When Critique Meets Reality: Systemic Violence and the BioShock Games

Matthew Ogden

doi:10.5204/lthj.2947

When Critique Meets Reality: Systemic Violence and the BioShock Games

Matthew Ogden

Dundee Law School

Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review

1 Citation (Scopus)

133 Downloads (Pure)

Abstract

The procedural rhetoric of the BioShock games has been both lauded as a ludological implementation of social critique and criticised as the continuation of conservative gameplay formulae. At times, this extends to full hypocrisy, with the series simultaneously narratively criticising and mechanically perpetuating capitalism and ethnocentrism. This article will expand on these examples and, as part of the field of cultural legal studies, emphasise the relevance of procedural rhetoric to contemporary Western legal systems. Ultimately, while the series demonstrates a deep hypocrisy, an emphasis on this hypocrisy as an aspect of the franchise is able to produce a new critical reading that emphasises how systemic violence can be rendered invisible through normalisation in what are often perceived as objective and mechanical systems, including many contemporary understandings of law.

Original language	English
Pages (from-to)	205-220
Number of pages	16
Journal	Law, Technology and Humans
Volume	5
Issue number	2
DOIs	https://doi.org/10.5204/lthj.2947
Publication status	Published - 21 Nov 2023

UN SDGs

This output contributes to the following UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs)

SDG 16 Peace, Justice and Strong Institutions

Keywords

BioShock
Cultural legal studies
systemic violence
video games

ASJC Scopus subject areas

Computer Science (miscellaneous)
Law
Social Sciences (miscellaneous)

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10.5204/lthj.2947Licence: CC BY

Final published versionFinal published version, 443 KBLicence: CC BY

Cite this

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When Critique Meets Reality: Systemic Violence and the BioShock Games

Abstract

UN SDGs

Keywords

ASJC Scopus subject areas

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