@article{intel:/content/journals/10.1386/jgvw.2.1.27_1, author = "Tulloch, Rowan", title = "A man chooses, a slave obeys: agency, interactivity and freedom in video gaming", journal= "Journal of Gaming & Virtual Worlds", year = "2010", volume = "2", number = "1", pages = "27-38", doi = "https://doi.org/10.1386/jgvw.2.1.27_1", url = "https://intellectdiscover.com/content/journals/10.1386/jgvw.2.1.27_1", publisher = "Intellect", issn = "1757-1928", type = "Journal Article", keywords = "interactivity", keywords = "narrative", keywords = "post-structuralism", keywords = "pedagogy", keywords = "Bioshock", keywords = "agency", abstract = "This article explores the concept of interactivity through a close reading of the 2007 video game Bioshock (2K Boston & 2K Australia 2007). By analyzing the interconnections between the game's storyline and ludic mechanisms I argue that Bioshock's narrative twist can be read as a powerful deconstruction of the notion of player agency (cf. Ruch, this issue). I therefore offer an analysis of this game as a problematization of traditional understandings of choice. By highlighting the role of pedagogy in Bioshock I reveal the importance of processes of training in the medium of video gaming. I conclude by drawing upon a post-structuralist framework to suggest that the subjectivity of the video game player is constructed through the play experience.", }