The new forums will be named Coin Return (based on the most recent vote)! You can check on the status and timeline of the transition to the new forums here.
The Guiding Principles and New Rules document is now in effect.
Quick question: Give my devout Christian brother Bioshock for Xmas, yes, no?
Gaming-Module
Registered User regular
Registered User regular
If you haven't played past the medical area of Bioshock, you probably don't want to read this thread. Likewise, I don't want to be spoiled and hope to have advice given in vague terms. Thanks.
I scored a cheap copy of Bioshock at Amazon in that Bioshock/The Darkness deal they had going on a few days ago and I already owned it, so I figure, hey I can give the bro a new game that didn't really cost that much. Everybody wins.
I also just recently started playing my copy and I have come across the "smugglers" in game. I was kind of surprised that they were smuggling in religion. While this didn't really bother me in the long run, since I understand who Ayn Rand is, what she stands for and what her books are about, I could see it as possibly offensive to a Christian.
I just don't know how my brother will react when he sees the bloody suitcase full of bibles and crosses at the feet of dead, obvously tortured faith smugglers.
I scored a cheap copy of Bioshock at Amazon in that Bioshock/The Darkness deal they had going on a few days ago and I already owned it, so I figure, hey I can give the bro a new game that didn't really cost that much. Everybody wins.
I also just recently started playing my copy and I have come across the "smugglers" in game. I was kind of surprised that they were smuggling in religion. While this didn't really bother me in the long run, since I understand who Ayn Rand is, what she stands for and what her books are about, I could see it as possibly offensive to a Christian.
I just don't know how my brother will react when he sees the bloody suitcase full of bibles and crosses at the feet of dead, obvously tortured faith smugglers.
Gaming-Module on
0
Posts
then again, he might just take the whole thing as "just a game" and enjoy it.
My other concern is whether or not that theme gets more attention and more in your face as the game goes on? If there's a priest boss that eats babies, I'll probably just see about trading it for another game.
Some really fundamentalist faiths probably go batshit crazy if you show a picture of jesus in any context but to praise his total awesomeness. Those are the only kind of people I'd expect to be offended by Bioshock.
猿も木から落ちる
猿も木から落ちる
If he tolerates The Wicker Man, he is likely to tolerate Bioshock (imho as very liberal Christian)
Also it is an awesome film.
But...the Wicker Man is about a neo-pagan commune with extraordinary amounts of promiscuous sex and ample nudity.
I really have no idea where you connected the two titles.
猿も木から落ちる
Yeah, I'm pretty dense sometimes. But my point is, it's not overt. And no offense to your brother or anything but I don't think it's your responsibility to censor your gifts to him because of his religious beliefs. I mean, sure, don't give him a flaming cross for Christmas or anything, but Bioshock? I don't think the content in this case merits second-guessing.
How about he rent "Bad Lieutenant" for his brother and make him watch that.
If he doesn't turn to Satan after that, he should be fine with something like Bioshock.
The smugglers' hideout is probably a lesser concern, as far as content goes. Far more *potentially* offensive would be the ultra-secular meritocracy espoused by the founders of Rapture, although given their failure it is kind of a counter-example.
Probably the least Christian thing would be that the game is 12 hours of shooting, shocking, beating, burning, and bee-stinging people to death.
Depends what sort of Christian he is. Some like to actually think about what Christ said in terms of how life should be lived, treating the gospel as a broad philosophical guide. Others are content to hate gays and complain about violent TV.
Clearly you've not read the bible.
Now now none of that.
猿も木から落ちる
I'm just referring to the
It was cut from the King James version.
Just the first example of a film that has a similar degree of 'religeous controversy" as bioshock that came to mind, there almost certainly are better suggestions out there.
Does Bioshock even have religious controversy? I...really don't think it does.
Where's the controversy there? One man with a utopian vision bars religion from entering his underwater city, and punishes those that disobey. The ones that are killed for it are probably martyrs.
Agreed, and again I refer to the bible.
Seriously, though, I really don't think a "devout Christian" gamer is going to be offended by this game, unless the most violent game he'll play is Pikmin. The religious angle in Bioshock is almost certainly not going to offend him.
Some of said crazy people are Christians.
These people would respond to the events surrounding the smuggling of religion in Bioshock similarly to the plot of The Wicker Man.
It was just an example, as I said, there are probably much better films to 'test the water' but I think the idea of using a film to do so is a good way of seeing if OP's brother with enjoy or be offended by Bioshock, and if somebody can suggest a film with themes closer to Bioshock maybe that would be helpful to the OP, but The Wicker Man was the first film I could think of that Christians (both of the crazy and non-crazy variety) that I know disapprove of, and the same people would probably dissapprove of Bioshock.
RB6 Vegas, Halo 3, Viva Pinata, Burnout Revenge, Call of Duty 4.
After this thread I'm going to just give it to him. It's just that he is the kind of person that you cannot discuss politics with if you have an opposing viewpoint to his, because he will either walk away from you or threaten to leave your residence when you start discussing your point. He also stops the conversation if you disagree with Bush or the Iraq war. That said, if he doesn't get offended, there's also a chance he will just shelve Bioshock and ignore it out of distaste, which would be a crime against such a great game.
I dunno, after typing the rest of that paragraph, maybe I'll exchange it.
https://steamcommunity.com/profiles/76561197970666737/
having watched the nicholas cage version in it's entirety, i can safely say it is the worst movie i have ever watched.
Eh. It sounds like you got it pretty cheap. I'd just give it to him, and if he doesn't like it, so what? Just start screaming "No blood for oil!" and he'll be out of your hair.
No offense dude, but it sounds like he doesn't deserve Bioshock. If he's a Bush supporter, he'll probably think Andrew Ryan has some great ideas (sans the no religion thing) and be offended by the social commentary.
I think if he's offended by it, then whatever. It's not your fault he is offended. It's not going to hurt him or you. If he brings it up I would suggest saying that you didn't think it would be offensive. You don't have to apologize.
Oh yeah, and the whole, "murder what once were little girls in order to manipulate your God-given genetic structure 'till your heart's content" focus of the game. That's what we might call morally gray.
+ Over 9000 Wins Sire.
Background: "devout" Christian and has played about 20%-30% of bioshock.
As a Christian 'smuggling' religon in the game, is a non-issue. I did noticed the Bibles right away.
...of course i found the horrific medical surgeries much more disturbing.
Since I haven't played the game all the way through to give it a 100% approval - as long as it doesn't protray religonous people as complete nut jobs - it should be ok. Oh, and if he doesn't mind the mutilation and swearing.
They're in my ass! MY ASS! AAAAAAAHHHH!
Someone needs to post that gif.
Seriously, dude. Jesus.
I mean, I'm all for loving Christ, believe me. But having religion is no excuse to be a dick and refuse to allow others to even defend their own points of view. I've got a friend who's faith makes her extremely picky about things, but she doesn't get all uppity about it or start foaming at the mouth at the sign of opposing beliefs. Honestly, that sounds like a pretty annoying friend to have.
Spoilering the answer, for those nine people on this board who haven't gotten past the Fisheries in Bioshock:
Given the later connection between Fontaine and the poorhouses in Rapture, maybe the developers intended us to think that unsuccessful=religious.
I disagree with your last comment wholeheartedly. I don't think they intended that at all.
I did say maybe. It's difficult to know their intentions, and even more difficult to know the sorts of connections they unintentionally put in the game. But it's at least an interesting coincidence that Fontaine is explicitly said to have given hope to the underclass of Rapture by building the poorhouses and orphanages, while at the same time providing illegal religious paraphernalia that is usually construed as a source of hope. It's not that big of a leap to connect the two and think that Fontaine provided hope by building the poorhouses and supplying Bibles to their inhabitants.
Note: I do not think that it is actually true that religion is "the opium of the masses," to use Marx's phrase (I'm quite religious myself), but I don't find it a huge stretch to find the connection in the world of Rapture.