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michael_benavidez's review
4.0
I don't really know how to describe this book.
Obviously I'm a fan of the Bioshock games, the gameplay, the stories, the twists and turns, the environment. It's unique, it's beautiful, and twisted.
This book goes through talking about the central story and themes of the games (mostly Bioshock 1 and Infinite, with only one sub-chapter on SystemShock). Those chapters are very interesting, making you think, and giving several different courses of thought instead of convincing you on their idea.
Everything is explained thoroughly for those not knowing of the concepts, and once those are introduced they go bigger and wider.
Only thing is, there were certain chapters that seemed to be reaching. They were well informed, amazing chapters with wonderful ideas. Except the portion they seem to grab the idea, kinda seems far fetched, and an excuse to talk on the subject at hand. In the long run, that's pretty good because it shows just how thoughtful the game can be for people of all philosophy.
Obviously I'm a fan of the Bioshock games, the gameplay, the stories, the twists and turns, the environment. It's unique, it's beautiful, and twisted.
This book goes through talking about the central story and themes of the games (mostly Bioshock 1 and Infinite, with only one sub-chapter on SystemShock). Those chapters are very interesting, making you think, and giving several different courses of thought instead of convincing you on their idea.
Everything is explained thoroughly for those not knowing of the concepts, and once those are introduced they go bigger and wider.
Only thing is, there were certain chapters that seemed to be reaching. They were well informed, amazing chapters with wonderful ideas. Except the portion they seem to grab the idea, kinda seems far fetched, and an excuse to talk on the subject at hand. In the long run, that's pretty good because it shows just how thoughtful the game can be for people of all philosophy.
punkgodofthestraightrazor's review against another edition
Very interesting. I found most of the entries to be well written and explained in "laymen's terms" that enabled me to understand the concepts without being condescending. I particularly enjoyed "Would You Kindly Bring Us the Girl and Wipe Away the Debt: Free Will and Moral Responsibility in Bioshock Infinite" as well as the other entries in Part II entitled Tears, Time, and Reality. All of the entries in Part III entitled "The 'Union" and Sodom Below" were excellent and "The Vox Populi Group, Marx, and Equal Rights for All" was of special interest to me. And the final entry entitled "Vending Machine Values: Buying Beauty and Morality in Bioshock" was fantastic.
I have a laymen's general interest in philosophy and I've played maybe half of Bioshock, but found the combination to be compelling and educational.
I have a laymen's general interest in philosophy and I've played maybe half of Bioshock, but found the combination to be compelling and educational.
therneee's review against another edition
4.0
A little dull to read, but had some good points that I never thought about. Definitly and academic read.
raphae11e's review against another edition
5.0
A really awesome read for anyone who loves Bioshock and philosophy. All the articles were very interesting, even when I didn't agree with all the points they made. The only thing I wish is that this book included more about Bioshock 2 and Burial at Sea (though I know the latter wasn't out yet when this was published, so that's not really possible).
As a sidenote: it's kind of a bummer to see how many interesting points these articles made were totally debunked by Burial at Sea. To keep it brief, B@S really screwed up the series a whole and I wish it didn't exist. But that's just me I guess!
As a sidenote: it's kind of a bummer to see how many interesting points these articles made were totally debunked by Burial at Sea. To keep it brief, B@S really screwed up the series a whole and I wish it didn't exist. But that's just me I guess!
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