Dystopia in the Skies: Negotiating Justice and Morality on Screen in the Video Game BioShock Infinite
In this article, I analyze the 2013 video game BioShock Infinite as a popular site for the visual display of (in)justice and (im)morality. I contend that it is not so much the game’s ludic elements but its visuality that most forcefully makes a compelling argument against the oppression and discrimi...
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| Language: | English |
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European Association for American Studies
2019-03-01
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| Series: | European Journal of American Studies |
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| Online Access: | https://journals.openedition.org/ejas/14089 |
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| author | Stefan Schubert |
| author_facet | Stefan Schubert |
| author_sort | Stefan Schubert |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | In this article, I analyze the 2013 video game BioShock Infinite as a popular site for the visual display of (in)justice and (im)morality. I contend that it is not so much the game’s ludic elements but its visuality that most forcefully makes a compelling argument against the oppression and discrimination found in the game’s fictional world, the city of Columbia. The game’s visual elements—as part of its larger plot, its narrative background, and the way history is depicted—particularly work to highlight racial and social injustice at the core of Columbia’s society. In turn, the game suggests to draw parallels between these fictional representations and actual US society at the beginning of the twentieth century. |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj-art-c6acf9dc26524873a79cb0952877db2c |
| institution | Kabale University |
| issn | 1991-9336 |
| language | English |
| publishDate | 2019-03-01 |
| publisher | European Association for American Studies |
| record_format | Article |
| series | European Journal of American Studies |
| spelling | doaj-art-c6acf9dc26524873a79cb0952877db2c2025-01-06T09:08:55ZengEuropean Association for American StudiesEuropean Journal of American Studies1991-93362019-03-0113410.4000/ejas.14089Dystopia in the Skies: Negotiating Justice and Morality on Screen in the Video Game BioShock InfiniteStefan SchubertIn this article, I analyze the 2013 video game BioShock Infinite as a popular site for the visual display of (in)justice and (im)morality. I contend that it is not so much the game’s ludic elements but its visuality that most forcefully makes a compelling argument against the oppression and discrimination found in the game’s fictional world, the city of Columbia. The game’s visual elements—as part of its larger plot, its narrative background, and the way history is depicted—particularly work to highlight racial and social injustice at the core of Columbia’s society. In turn, the game suggests to draw parallels between these fictional representations and actual US society at the beginning of the twentieth century.https://journals.openedition.org/ejas/14089classracenarrativeplayUS historyvisuality |
| spellingShingle | Stefan Schubert Dystopia in the Skies: Negotiating Justice and Morality on Screen in the Video Game BioShock Infinite European Journal of American Studies class race narrative play US history visuality |
| title | Dystopia in the Skies: Negotiating Justice and Morality on Screen in the Video Game BioShock Infinite |
| title_full | Dystopia in the Skies: Negotiating Justice and Morality on Screen in the Video Game BioShock Infinite |
| title_fullStr | Dystopia in the Skies: Negotiating Justice and Morality on Screen in the Video Game BioShock Infinite |
| title_full_unstemmed | Dystopia in the Skies: Negotiating Justice and Morality on Screen in the Video Game BioShock Infinite |
| title_short | Dystopia in the Skies: Negotiating Justice and Morality on Screen in the Video Game BioShock Infinite |
| title_sort | dystopia in the skies negotiating justice and morality on screen in the video game bioshock infinite |
| topic | class race narrative play US history visuality |
| url | https://journals.openedition.org/ejas/14089 |
| work_keys_str_mv | AT stefanschubert dystopiaintheskiesnegotiatingjusticeandmoralityonscreeninthevideogamebioshockinfinite |