BioShock's Little Sister killing gets mainstream attention

by Kyle Orland { Aug 23rd 2007 at 5:23PM }

We knew it was coming. Any game that features little girls as an enemy was bound to eventually draw the attention of the mainstream media. That attention has been brought by the Boston Patriot-Ledger, which argues that BioShock is "testing the limits of the ultraviolent gaming genre with a strategy that enables players to kill characters resembling young girls."

Despite the shock-inducing lead, the article goes on to give a more or less accurate description of BioShock's choice between saving and harvesting the creepy Little Sisters. 2K Boston President Ken Levine defends the artistic vision of the game, of course, while a psychology professor tells the paper that young people who play violent games "had lower feelings of empathy and stronger 'pro-violence attitudes''' whatever that means. The conclusion tries to draw a link between BioShock's violence to a stabbing death allegedly inspired by Grand Theft Auto, but the connection is pretty weak.

Regardless of any alleged real-world effects, we can't help but feel a little squeamish deciding on life and death for these poor, twisted little girls. So what's your decision? Have you been sparing your Little Sisters, or harvesting them for their sweet, sweet serum?

Tags: 2K, 2KBoston, BioShock, LittleSister, Take-Two

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Reader Comments (Page 1 of 3)

Danners @ Aug 23rd 2007 5:26PM

I've been saving them so far...I just couldn't bring myself to kill the first one.

NATO_Duke @ Aug 23rd 2007 5:39PM

Yeah, when the first one came up and tried to hide I felt bad. Weird eh? I have let them all live so far. Can't bring myself to kill em.

Pretty cool effect when you spare them.

Peter @ Aug 23rd 2007 5:49PM

Same here, just couldn't bring myself to kill the first one. I don't know why because before I played the game I swore to myself that I would kill every one of them. Weird, huh?

Paul @ Aug 23rd 2007 5:54PM

I can't kill them either. Hearing the recorded thoughts of a parents of one of them means I can't picture harvesting them on a second playthrough.

Einhanderkiller @ Aug 23rd 2007 6:44PM

I killed every one of them so far.

fischju @ Aug 23rd 2007 7:16PM

What the hell? The game (Atlas) tells you over and over that they aren't kids anymore, ect.

James @ Aug 23rd 2007 7:42PM

fischju - Doesn't fly, sorry.

Phour ZwanZig @ Aug 24th 2007 12:15AM

I saved the first one.. But then Im not listening to Atlas.. If I heard one of the recordings correctly, it says that even with the parasite removed the host will die so I figure the lil brats gunna die anyways, So more ADAM for me..

also I got 80 for the save and I think 160 for the kill..

Phour ZwanZig @ Aug 24th 2007 12:17AM

Opps.. I mean't I'm now listenin to Atlas..

Phour ZwanZig @ Aug 24th 2007 12:17AM

Opps.. I mean't I'm now listenin to Atlas..

Nate @ Aug 24th 2007 2:39PM

I've harvested them all so far, close to 10 by now

Cerixus @ Aug 24th 2007 5:37PM

I can't do it either, don't even want to. And it's funny, I was just having a discussion with someone about this yesterday and he used the "It's just a game" defense. I replied "'Child Molester: The Game' don't worry, it's just a game!". So I laughed when I saw in the article that someone had said the exact same thing.

It's like, regardless of whether or not this CAUSES violence in RL, there are just some things that are wrong. I refuse to kill a little girl. If you can justify it by saying "it's not really a little girl" then that's fine by me, I guess, just stay away from my Niece.

Megaqwerty @ Aug 24th 2007 8:33PM

Hey, Atlas was right!

boz @ Aug 30th 2007 6:45PM

I have not been able to kill any myself i think i have too much compassion to do it.

Andrew @ Aug 23rd 2007 5:29PM

I'm sparing them on my first play-through... but next time around, it's all about that ADAM.

Knight Marquise @ Aug 23rd 2007 6:49PM

I'm with you there, I'm doing the same thing my first go through. Damn fine game.

Joe Schmoe @ Aug 23rd 2007 7:34PM

I'm playing on hard, so I figure I have to get as much adam as possible to survive. But I will replay on easy to see the alternate ending, and save the little sisters.

Mal F4cti0n @ Aug 23rd 2007 10:48PM

The difficulty setting won't make a difference

I won't put a spoiler in here, but the choice reward/benefit pretty much evens out.

You will have to see what happens if you save them.

DWells55 @ Aug 23rd 2007 5:30PM

I've been sparing them, but I'm mostly motivated by the fact that the doctor said she'd reward me for it and the 100 points of GamerScore I get for it.

P.S. For anyone who's beat the game and saved them all, please don't spoil what the reward is.

Yuccadude @ Aug 23rd 2007 5:59PM

Not going to spoil it, but it's definitely worth it, and it was really worth taking a little less adam each time.

And you don't actually kill the 'little girls'... you either save them or kill the parasite.

mksolo @ Aug 23rd 2007 5:30PM

well, to get all the achievements, i am first saving them, then when i play it again, harvesting them. i mean, common, its a fricken game. get with the times people. besides, it works into the over all story.

Andrew Hagan @ Aug 23rd 2007 5:32PM

I couldn't kill the first one, but after seeing all of the cool stuff that I was missing out on, I started thinking about the pros and cons.

Once I actually fought a big daddy, and realized just how tough they are to bring down, I felt like I deserved my ADAM and took it all.

blooh @ Aug 23rd 2007 5:32PM

im gonna harvest em my 1st time and save em my 2nd

whever toysrus friggin mails it to me. goddamn

Leobebes @ Aug 23rd 2007 5:34PM

So far I have been doing a little bit of both, I don't know if this affects the outcome of the game. I guess if you harvest one it changes the ending am I right?

Fish @ Aug 23rd 2007 5:35PM

Meh. The game makes it pretty obvious that its completely your choice whether or not to save them. On top of that, it rewards you in various ways for saving them (though, it doesn't punish you per se if you harvest them).

Of course, even if you couldn't even harm them in the game, someone would complain that it portays violent actions as not having any consequences. "You can just hit the little girls with a wrench and they don't die! This is sending a message to our children!"

T-bone and Razor @ Aug 23rd 2007 5:50PM

Do you also support the giving of unreasonably large stipends to the Brain-slug planet?

Wes @ Aug 24th 2007 4:36AM

Ohh look! Its my favorite tv show. Law and Order: Special Victim's Unit on public tv!

Come on family! Let's all watch it together? Ohh, tonight's episode is about young girls who were rapped by a catholic priest? Wow! It sounds like it'll be a good one! Can't waitt!

Probably either better than the last weeks episode about that girl abducted in the park, rapped and then killed by the guy's neighbour.

Oh look, it's the horror movie the Hill Must Have Eyes? Hey look, that young girl and young boy were just murdered by mutants! 'Scarrrry!'

Wait a sec, what's that you say? A young girl can be killed in a video game?? That's not right!!!! I'm going to write an article about it in my local community newspaper. In fact, I'll even use 'Yahoo Answers' to do my research about violence in video games to boot!

baby sea tuna @ Aug 24th 2007 9:40AM

Oh those wacky rapping priests, always up to no good.

M.C. Pontificus in da HIZZZZZOU!!

zymase @ Aug 24th 2007 5:07AM

Same tactic as Andrew, actually

chan.herbert @ Aug 23rd 2007 5:36PM

what ultraviolence, you can't even see yourself "harvesting" a little sister...

Ryan @ Aug 23rd 2007 5:38PM

1. It seems like the media is obsessed with ANY controversial content in games. Yes, i can understand why they would hate on the Little Sister thing, but it seems like they want all games to be neutered to "Hello Kitty" level.

2. I ordered the game, and once I get it, I don't know whether I will save or harvest. It all depends on how well the game handles the save/harvest scenarios. If the game makes me feel good about saving/feel guilty about harvesting, I will probably do harvesting my second run through.

Drew @ Aug 23rd 2007 7:37PM

it would be more fair to kill little boys as much as the little sisters. otherwise, it would be a stronger case for misogyny.

Grindstone @ Aug 23rd 2007 5:40PM

People make conscious decisions to engage in violent activities. A game has no bearing on that -- we all know it is fictional. If someone perpetrates violence, they cannot say "a video game made me do it", because a video game does not force you to do anything in the real world. You do.

Liopluerodon @ Aug 23rd 2007 5:42PM

*Yawn*
More with the violence and videogames. Like anyone is actually going to come upon a child and harvest them for their adam. People like this need to give up. It's an evolving world where human beings deserve to enjoy virtual violence. I'm sorry but if one of these Boston Patriot people were put into a situation like Bioshock, they'd harvest every last drop.

Me, I like saving my little sisters. You get such cute little teddy bears.

leo8877 @ Aug 23rd 2007 5:43PM

I've been harvesting so far, but I wonder what I'm worried I'm missing out on something good.

colin @ Aug 23rd 2007 6:42PM

you sick, heartless bastard!

just kidding, everyone else is talking about not being able to do it, and you nonchalantly offer "i've been harvesting them so far" i loled when i saw your comment. kudos to you.

angryguy77 @ Aug 23rd 2007 5:44PM

I am saving them first and then I will kill them on my second time through. These things kind of look like my wife when she gets mad....If only the made plasmids in real life.
I don't understand the uproar, this game just has you doing post birth abortions.

NATO_Duke @ Aug 23rd 2007 5:49PM

Yay for tact.

Neebs @ Aug 23rd 2007 5:44PM

Man, have they EVER played these game? I couldn't bring myself to kill the first one, or any other one...you never actually see the harvest so I'm told, the screen goes black cinematically and you get twice the ADAM for rescuing. Rescuing is nothing either.

Sean @ Aug 23rd 2007 9:31PM

the only time I've harvested one was by accident D:

manaknight @ Aug 23rd 2007 5:49PM

The Patriot Ledger? That is a community newspaper that goes to less than a dozen towns. I think it's more about publicity for a local company than trying to ham up the this game is breaking taboos. The citation of the research is complete BS anyway, the study is of kids 12 and younger, who would be desensitized/sensitized by anything easily, and it's doubtful if they are playing Bioshock. You probably spiked the Ledger's web traffic more than it's gotten since their website was launched!