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BioShock and the Ghost of Ayn Rand: Universal Learning and Tacit Knowledge in Contemporary Video Games

BioShock and the Ghost of Ayn Rand: Universal Learning and Tacit Knowledge in Contemporary Video Games

Chris Richardson, Mike Elrod
Copyright: © 2016 |Pages: 16
ISBN13: 9781522504771|ISBN10: 152250477X|EISBN13: 9781522504788
DOI: 10.4018/978-1-5225-0477-1.ch006
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MLA

Richardson, Chris, and Mike Elrod. "BioShock and the Ghost of Ayn Rand: Universal Learning and Tacit Knowledge in Contemporary Video Games." Contemporary Research on Intertextuality in Video Games, edited by Christophe Duret and Christian-Marie Pons, IGI Global, 2016, pp. 92-107. https://doi.org/10.4018/978-1-5225-0477-1.ch006

APA

Richardson, C. & Elrod, M. (2016). BioShock and the Ghost of Ayn Rand: Universal Learning and Tacit Knowledge in Contemporary Video Games. In C. Duret & C. Pons (Eds.), Contemporary Research on Intertextuality in Video Games (pp. 92-107). IGI Global. https://doi.org/10.4018/978-1-5225-0477-1.ch006

Chicago

Richardson, Chris, and Mike Elrod. "BioShock and the Ghost of Ayn Rand: Universal Learning and Tacit Knowledge in Contemporary Video Games." In Contemporary Research on Intertextuality in Video Games, edited by Christophe Duret and Christian-Marie Pons, 92-107. Hershey, PA: IGI Global, 2016. https://doi.org/10.4018/978-1-5225-0477-1.ch006

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Abstract

This chapter examines the popular 2007 video game BioShock and its relation to the work of Objectivist author Ayn Rand. Using Jacques Rancière's model of emancipatory learning and Polanyi's concept of tacit knowledge, the authors explore how video games can instill transferable skills and knowledge by forming intertextual connections to other media. Including an interview with BioShock creator Ken Levine, the authors discuss how players may learn about works such as Rand's Atlas Shrugged, forming opinions, criticisms, and applications of her philosophy, without ever receiving explanations of it in the game. They conclude the chapter by demonstrating the potential for such forms of learning to become more prominent in video games, while also acknowledging the inherent limitations of the medium.

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