Both Booker and Elizabeth use it to learn about themselves

Apr 27, 2013 17:41 GMT  ·  By

After the initial wave of awe at the sheer breadth and quality of BioShock Infinite passed, many gamers came to criticize the choice of the first-person shooter as the genre for the most recent title from Irrational Games.

It’s interesting to note that most of them are fans of the game and appreciate the world and characters that Ken Levine, the leader of the development team, has created.

They say that the first-person shooter mechanics, the blend of weapons and vigor, and the array of enemies are all at odds with the main ideas that BioShock Infinite explores.

I disagree and believe that the game manages to make the most of the first-person shooter genre, despite the fact that a little more innovation might have worked wonders.

A lot of the world of BioShock Infinite is based on violence and it’s clear that Ken Levine wanted players to see both the destructive and the redemptive quality of such acts.

The destinies of most the important characters (spoilers follow) are tied to acts of hate and bodily harm that make most modern gamers queasy, like scalping Indians and fighting workers in order to stop a strike for better conditions.

Comstock becomes who he is because he is violent and has no other way of dealing with his internal turmoil than to channel it towards a world that he sees as corrupt.

Booker himself is a violent being, even if constant moving between realities has mellowed him somewhat, and his way of expressing his loss and desolation is by shooting and, later, using his impressive and expansive powers.

It’s interesting to note that, in this maelstrom of hurt, Elizabeth is kept mostly free of it, although there are some moments when we see how easy it is for her to damage those around her.

Violence is not pretty and might clash with the themes of Infinite at times, but it is essential for the world and the wider philosophical ideas it tackles.