Today is a day of vindication for video game nerds.
If you’re tired of defending the artistic legitimacy of video games; tired of saying, “Trust me, this is different;” and tired of speaking to brick walls while explaining that video games are capable of communicating emotional and intellectually stimulating plots, today’s release of Irrational Games’s new entry “BioShock Infinite” is the turning point we’ve been waiting for in the dialogue surrounding the modern video game industry.
Creative director and co-founder of Irrational Studios Ken Levine is right when he says the gaming market is flooded with inexpensive mobile games and cookie-cutter war shooters, and to coax a painful $60 out of a modern gamer, studios need to start offering something different — something polished and substantial in more ways than available weapons or expansion packs.
The studio’s first entry, “BioShock,” was praised for accomplishing what many thought was impossible for the medium: Not only did it feature a deep and developed storyline that before had only been seen in novels, but it nurtured an emotional connection by allowing players to directly react with their environment.
Like its successor being released today, the world of “BioShock” was rife with in-depth commentary on political philosophy and multiple subplots, as well as one of the most clever twists in gaming history. And it managed to raise serious discussion on the political, social and economic dynamics of capitalism — hence the cries of “Trust me, this is different.”
Holding the record for the best-rated game in its genre, “BioShock” set the bar extremely high for the new edition, “BioShock Infinite.” The best part is that reviewers are praising it as another game of immense political relevance and highly nuanced story-telling.
“This is the game video games were made for,” wrote Steve Farrelly of AusGamers, an Australian gaming news website. “It’s a watershed moment for our industry, and I’d be hard pressed to tell you that anything that came before is better.”
It’s a watershed moment because these games will change the public’s perception of what video games are and can be.
When it comes down to it, the “BioShock” series aren’t exactly the games to begin with, if we can argue semantics. They don’t have multiplayer, and the only competitive aspect of the experience is simply staying alive and doing well in order to advance the plot, around which every other aspect of the experience rotates.
Games like these prove this medium is entirely capable of producing unique, deep and emotional impacts previously reserved for books and the film industry.
With more 10-out-of-10s than any game developer could hope to achieve in a lifetime, “BioShock Infinite,” tackling the highly relevant topic of political conservatism, religious intolerance and racism, will follow in the footsteps of its predecessor by providing the defense of the genre gamers have sought for years.
Clayton Crockett is a 21-year-old International Studies senior from Lafayette, La.
FILE - In this Dec. 7, 2012 file photo, Ken Levine, creative director and co-founder of Irrational Games, presents the world premiere of "BioShock Infinite" on stage at Spike's 10th Annual Video Game Awards at Sony Studios, in Culver City, Calif. Levine is hoping the companion character, Elizabeth, provides a new depth to "Infinite," one that wasn't reached in the original "BioShock," whose voiceless protagonist didn't have a sidekick. It's been a daring and daunting endeavor for the game's makers, especially considering Elizabeth was originally envisioned as a completely mute and scripted character. (Photo by Chris Pizzello/Invision/AP, File)
