I am about to get supremely nerdy in this article, because for one of the first times, I get to talk about two of my favorite things in the world: social science and the Bioshock video game franchise.

Because the two are married. The two connect. And with video games being the up and coming and always spreading medium it is, it falls to it as well as others to promote society’s progress.

And, while that is a haughty thing to say, perhaps the haughtiest thing I’ve ever typed out on these pages, it is the truth. Art, must, absolutely must, make an effort and a rush to help bring ideas to the world.

And to my mind, there is no better form of this than social satire. Comedy and satire exist as a measuring stick and method of exploration of things wrong in the world, without perhaps directly attacking anyone.

Well, except, in the case of an oddball political philosopher named Ayn Rand.

Because, for my money, the ultimate work of satire in the video game medium is the Bioshock series. Perhaps only matched by Spec Ops: The Line.  

Let me break it down for you if you haven’t played, or aren’t deep into the holes of the culture of the youth demographic (insert comically dated slang here).

Bioshock is a game as Brave New World is a book. In the fact they endeavor to talk about things beyond what you might expect of them. Only with Bioshock, it is an interactive experience.

And the story of the game is one that may seem odd a first: set in an underwater city called Rapture, you, the player, find yourself in a situation of life or death.

For you see, the city has fallen. Well before you got there. Founded on Randian Objectivism which includes laissez-faire capitalism, the city of Rapture introduced a new method of improving one’s station in life.

It is called Adam, and it’s used to make a thing called Plasmids—which give you special abilities. And, because there is no shutting down or regulating this wonder drug...well....

...Everyone goes crazy and turns into murderous addicts to this one method of power.

And that’s where you show up.

And now, well, here’s the purpose. It’s a criticism. Promotes how messed up the mindset of removing all government oversight is. It promotes a rejection of the things that some people—and political agendas—want to happen.

And if you agree. Well, that’s good. I do. I see the problem. But if you don’t that’s good too. Explore how Rapture should have worked without falling.

That’s the power of satire. And Bioshock has a lot more to say. Go to Gamestop at Clearwater Mall—or buy it on Steam. Play it, see, if you haven’t already.

Like it or not, it’s the job of media to shape our perceptions of the world. To enhance and question it. To promote understanding and promote an analytical study of the way the world works—the way games work--and what we can sometimes take for granted.

And you know what? There’s more than one game in this series. And I think I have more to say on the subject.

For when I like something, there’s practically “infinite” I could talk about.

Until then.

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If you liked this article, you can read more of Brandon Scott’s work over at The Hive, or on his website: www.coolerbs.com

I called it! I totally called it! Pokémon Go is now part of the way people market. I’ve seen promotions, and signs, and advertisements.

And the cleverest one so far is happening right here in Clearwater with Nature’s Food Patch.

Now, I already like Nature’s Food Patch. As a health-conscious individual, it’s one of the few places I know I can consistently get reasonably priced healthy food in bulk. Plus, their hot bar is fantastic.

But, now, the incentive doubles with the fact they are a PokéStop. And I’ve been running out of Great Balls.

But they go one better than just promoting that fact.

In a move so smart, so savvy, it makes my head hurt: they will give five-dollar gift cards to anyone who catches a Pokémon within the building (for a limited time).

But only certain ones, of course. None of the common ones. Nah. You need to catch a starter Pokémon or several other rarer types to claim your prize. So, you’ll need to spend some time inside the building.

Like I said: super clever.

Now, normally, this sort of system has a few ways someone could manipulate it. Which, undoubtedly, unfortunately, someone would try. But thanks to the unique nature of the game itself, the location where you caught a Pokémon is displayed on your screen.

So, liars can’t trick, and the honest can prove, and brag.

This is so cool, guys.

They are also doing Pokémon events over there called “Lure-A-Thons.”

I’m blown away. This is another example of the new technological landscape I’m always raving about to people. And it’s worth celebrating just for this gamification idea existing in our world. Who would have guessed media like pong would evolve to this?

So, knock back an acai juice in celebration, and get searching Nature’s Food Patch, Pokémon Trainers, and catch those deals.

Because I can only bet a salad and some roasted chicken tastes so much better--so much more rewarding--when you caught a Pikachu to help pay for it.

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If you liked this article, you can read more of Brandon Scott’s work over at The Hive, or on his website: www.coolerbs.com

What makes you angry? A lot of things? A few things? Various things? I imagine something makes you angry. Does a conflicting opinion make you angry? It does for a lot of people. Men and women who are pro-gun grow mad when laws come in to limit firearms. Men and women who are anti-gun grow mad when laws to limit firearms fail to pass.

Look no further than the latest political race, and you will see people angry for someone holding an opinion considered opposite to their own.

Oh, sure, it’s more complex than that. Religion, race, upbringing, income, and location all play a huge part. But the end result is anger.

And do you like to be angry? No. Of course not. Who does?

So, instead, do you like to feel your opinions validated? Do you like to hear others say what you think?

Well, of course you do, that’s being human.

It’s a basic human want to feel like we hold ideas of merit. Not to get too personal here, but I’m generally more pro-gun. So, when I hear someone say something which matches up with my opinions—which is not uncommon in Florida and Clearwater especially recently—it makes me feel in the right.

And so, what happened when we got access to news and media and social media all designed to market to our specific needs and wants?

We got a bubble. We got what people will refer to as “The Echo Chamber” or “The Media Bubble”. People who are like-minded tend to stick together, and with the internet to make that easier, people have no need to expose themselves to differing opinions most of the time.

Because, honestly, given the choice, why would anyone want to do otherwise? If the alternative is liable to make you angry and stressed, who wouldn’t choose the calming option?

The world is stressful enough for most people. No one wants more fuel to the fire—at least not outside of small doses.

And because we do this, and it is profitable for new companies (and politicians) to cater to one opinion, market to one opinion, we only succeed in growing the bubble.

And it’s not healthy. Like the housing market bubble, when it pops, we get upheaval. Rippling outward force. I can speak to experience about just how detrimental this can be, even on a micro level.

While watching a video, I heard someone I respect, for just a few minutes, mention a political and religious ideology different to my own, and it was jarring. It honest to God made my head stick on it. I felt a bit dizzy.

Now, I don’t regret hearing it. And chasing this experience as much as possible is something I’ve found myself doing nowadays. Even if it can be difficult to find levelheaded discussions on certain topics.

And, sure, it’s upsetting, it’s a tad head spinning--and yeah, it might make someone mad. But, in our world, we could all stand to entertain more notions. Or at least I could. But I seriously doubt I am alone in that regard.

At least, not if the reactions on the political and ideological stages are anything to go by. Play a little devil’s advocate, and see if we can go back to debating more, shouting less.

I’m not saying we can all join hands quite yet—but I’m saying it would be a good step forward.

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If you liked this article, you can read more of Brandon Scott’s work over at The Hive, or on his website: www.coolerbs.com

Star Wars.

Marvel.

Pixar.

Disney has ties to them all.

And, well, you can’t argue with the results. The PR is incredible. The love and adoration of so many series in the hands of the Mouse.

Walk around Countryside, stroll the aisles of the Disney Store, and enter any nerdy place ever, and you know who’s in charge.

And I am not the first, nor will I be the last, to point out the almost scary level of power Disney has over us. They can sometimes evoke a sci-fi story’s soulless mega-conglomerate with a monopoly on culture.

I mean, they’re big enough for Dismaland to exist.

So... with that said, are they actually the real-life version of the evil company controlling the world?

Well, maybe. But probably not. There is nothing inherently wrong with a company being as big as Disney is. If we are all okay with living in this democratic, capitalistic society, then one business getting ahead of the others is par the course.

But is it “soulless”? Again. Hard to say. I think it is... in a way--and yet not. I realize I’m being cryptic here. The PR of the happiest company on Earth is certainly false from a business side of things. But for individuals, it has a heart.

People, my generation especially, love Disney. Because of this, I don’t think the art they create is all calculated and hollow. I don’t think calculated and hollow things can elicit a reaction like that. I think there is real passion.

After all, Joss Whedon helped make the Avengers through Disney, and I don’t think he’s soulless.

We live with corporations all our lives. We are influenced in ways we cannot even perceive. But, it’s not all bad. This massive Disney maelstrom that eats intellectual properties is also giving a lot of creative and wonderful people the means to chase dreams.

We get the Maleficents with the Jiminy Crickets, is what I’m saying. And though we see the PR of the happy, we must accept the underlying unhappy and mechanical nature of it all. At least if we want more Marvel and Star War.

And trust me when I say those franchises could be in worse hands.  

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If you liked this article, you can read more of Brandon Scott’s work over at The Hive, or on his website: www.coolerbs.com

It’s not a new complaint: too many remakes. Too many sequels. Make original content Hollywood, please. We beg. We plead. We gnash our teeth.

And so...they remake Ghostbusters. And we even watch it at Countryside Mall. I haven’t seen it personally, so I don’t know if it’s worth it, but we have a double standard here--regardless of the actual quality of the sequels and remakes themselves.

And it’s our own double standard that makes this work. That makes them rely on the re-creation of successful previous intellectual properties. If we didn’t buy it, they wouldn’t make it.

But we do. And so they do. And they become reliant. It takes a lot of money to make movies. More money than I—and probably most people--can conceive of earning. And so they have to follow the currency if they want to stay in the rat race of art as a financial option.

It’s “reverse” marketing. Normally, they go marketing a movie to us, and we buy. But, now, we are marketing to them. We are the one’s advertising what we want.

We put up giant flags to inform them. If things like The Purge series and the Ice Age series make money, and a tiny “artsy” film costs the company more than the movie sells, then capitalism is the immediate and strong dictator.

So, we vote with our money. We get to choose. And we all know what we want to choose. We watch movies because it is an escape, a source of entertainment, or a feast for the mind--and like choosing a solid steakhouse over the new fusion restaurant across the street: we tend to want what we like.

And what we like is what we know. Unless we suddenly change our spending habits, we get what we are marketing. And, they go on marketing it right back at us.

No matter how annoyed we get.

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If you liked this article, you can read more of Brandon Scott’s work over at The Hive, or on his website: www.coolerbs.com