2. Introduction
• ‘BioShock Infinite’ is a first-person shooter video game
developed by Irrational Games, and published by 2K
Games. Previously known as "Project Icarus" in
development, it was released worldwide on the
Microsoft Windows, PlayStation 3, and Xbox 360
platforms on March 26, 2013. ‘BioShock Infinite’ is the
third instalment in the ‘BioShock’ series, and though it
is not part of the storyline of previous ‘BioShock’
games, it does feature similar gameplay concepts and
themes. The game is set in the fictional Columbia, a
floating air city, 1912. The player controls the
protagonist, Booker De Witt, who has been sent to
rescue Elizabeth, The femme fatale.

3. Setting
• The games setting is key to the story and the game play of
BioShock. The Issue of racism in the game is seen when
black people are seen as second class citizens. This keeps
up with the 1912 setting and the views of the people back
them. There is a strong link with religion in this game and is
shown throughout the game. It could be said that Columbia
is a basis for a cult who believe in a prophet (the
antagonist) while being protected and living in fear of a
giant robotic bird. There is also a massive angel that
overlooks the city. The 1912 setting helps show how
postmodern the game is by combining new and old and
science and religion. The city had been ravaged by a civil
war between ‘the Founder’s’ and the ‘Vox populi’ much like
a civil war had happened in america.

4. • ‘BioShock Infinite’ has genre hybridity due to it featuring
elements of thriller, film noir and sci-fi. The player utilizes
lasers and faces up against gigantic robot birds. The setting
it self is futuristic due to the city floating in the clowds, but
the city itself is reminiscent of the Victorian era or the
American ‘wild west’. There are moments when Victoria
will tear a whole into a different dimension or world. Due
to the mystery behind the mission you undertake and the
detective work that features in the game, while you can
avoid doing this reading, watching and listening develop
your own understanding of the game and the plot it self.
Also there are scenes in black and white which give the
game a gritty film-noir feel. The game is quiet fast paced
and there is constant action and suspense leading to the
game incorporating elements from the thriller genre. The
game is similar to blade runner in that it combines the
same genre characteristics as each other.

5. • The game features references to the ‘real’ world.
The player comes across a barber shop quartet
who start singing ‘god only knows’ by the beach
boys. At one point Victoria tears into a dimension
depicting a 1912 Paris. Here we can see at the
local cinema a film called ‘revenge of the Jedi’ is
being played. ‘Revenge of the Jedi was the
original working title for ‘star Wars: Return of the
Jedi’. The floating city it self is meant to be a
battleship, reminiscent of the Death Star in Star
Wars It also references previous BioShock games
by briefly showing you the setting for the
previous two games ‘Rapture’.

6. Video games follow the emergent narrative or the fixed
narratives. Emergent narratives are unscripted stories
that come out of a game’s play, they may include
dramatic character arcs in The Sims, and alternate
histories created by Civilization V matches. Fixed
narratives are stories determined by the game designer,
and are most prominent in single-player narrative games
such as BioShock Infinite. Which is a topic BioShock
Infinite addresses in its brilliant, mind-bending ending.
Booker and Elizabeth escape Columbia through an
interdimensional portal into the Sea of Lighthouses, a
mysterious world beyond the constraints of time and
space where every possible permutation of the universe
at any possible time in history can be accessed through
an infinite number of doors. “There are a million, million
worlds. All different and all similar. Constants and
variables. There’s always a lighthouse, there’s always a
man, there’s always a city… Sometimes something’s
different… yet… the same.” says Elizabeth

7. • The last scene contains lots of metacommentary about
the distinction and conflicts between embedded and
emergent narrative. Everyone who plays BioShock
Infinite will be telling a different story in their play
through. Combat situations will play out differently
depending on player strategies, Booker may or may
not find all the collectible upgrades in Columbia, he
may spend hours playing carnival games at the fair, he
may ride the carousel in Soldier’s Field, and he may
scour every trash can in Columbia for food. These are
the “variables” that Elizabeth is talking about, the
“million, million worlds” that are all different and the
same, BioShock Infinite‘s story is comprised of an
infinite number of permutations coming out of the
game’s emergent nature.

8. • And yet, the rich range of narrative permutations that
come out of interactivity is mooted by authorial intent and
traditional narrative. The choices you are given such as
‘Bird or Cage’, ‘ride the carousel or ignore it’, ‘fight with
guns or Vigors’, Bioshock Infinite‘s overarching narrative
will always play out the same way regardless of player
choice. All this is reinforced by the game’s single ending.
While many games try to make player choice meaningful by
providing a variety of outcomes based on player’s
participation in the story, Infinite mocks the idea by making
players powerless over the progression and ultimate
outcome of the game’s plot. These are “constants”, the
elements of a game narrative that are “always the same”.
Players are led by prior experiences with similar games to
think that these binary choices matter with respect to the
game’s narrative, and by subverting these expectations by
making these choices almost irrelevant to the game’s
conclusion, BioShock Infinite raises questions about
whether or not truly meaningful choice can really exist
within a designer-driven narrative.