz music plays from grammaphones, and the dripping of water and clanking of machinery portrays a sense of the larger environment. The city creaks and groans under the weight of the ocean. The overall effect is not only convincing, it's subtle, complex, and worms its way into the player's subconscious.

BioShock's plot, written by Kevin Levine, is both emotionally raw and intellectually stimulating. The opening sequence fleshes out the player's background. The player sits on the airplane. He looks at a picture of his family, opens a gift, and reads a hand-written note. Then the plane crashes, and the player must find refuge in the city of Rapture. As he explores the city, he communicates with the character Atlas, who describes how the founder of Rapture, Andrew Ryan, has become drunk with power, is destroying the city, and has kidnapped Atlas' family. In the meantime, the player encounters insane, genetically-altered citizens who are trying to kill him. One of the most emotionally compelling parts of the story is the introduction of Little Sisters, who are little girls infected with a parasitic sea slug. They wander Rapture under the care of Big Daddies, harvesting a genetic material called ADAM from corpses.

One major theme of BioShock is how a completely free market can influence the human spirit, and it is known amongst fans and critics that Kevin Levine drew upon the objectivist philosophy of Ayn Rand to provide inspiration for the setting of BioShock. The inclusion of Little Sisters, and the city's reliance on a parasite as a means of genetic alteration, is symbolic. Objectivist philosophy purports that an individual is his/her own end, and that it is the highest moral good to pursue your own happiness. However, within the universe of BioShock, the Little Sister is a symbol of complete subjugation of an innocent life as a result of the practice of Objectivism. Even though the city discovers a means to improve the human body, it is a parasite that creates this ability. Kevin Levine makes a greater philosophical point, here: at some level, Objectivism suggests that man should be a slave to his own desires, and this, of course, is not really desirable at all.

BioShock not only includes superb art and sound direction, masterful storytelling and stimulating intellectual fodder, but it is one of the most unique games on the market today. Of course, it is primarily an action game. The player uses firearms, as do the non-player characters. One element of the game that makes it more unique is the inclusion of plasmids, or genetic alterations that enable the player to manipulate the environment in super-human ways. He can shoot electricity, fire, and frost from his/her fingertips. There are other additional options for genetic improvement, such as telekinesis, the ability to call forth swarms of insects, or become invisible when standing still.

There is also an element of stealth/security evasion. The player can hack robots and security cameras through a mini-game, and improve their hacking abilities as they play. Complex environments and non-linear level design allow the player to explore different options for solving problems. Many games also employ the combination of shooter-style action and role-playing type player improvement, such as the Deus Ex series. What sets BioShock apart is its historically-based setting and steam-punk style hydraulic technology, further developing a unique mood and feel for the player.

Of course, this article shouldn't lead you to conclude that BioShock is a work of artistic genius. This is purely a matter of opinion on my part. If you're a gamer or not, I highly suggest you watch some gameplay footage on Youtube, look at screenshots from freakygaming.com, or pick up a copy of the game and give it a try (there's an Amazon link toward the beginning of this article). My goal was to convince you that video games, in general, can individually be considered works of art, and BioShock is simply one example. Since this article is part of series, I will provide other examples in the coming weeks; there should be a button below where you can "follow" me if you're interested. Stay tuned, because next week I'll be covering another fantastic, visually stunning, and complex game: The Elder Scrolls III: Morrowind.