Some Thoughts on Games Part 1: Let's Talk BioShock

I understand many of you may not play video games and the games you do play may not be as deep or "hardcore" as the games I play. That's why I've decided to create this post as sort of an introduction to games as art and give you guys a better, more accurate perception of games and their purpose, as well as the creative process of games and why these developers make the games they do. I hope this will be an adequate setup for the posts to come and gives you a better understanding of games as a whole.

In my opinion, the prototypical example of "games as art" is BioShock Infinite, which came out last Tuesday (March 26th). This game is incredible. In every way.

The game thrusts the player into Columbia, a utopian (but really dystopian) city in the sky. Really, the city floats in the clouds. This aerial metropolis is under the leadership of a charismatic, self-proclaimed prophet named Zachary Comstock. Comstock--a veteran of the Battle of Wounded Knee and a very idealistic, fascist/racist who literally worships the founding fathers of Washington, Jefferson, and Franklin--gains a following in 1892, preaching his beliefs of extreme patriotism, along with White and American ultra-supremacy, eventually convincing Congress to fund the construction of Columbia, and by 1900, Columbia is up and floating with Comstock reigning over it.

Fast forward to 1912, where the player assumes control of the main character, Booker DeWitt, who's tasked with finding a girl, Elizabeth, who's apparently being held in Columbia against her will. Comstock hails Elizabeth as the "Lamb of the Prophet", one who will take up where Comstock leaves off and fulfill Columbia's destiny--to bring their supremacist ideals to the mainland with force and fire.

Priests worshiping G-dubb.

One of the first things you do once reaching Columbia is pass through a garden that serves as a tranquil memorial for the founding fathers. Consequently, one of the first things you see is a trio of statues, one of Franklin, Washington, and Jefferson, bending at the knee (see right). Priest-like figures solemnly pray to and worship these "deities", as well as offer glory and thanks to their prophet, Comstock.

This opening sets up one of the main themes of the game,:religion. Yes, games have themes and plots that aren't about killing every bad guy and blowing everything up. Comstock seems to have formed his own religion devoted to Wash, Frank, and Jeff and the idea of American Exceptionalism. He claims to be a central figure as well, a prophet chosen by God; a shepherd leading his flock; a modern day Noah who guided his people to the clouds and closer to God, away from the corruption, integration, and sinful mainland.

Once you get into the city proper, you are almost overwhelmed by the scale, serenity, and beauty of Columbia. Brightly colored building facades, clean, paved boardwalks, quaint shops filled with welcoming and cheery citizens enjoying a new purchase, cafes with patrons laughing over wine and many other peaceful encounters give you the sense that maybe this city is a utopia. As you walk around, you notice the ground slowly bob up and down, making you feel like you're on some sort of wacky cruise ship for the sky. Off in the distance, other sections of city float in stolid peace among soft clouds.

This is the first image you see once you step foot  in the city. The statue is of Comstock.

As you are still grasping your bearings during this introductory segment, an airship suddenly floats into view off the edge of one the boardwalks and a quartet of African-American singers serenade you with an a cappella version of The Beach Boys' "God Only Knows". This is one of the first unexpected and beautiful  moments in the game, and certainly not the last.

You keep exploring the city and all its magnificent and seemingly innocent glory until you come upon a park. In the park a raffle is being held in front of a stage. The announcer onstage encourages everyone to enter the raffle by choosing a baseball with a number on it. If their number is chosen, they win. But what do they win?

Our player chooses to participate in the raffle and picks a baseball out of the basket. Of course, his number is chosen. His prize: he gets to be the first person to throw his baseball at an interracial couple that is slowly wheeled on stage. The couple screams frantically, imploring the announcer, the nearby constables, and the player to free them and have mercy. They aim their pleas specifically at the player, trying to convince him not to throw the ball. The shrill, frightened, and urgent tone of their voices is both heart-breaking and terrifying and that point this city that seemed so serene, almost angelic, horrifies you with extreme racism.

This is the scene. Horrific and incredibly racist.

This sets up a second major theme in the game: racism/prejudice, a theme that is probably more prevalent than religion and reflects the segregated nature of the early 1900's. Posters show women in elegant dress shopping as servants--one Chinese, one African-American, and one Hispanic--struggle to carry her overflowing shopping bags. There are bathrooms dedicated for Blacks and Irish only. Short, silent movies detail how to deal people of different race. They even hate Abraham Lincoln and depict him as a devil with horns because of what he did for African-Americans. One sect of anti-Lincoln extremists actually built a house of worship dedicated to John Wilkes Booth, complete with 20-foot-tall memorial statue of Booth aiming his gun.

As I was saying...

Before the player has a chance to throw his ball at the "raffle", he's recognized as the "False Shepherd", a man Comstock prophesied would one day come to Columbia to steal the Lamb (Elizabeth) and lead her astray. The police then try to apprehend the player but he escapes and becomes liberated to progress the story and explore the city, eventually making his way to the building where Elizabeth is being held.

It's not really a building though, more like the Columbian equivalent to the Statue of Liberty. Inside this monument is a multilevel compound, the top two/three floors of which are dedicated to housing Elizabeth.

For me, this is when the game really starts. The narrative at least.

Many video games incorporate a companion in their story. These companions can have any number of purposes, but mostly they are there to help you kill the bad guys and progress through levels. In most games, companions are quite one-dimensional; they don't add much to the story aside from some color commentary and bits of advice on how to progress.When the companion is a woman and unarmed, like Elizabeth, the game becomes an "escort mission"--you have to both eliminate enemies and protect the girl until you bring her to safety.

Escort missions blow. Thankfully, this is far from an escort mission.

At first, Liz thinks you're an intruder and she screams and throws books at you. Her accomodations contain hundreds of books, many of which she has read in her 18-20 years of being here.

Immediately upon meeting Elizabeth, I knew she would be no ordinary "damsel in distress".  When the player manages to escape the monument with her, they set back out into the heart of Columbia. This is the first time Elizabeth has ever actually set foot on the city proper, so naturally she's fascinated by everything she sees. And she's not afraid to speak her mind about what she sees.

I've played many games that feature companions but I've never seen a companion so developed, lively, animated, complicated, reactive and perceptive as Elizabeth. She comments on everything from the racist propaganda posters--voicing her displeasure and confusion on the unequal treatment--to the actual violence. The first time she sees the player kill someone, she runs and hides from the player, marking him as a heartless killer (I'll discuss this more next week).

Elizabeth is also very knowledgeable and she often gives the player history lessons and scientific principles that help explain the world they travel through.

Elizabeth adds so much more to this game. Ken Levine (the creator/director of the game) and his team of artists did an absolutely fantastic job of bringing her to life, giving her Pixar-esque animations and having her interact in the environment in ways that are surprising, touching, emotional, innocent, and somber, sometimes all at once. Her voice actor, Courtney Draper, is as good as it gets, some of the best voicing I've ever heard.

One of the great moments in the game and one that sets up Liz's character well. The player momentarily loses Liz and finds her here, on a pier of a mock beach, dancing her heart out as a clapping circle looks on. Look how happy she is!

I was amazed at how quickly I formed an attachment with Elizabeth, as quick as any character I had met in a film, TV series, or book. The moment above is really what did it for me.

As the story progresses and the plot becomes more complex (both emotionally and and in the more traditional sense) the bond with Elizabeth becomes even stronger. There were times where I wanted my player to go and hug Elizabeth or comfort her or say something encouraging; I've never experienced that in a game. I ended up caring more about what happened to her than my own character.

I think I might talk more about Elizabeth two weeks from now, in my blog about sexualization in video games. I could spend an entire post (or two) talking just about her. My point is, Ken Levine added so much more to this game by making Elizabeth what she was and without her, this game is lifeless and nowhere near as evocative.

As you near the end, the focus of the game shifts more to the science and brain-bending aspect of the plot and the twists and turns that come with it. I don't want to give anything away obviously, but by the end, the third biggest theme, and perhaps the one with the most lasting impact, is forgiveness/atonement. This theme comes to a head during the very last sequence of the game, but as I watched the credits roll and reflected on the game, I realized just how much Levine incorporated the theme throughout the narrative.

They also had this during the credits: a video of Courtney Draper (Elizabeth) and  Troy Baker (Booker) performing  all five verses of the hymn "Will the Circle Be Unbroken". This song appears in the game, which (in my opinion) is the most touching moment possibly in all of gaming. Levine appears in the video, directing these two, and it shows you just how much he cares about his work and how far he's willing to go to make the game perfect.

All in all, Bioshock Infinite is a crowning achievement in gaming and perhaps Ken Levine's masterpiece, a true work of art. Not just aesthetically stunning, the game constantly keeps the player guessing and thinking while at the same time developing real emotional attachments to the characters and the world. It also makes the player experience a heavy sense of morality and gives insight into the almost casual racism of the time period. I've never played a game like it and it's instantly one of, if not the best game I've ever had the privilege of playing.

My limited ability in writing cannot possibly do this game justice. I encourage you to go out and play this game if you are at all interested in games. To me, this is the epitome of what games are all about: not just a fun romp through an imaginative world but a real, grounded, complex piece of art that sticks with you well after completion. The most highly rated video games all incorporate these elements of dense plot and narrative, character complexity, weighty morality, and stunning visuals--Infinite accomplishes all of these and then some. It may be in the same genre, but Infinite is the opposite Call of Duty.

This post is super long (and super late, due to the fact that I wanted to beat the game before I blogged about it) and maybe slightly dizzying (like I said, my writing is not good enough to give you an adequate picture of this game and everything it's about) but I hope I've opened your eyes a little to just how amazing games can be, rivaling novels and film in terms of character complexity, symbolism, and thematic undertones.

Be sure to check out next week's post, in which I will voice my opinion on violence in video games, using Infinite as a reference point. Thanks for making it all the way to the end.

Liz will be so sad if you don't read next week's post!