Thursday, 9 May 2013

Bioshock Infinite.

Bioshock Infinite is a recent game release from Irrational Games, subsidary of 2K Games.  The game is a sequel to, and  precursor of Bioshock, the hit Xbox 360 game.

The story of Bioshock Infinite [Spoiler Alert] is an interesting one, involving time travel and changing through interdimensional travel, and some very powerful story mechanics to twist and change the story. You play as Booker DeWitt, a simple man with a shady past, the anti hero. for the majority of the game you are accompanied by a young woman named Elizabeth, how has the ability to pull objects into the world through interdimensional tears. frequently through out the game, you are visited by twins, Robert and Rosalind Lutece, who are actually the same person (interdimensional travel explains most things bioshock infinite). And finally, there is the protagonist, Father Comstock, the leader of Columbia, who is, and isn't, Booker DeWitt. He is Booker, but a different possibility of Booker depending on one decision he made in his life, whether to accept baptism or not after the battle of Wounded Knee. The resulting realisation of the game can be seperated into two similar yet opposing tropes, known as "For want of a nail" and "In spite of  nail".

For want of a nail is where the idea of altering the past is explored, the butterfly effect, where one small change, one decision can alter the entirety of the present. In spite of a nail argues the opposite, summed up in Terry Pratchett's "Lords and Ladies" where it is said "The universe doesn't much care if you step on a butterfly. There are plenty more butterflies."

The reason I believe both tropes come into play despite them opposing is because Booker is destined to eventually succeed, as is said in game "What is done is done, what is done will be done." supported by having many decision to make thoughout the game which have no result on anything. Yet despite his destiny to succeed in his there are, as of the start of the game, 122 Bookers who have been before you and failed, and every time you die in game without Elizabeth to help you, that is one more Booker who failed, along with the obvious point of at some point in the past, Booker made different choices, to baptize or not, resulting in Comstock. This whole mix of these two tropes is summed up well during the ending by Elizabeth, who describes everything as constants and variables, different worlds that look the same, but are not, adding "We swim in different oceans but land on the same shore." whatever choices are made, you will end up at the same place. DeWitt and Comstock, the same person, different effects upon the world, but their fates still intertwined and destined to end up at the same place, despite Comstock's best efforts to thwart DeWitt.

This ending to the game has caused much discussion on online forums of many comflicting and different theories on the true meaning of the game, and the true result of all your efforts to rescue Elizabeth, as after stopping Comstock in all possible universes through being killed before the baptism, Elizabeth vanishes (insert time paradox here) therefor it never happened, yet it did happen, an 'infinite' loop.

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