Race and the First-Person Shooter: Challenging the Video Gamer in BioShock Infinite

Abstract

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.

When Critique Meets Reality: Systemic Violence and the BioShock Games

“…61 As such, the colour-blind approach to race only prevents the discussion necessary to deal with these issues while racism invisibly continues. 62 Arguably, the greatest strength of BioShock Infinite's discussion of ethnocentrism is that it forces players to see race in order to navigate the game.…”

“…65 However, it is easy to oversimplify this issue. Mafe highlights that while there are problems with this villainisation, making Fitzroy uncontroversially good would reduce her to a one-dimensional stock character, 66 which Levine argues he was trying to avoid:…”

“…83 This is where BioShock Infinite's take on race matters because it tells its story from the position of the heroic white man. 84 This goes beyond playing as the white male avatar of Booker and raises Pearson's argument that many games designed for the 'hardcore' gaming market rely on patriarchal standards of success. 85 While the narrative of the game tries to argue against ethnocentrism, by relying on the FPS system to convey this message, a procedural rhetoric emerges with its own contradictory argument.…”

“…The story of a hero in a fantastical location defeating the evil villain also describes the setup for countless video games, 140 from fantasy epics such as The Witcher to family favourites such as Super Mario Bros. As such, the player has been trained to see their avatar as an uncontroversial hero. At a mechanical level, both BioShock and BioShock Infinite utilise, 141 but also perpetuate, 142 normalised patterns in video games, which, by definition, must be normal to other video games. For instance, Mantello highlights that the Call of Duty series, which uses similar FPS mechanics to BioShock, through its arguably propagandist valorisation of the US military and in-game cash rewards for kills, equally promotes ethnocentrism 143 and capitalist logic.…”

Playing in Synch: A Three-Part Typology of Synch Points Between Image and Sound in Bioshock Infinite

“…The singing creates a sense of interest and stands out from the rest of the soundscape, signalling to the player that something important is happening. 39 For a more in-depth take on racism in Bioshock Infinite see Mafe (2015).…”