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This article reads the comic-book series Y: The Last Man as a subversive articulation of critical race and feminist discourses despite the guise of Eurocentricity and the pretext of a white male “protagonist.” I argue that the true protagonist of the series is the black female character Agent 355, an unconventional hero who complicates stereotypical representations of race, gender, class, and so on. Despite a post-apocalyptic setting where the male species is largely extinct, 355 (rather than the sole human male survivor) is also the narrative’s driving force and the most powerful, albeit unattainable, object of desire.

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This article argues that the 2013 first-person shooter (FPS) video game BioShock Infinite (2K Games) challenges gamers in its representations of race. Launched in 2007, the BioShock franchise has a reputation for thoughtful dystopian narratives, beautiful retro worlds, and addictive gameplay. As the latest installment in an award-winning franchise, BioShock Infinite entices players on reputation alone. Although the game's marketing presents it as a clichéd FPS game with a stereotypical white male hero and nonstop action, BioShock Infinite regularly interrogates its own models of hegemonic power through both the narrative and the gameplay. This article tracks the ways in which the game encourages the player to notice and engage with white supremacism and race relations in an allegorical American context. The early twentieth-century world of Columbia functions not only as a playground for the player but also as a proving ground where social mores are repeatedly tested. Practices such as lynching, segregation, and phrenology are woven into the narrative and the player must sometimes literally decide whether to endorse or oppose the racism modeled in the game. The hack-and-slash gameplay also becomes inextricable from the racial identities and views of both the protagonist and his enemies. In this way, BioShock Infinite balances gaming as entertainment with gaming as education and contributes to the broader debate around the social function of video games.