(spoilers) What is the moral of this game

[Mother 3]

I mean, I understand the whole redemption thing in Bioshock infinite, but what is Bioshock 1 trying to teach, is it saying that science going too far is bad, or that the lack of morals is bad, what do you think it is? (and yes, I did complete this game)

[coffeemm8]

Andrew Ryan did nothing wrong

[Acetone]

It is an interpretation of Ayn Rand's writings, mainly "Atlas Shrugged". It's about objectivism. Look up the term and pros and cons of the philosophy.
What is the game trying to say? Probably that running a state according to objectivism alone would not lead to a harmonious society. I might be wrong, but it seemed like more of an inspiration for a setting, not that Irrational Games were trying to take shots at Rand. I never read any interviews from Levine or the team.

[Zifernando]

I hope someone reads this

In my opinion, BioShock 1 is a major critique about capitalism and randianism, or pretty much every idealized system that underestimates humanity’s capacity for greed and lust for power.

In the beggining of the game you see Ryan's commentary about the american democracy, religion and soviet communism, as if he was able to create a better place for people who seek glory and success, but in the end it all fell apart, humanity returned to a savage state, all of their hunger for wealth and power brought them nothing but violence and hatred.
It's a clear critique about wealth accumulation, class conflict, science without morality, politics without principles and business without ethics.
When people put morals aside to seek glory, ♥♥♥♥♥ happens, and that's Rapture.

That's what Ryan's dream stands for: lust for power; he's willing to sacrifice everything and everyone for his own wealth and success, just like everyone who tried to live in Rapture, they were there because Rapture was the place where "the scientist would not be bound by petty morality. Where the great would not be constrained by the small"
They all wanted more and more power, and when Ryan offered the possibility of using the recently discovered substance known as "Adam", they all accepted, without thinking about the side effects that could come with it, they only thought about the plasmids, the physical and mental enhancements, and that's why Rapture collapsed.
The people didn't have time to be racional, becauce they only cared about their gains, and that's why they went mad and the city drowned into chaos. (No pun intended)

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

But the game is also about our choices, and what freedom really stands for.
In a place like Rapture, you're not actually free, someone's always in control of you.
The people of Rapture pleaded for a more free society, but that's not what happens, in the case of the protagonist, Jack, it's the modifications on his body that let him be controlled by someone when they say the phrase "Would you kindly?".
But thinking in a broadly way, in our world, everyone is under someone's control, be it the state or the corporations, we're all slaves of something or someone.
If your boss tells you to do something, you gotta do, otherwise you're fired, and without your job you would probably starve to death, so your only option is to obey and do what he says, so think, are we really free?
And for me, that's what the game's about.

"A man chooses, a slave obeys"

[RussianSeppukuE03]

I'd say it says several things. Obviously it is a bit of a criticism of Rand and the free market, but I think it's more importantly a criticism of shallow, blind consumerism. Of blindly buying fancy crap cause "fancy" and clout instead of more genuine things like friendship and family. BTW, this is also the same message of the Mafia series, since Vito loses his best friend Joe and gets alienated from his family and Tommy gets whacked because they had to have their fancy suits and hookers. Hollow hedonism will always lead you to ruins.
Bioshock also has some interesting takes on choice and existentialism vs determinism. Wisecrack has a decent video on this topic and whether or not choice is real or it's all just a cause and effect Hobson's choice. It doesn't really answer it though...guess you could say they leave it up to you to......CHOOSE what you want believe.

[spartanreserve]

Andrew Ryan did nothing wrong.

[Krystalliquide]

it teach you that its ok to kill innocent big daddy because they are uglys... especiallly if its to save cute little girl. the life of ugly worth less than the confort of the normal. (or maybe i got it wrong... but please think twice before to kill big daddy if you want to play the moral path)

[naii.neocities.org]

Andrew Ryan did nothing wrong

[Berverver]

Originally posted by RussianSeppukuE03:

shallow, blind consumerism. Of blindly buying fancy crap cause "fancy" and clout instead of more genuine things like friendship and family.

this is a little late but:
I don't think this is inherently a bad or even shallow thing. Assuming that by the former, you mean a zeitgeist or trend. Think about how people form personal attachments from these things(nostalgia would be a good example). They only become bad when you haven't developed the ability regulate them or when they are used to manipulate you into doing things that aren't in your best interest.

[Yoinkyz]

this post im pretty sure is what the game is saying is going to go wrong. ironicly

[Handsome Tobac]

The moral is that history is not what you think it is and that (Andrew Ryan) did nothing wrong.

[Grimmrog_SIG]

Originally posted by Zifernando:

I hope someone reads this

In my opinion, BioShock 1 is a major critique about capitalism and randianism, or pretty much every idealized system that underestimates humanity’s capacity for greed and lust for power.

In the beggining of the game you see Ryan's commentary about the american democracy, religion and soviet communism, as if he was able to create a better place for people who seek glory and success, but in the end it all fell apart, humanity returned to a savage state, all of their hunger for wealth and power brought them nothing but violence and hatred.
It's a clear critique about wealth accumulation, class conflict, science without morality, politics without principles and business without ethics.
When people put morals aside to seek glory, ♥♥♥♥♥ happens, and that's Rapture.

That's what Ryan's dream stands for: lust for power; he's willing to sacrifice everything and everyone for his own wealth and success, just like everyone who tried to live in Rapture, they were there because Rapture was the place where "the scientist would not be bound by petty morality. Where the great would not be constrained by the small"
They all wanted more and more power, and when Ryan offered the possibility of using the recently discovered substance known as "Adam", they all accepted, without thinking about the side effects that could come with it, they only thought about the plasmids, the physical and mental enhancements, and that's why Rapture collapsed.
The people didn't have time to be racional, becauce they only cared about their gains, and that's why they went mad and the city drowned into chaos. (No pun intended)

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

But the game is also about our choices, and what freedom really stands for.
In a place like Rapture, you're not actually free, someone's always in control of you.
The people of Rapture pleaded for a more free society, but that's not what happens, in the case of the protagonist, Jack, it's the modifications on his body that let him be controlled by someone when they say the phrase "Would you kindly?".
But thinking in a broadly way, in our world, everyone is under someone's control, be it the state or the corporations, we're all slaves of something or someone.
If your boss tells you to do something, you gotta do, otherwise you're fired, and without your job you would probably starve to death, so your only option is to obey and do what he says, so think, are we really free?
And for me, that's what the game's about.

"A man chooses, a slave obeys" :ElectricFlesh:

I mostly agree with this, humans will be humans, no fair system will ever fit them because the human nature is competition (not greed or stuff, but competition has effects like that for example)

[Martini]

I think it's not just a simple one-moral story.
Lots of people can have different take-aways

[UmbralPenumbra]

Ayn Rand's philosophy is stupid

[PSYCHIC HIVEMIND CYCLIST DEATH]

it's about how ayn rand was a ♥♥♥♥♥♥♥ ♥♥♥♥♥♥ and his ideas inexorably lead to ruin