14 DAY TRIAL // You're already tired of the whole 'BioShock - is it art?' thing, but just bare with us for a minute or two, it's worth it. According to a piece up on joystiq.com, Washington Post's 58-year-old book critic Michael Dirda, who is also the proud winner of a Pulitzer Prize, took home an Xbox 360 and a copy of BioShock to see if the game really was art as people claim. Turns out the man didn't even know how to use a health pack or set the game's difficulty on easy.
So, how is a man whose last played game was the decade old PC title Myst entitled to sort of rate Irrational's first-person shooter, as far as artistic value is concerned? Well, he is a book critic after all. Let's just see what Mike Musgrove (Dirda's colleague) wrote:
"Dirda, who is 58, admired the game's visuals and said that he found the story line "gripping" and that he could easily see himself getting hooked. The only problem was that his few hours with BioShock didn't change his basic lack of familiarity with how to handle a game controller."
So from the start, Dirda can't make a good impression about the game because he's not relaxed enough to sit back and enjoy the experience. Sure there's shooting involved; but getting killed all the time won't allow you to see the game, but just a portion of it where many bad guys come and kick your ass, limiting your experience to that exact point.
The piece continues: "'Here's where I keep getting killed,' he said after we loaded his most recent saved game. He'd made it to Neptune's Bounty, an early level in the game, and was getting murdered onscreen by one of the game's monsters. 'I've got a first-aid kit, but I haven't figured out how to use it.' The writer does admit he forgot to set the game on easy when he put the controller in Dirda's lap.
Need we even comment the statement above...? Again, we can all understand that Dirda is more than entitled to rate a certain product as far as its artistic value is concerned, but when he does not fully comprehend all aspects of that product, then his opinion concerning any aspect whatsoever with that product may very well be an inaccurate one. Not saying that it is, not saying that it isn't. Just may be! What do you think?