I’ve already mentioned that video games convey values, and these values can be discovered through interaction with the game and their proper interpretation. At the same time, this interpretative activity depends on the conditions and the psychosocial status— in other words, the mental state and social context—of each individual.
This time, I want to take a particularly iconic game within the industry and analyze it through the lens of the proposals by Paula Sibilia in her book El Hombre Postorgánico (The Post-Organic Man).
For those who haven’t played BioShock, let me warn you that this article contains spoilers. If you continue reading, you do so at your own risk, and you won’t be able to say I didn’t warn you.
The best thing you can do is close this window and get the game as soon as possible. You won’t regret playing this masterpiece.
Welcome to BioShock
BioShock, developed by Irrational Games and created by Ken Levine, introduces us to its story with a plane crash and a striking phrase:
“No gods or kings. Only man.”
Thus, we arrive at the mysterious and intriguing city of Rapture, an underwater metropolis that can also be interpreted as an analogy for Atlantis. Let’s pin this idea for now and revisit it later.
Rapture is the mecca of technological and artistic development, a place where morality and ethics don’t constrain the creativity and ingenuity of researchers, inventors, and artists. However, this same trait has led the city to ruin, plunged into an internal civil war that can be seen as a struggle for power.
At the center of this war is the substance known as ADAM, used to reconfigure the DNA of its users, granting them superhuman abilities. The city is overrun by Splicers, citizens consumed by ADAM and the addiction it fosters.
This, in broad strokes, is the context in which the game unfolds. It is ADAM and its ability to rewrite the human genetic code that interests us in applying Sibilia’s ideas.
The Faustian Man
When we sought to delve deeper into the possibility of analyzing video games as signs or discourses through semiotics, our director, Sebastián, suggested we read Paula Sibilia and her concept of the Faustian man.
It turned out to be a key reference for our analysis. The post-organic man, the Faustian man, is inspired by Faust, a mythological character embodying “the blend of fascination and terror caused by the possibilities of technology and knowledge.” The desire to transcend his own limits drives him to sign a pact with the Devil.
Applied to BioShock, the domino pieces fall into place on their own: we see countless signs of the Faustian man in BioShock.
Sibilia states that industrial and modern societies have developed numerous devices aimed at “shaping the bodies” and the subjectivities of their citizens.
In BioShock, this tendency to shape bodies, as described by the author, is clearly reflected in the Splicers and various other characters in the game, in a grotesque and literal manner. ADAM emerges as the standard-bearer of the citizens’ bodily modifications, deforming, twisting, and breaking their bodies and minds.
The development of ADAM can be compared to what Sibilia calls “biopower technologies,” a power aimed at molding and managing life.
The latent Faustian need for progress, development, and evolution in Rapture is no coincidence. The narrative of BioShock, set in the 1960s, is contemporary with the boom sparked by the discovery of DNA in 1953. Following this revelation, the human body began to be understood as a set of encoded information. In our game, this information is not only deciphered but also edited and manipulated.
Vita-Chambers
One of the core gameplay mechanics in BioShock is the Vita-Chambers, technological devices designed to resurrect players after being defeated in combat.
The explanation for the functionality of these machines is also linked to DNA. Vita-Chambers are connected to the genetic code of Andrew Ryan, one of the central antagonists and the founder of Rapture. Their purpose is to prevent Ryan’s death, but they also work for anyone with a similar genetic code. As the game’s plot reveals, the protagonist, Jack, turns out to be Ryan’s illegitimate son.
I mention the Vita-Chambers because they again highlight the Faustian man in BioShock. These devices reflect one of the key challenges of the post-organic man: immortality. In her work, Sibilia explains that Faustian knowledge seeks to control all aspects of life, thereby overcoming all biological limitations, including mortality.
It’s fascinating that a gameplay mechanic introduced to simplify BioShock’s gameplay emerges as a fundamental characteristic of the post-organic.
No gods or kings. Only man.
Throughout BioShock, we witness the rise to power of two key characters: Frank Fontaine and the avatar we control, revealed to be Jack Ryan, Andrew Ryan’s son and one of the game’s central antagonists.
Both Fontaine and Jack become post-organic men; the former abruptly at the end of the story, and the latter gradually throughout the game.
However, the two characters embody opposing aspects of the game. Fontaine initially presents himself as “Atlas,” the name of the titanic god from Greek mythology. Despite being a pseudonym used to deceive others, his body comes to resemble that of a colossal god when he introduces large amounts of ADAM into his system. Literally and figuratively, he becomes Atlas himself.
Yet, he falls to the protagonist, Jack Ryan, who manages to control his genetic reprogramming through a gradual process. A true transformation into a post-organic man.
This final confrontation, in which our avatar defeats Frank Fontaine/Atlas, serves as a metaphor for the game’s opening phrase: No gods or kings. Only man.
The Faustian Man in BioShock… and Beyond
It’s no coincidence that BioShock is such a profound work, transcending the narrative boundaries of a video game. Its creator, Ken Levine, is a screenwriter and writer who has received numerous awards and has admitted to including metaphysical, sociological, and philosophical elements in his games.
Part of BioShock’s inspiration comes from Ayn Rand’s book Atlas Shrugged—in fact, we can see an obvious similarity between the author’s name and Andrew Ryan’s.
Our analysis of this video game is admittedly limited. We’ve identified the Faustian man in BioShock, yes, but delving deeper would uncover countless references to other narratives and many more philosophical concepts.
The phrase “No gods or kings. Only man” also evokes Nietzsche’s texts, with his ideas of the Übermensch and the death of God.
The power struggles among Rapture’s various factions could also be analyzed through Foucault’s theories.
Psychology appears in BioShock through the strong operant conditioning imposed on the protagonist, Jack Ryan, manipulated by Fontaine through the phrase “Would you kindly?”
The game’s mythological references don’t end with Atlas. As mentioned earlier, Rapture’s resemblance to Atlantis is evident, and the substances ADAM and EVE directly reference the biblical creation of humanity—not only as a metaphor for a post-organic re-creation but also as metaphors for the original sin represented by their use.
It is precisely the presence of these other signs within the work that allows us to analyze it through semiotics. All that’s left is for each individual, with their own interpretative conditions, to interact with the game and discover the values and references interwoven into its code.
Have you played BioShock? The Faustian man in BioShock is evident, but what other reflections do you think this game offers? Let me know your thoughts in the comments!