Essay Plan

Title: How is Procedural Rhetoric employed in the Worlds of Bioshock.

Introduction: What is Procedural Rhetoric, explained and sourced.

Points

Introducing the settings and major themes. Religion versus Science Columbia Vs Rapture in terms of setting and what each city promotes and the contrast of the rhetoric. Large mentions to the use of games simulating a setting that would usually be impossible due to ethics and social convention.

The risk of experimental technology and its exploitation. Rushed development= lack of proper testing=genetic degradation=Splicers. The development of Little Sisters and Big Dadies. Columbia

Both Civilisations are infact heavily controlled despite their perceived freedoms. "Thought Police"/Propagander against the outside world.  both worlds act as communes effectively against the larger world in way or another.

 Utopias falling to dystopia, involve the idea of the suppressed masses and revolution, how the Bioshock games communicate this message. Both ultimately worlds fall due to a combination of infighting and civil uprising, how this represents a warning to our civilizations and darker outcomes.

Theory vs Practice, ideal vs reality. The internal corruption and selfish ideals that bring down the system from the top eg Corporate infighting. In the case of Rapture, Andrew Ryan going back on the ideal of free market. "Some are more equal than others". Likewise Columbia with Elizabeth inheriting Comstocks ambition crusade against the rest of the world and how this backfire. Slates coup against Comstock, Daisy Fitzroy's uprising against Comstock with the Vox Populi

Conclusion
The message of a Utopia that will always suppress someone at the end of the day and this is ultimately their downfall. Both worlds in the bioshock franchise create an entertaining immersive experience through procedural rhetoric.

Utopias falling to dystopia, involve the idea of the suppressed masses and revolution, how the Bioshock games communicate this message. Both ultimately worlds fall due to a combination of infighting and civil uprising, how this represents a warning to our civilizations and darker outcomes.

Essay Draft_003

Now onto my third attempt for a draft, I've chosen to analyses in an essay the effect of procedural rhetoric in games towards making the player aware of political and or ethical messages, on the topics of human advancement and warfare, I plan to illustrate how these two are linked, but to the conclusion of the essay's purpose and how the use of procedural rhetoric can create and well constructed and potentially convincing argument by using video games as a vehicle for the motives of the author/designer. As well as proving and illustrating Bogost's concept of "procedural rhetoric".

I am planning to use at least two games that would use procedural rhetoric as a integral part,  but also to find other games where this may not have been strictly intentional yet yields the same results, effectively educating the player whether he/she notices and accepts it, the argument was still present.

Major Games (strong procedural rhetoric)
Spec Op's the Line
Bioshock
Bioshock: Infinite
Papers Please
The Walking Dead (? Research)
Animal Crossing
Assassins Creed series

Minor Games (Weak or little procedural rhetoric)
Fallout 3
Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas

Idea for titles/themes
The Hidden Education of Videogames

Lessons in Procedural Rhetoric

How does Bioshock utilize procedural rhetoric to argue against a capitalism utopia?

Can use of Procedural Rhetoric be used to grant us a immerse education?

Can Procedural Rhetoric be used to justify player violence?

How does the Bioshock setting of Rapture utilize procedural rhetoric to communicate the downfall of utopian civilization into chaotic dystopia compared to Bioshock: Infinites setting Columbia?

Notes of interest/Links
Games validation as a interactive art on par with its peers
http://www.gamasutra.com/view/feature/132302/persuasive_games_the_.php

http://www.bogost.com/books/persuasive_games.shtml

http://www.arts.rpi.edu/~ruiz/EGDSpring10/readings/RhetoricVideoGames_Bogost.pdf

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VFaqguc_uNk

Procedural Rhetoric can detracts meaningful play

http://www.dwrl.utexas.edu/old/content/procedural-rhetoric-analyzing-video-games

Procedural Rhetoric Summary

When a is this situation a video game leads the player to commit actions that are integral in the progression and interaction to game to illustrate and persuade the players actions to support the designers/authors message.

Draft/Essay Overhaul: ‘Can digital games change the world?’

Potential Themes/Titles

Censorship relating to violece through the last 30 years and this had been culturally recived and prsented, analysing the changes and differences between the more liberal and cosertive cultural boundries in the video game industry

The use of Videogames or videogame cotent as postivie reinforcment for millitary recrutiment (few sources, but could be mentioned, see TA recruitment videos featuring game controllers for Drone control)

Video games furthering the exsploration in various sciences, as an interactive and attractive medium, effectivly using gamers already established persistence within video games.

Video game associated technology exspanding into other forms of media; Occulus rift and the Nintendo headets from the 90's and various headet gimmicks. Recent Nintendo platforms associating with mental and psychical fitness.

Want to stay away from educational games debate/content, but large field with many sources.

Titles:

The cultural impact of Violence in video games. How this changed peceptions of violence in society?

Technology inherited through videogames and its further uses in other media

Educational Impact of video games into real life applications

The use of video games in scientfic study

How has the Technology developed for video games beniftied society?

How have video games effect todays society perceptions on violence?

How have video games influenced cultural percpetions of violence?

The Educational use of videogames: Using video games as a medium for learning

Can the use of videogames in Education influence a more beneficial learning exsperience?

Can Videogames found a better medium for Education

Research_004

http://uk.ign.com/articles/2012/04/17/culturally-censored-games

http://www.destructoid.com/fallout-3-release-canceled-in-india-in-light-of-cultural-sensitivities--108734.phtml

http://www.americanveteranscenter.org/wwiichronicles/issue-xxxiii-winter-200506/hiroshima-and-the-enola-gay/

http://www.destructoid.com/censorship-in-germany-how-they-changed-your-fav-games-268854.phtml

http://www.gameplanet.com.au/features/g51d5115802299/Censored-Australian-videogame-ratings-versus-the-world/

Research_003

http://books.google.co.uk/books?id=fp2AKXWF9HEC&pg=PA87&lpg=PA87&dq=Columbine+massacre+psychological&source=bl&ots=OtnvsT_g_D&sig=hXeWmgsGGbW4xVH5ihS8TJPcTJ8&hl=en&sa=X&ei=huRcU5rmKsStPMmwgZgI&ved=0CIsBEOgBMAk#v=onepage&q=Columbine%20massacre%20psychological&f=false

http://uproxx.com/gammasquad/2012/12/idiots-on-facebook-blame-mass-effect-for-sandy-hook-shooting/

http://www.theguardian.com/science/brain-flapping/2013/sep/20/video-games-cause-violence-claims-cause-violence

http://www.motherjones.com/mojo/2012/12/ryan-lanza-newtown-shooting-media-fail

Research 002

Further resources and articles of Video games trivializing warfare (For/Against)

http://www.digitalspy.co.uk/gaming/news/a357960/call-of-duty-advert-trivialises-war-says-ex-paratrooper.html#~oCoCxk9S0PIaB0

http://www.rockpapershotgun.com/2012/06/29/spec-ops-review-pc/

http://www.nytimes.com/2012/06/26/arts/video-games/spec-ops-the-line-from-2k-games-makes-killing-personal.html?_r=0

http://www.escapistmagazine.com/articles/view/video-games/columns/extra-punctuation/9810-Crossing-Spec-Ops-The-Line

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-1226588/Call-Duty-Political-storm-brutal-video-game-allows-killing-civilians-airport-massacre.html