We Should Be Talking About 'BioShock: Infinite'

Credit: MinecraftModerMan @ DeviantArt

***Warning: This op-ed will contain SPOILERS, whether vague or in-your-face. You have been warned.***

Last night, I received a very tired reaction from someone when I brought up yet another point concerning BioShock: Infinite. While they didn't make a spectacle nor a scene nor any verbal complaint, I was able to recognize that, to them, the conversation piece had become tired. And who could blame them? I had rented the game on Sunday April 7th and finished it at around 1:30am, Tuesday April 9th (seriously, it was that good), and hadn't stopped talking or thinking about the game since. That could be pretty exhausting to anyone, on any topic, let alone a topic on a game that only one half of the conversation has completed - they've seen major plot points and the ending, but haven't played it themselves, yet. So, I stopped bringing it up, if only to be fair.

However, I go online and find that the gaming community has yet to find the conversation growing stale. Honestly, I don't blame them. And it's important that they don't stop talking about it.

BioShock: Infinite has been available for nearly 2 weeks now, and ever since a few days after the game's release the gaming community has been a buzz over it. Whether it be talks about the different themes (racism, elitism, religious-zealotry), the necessary/unnecessary amounts of violence in the game, or the bizarre and out-of-left-field finale, the conversation hasn't stopped and certainly hasn't been without its differing opinions.

This is exactly why BioShock: Infinite should be shelved among the great games, at least of 2013.  While a game's mechanics and story, in the immediate moment of play, are important to how you rate it, what makes a game great is how it leaves an effect on you; how it leaves you talking and questioning, and wanting to play it again, even if just to clear up something about which you were confused.

Now, you might say, "Well, there are some games out there that are pretty terrible that people talk about all the time. Does that make them great games?" Of course not - see Aliens: Colonial Marines for a prime example of a horrendous game that people still talk about. It's not just the fact that conversation is happening, it's the topics of those conversations that really bring a unique light to Infinite. When it comes to BioShock: Infinite, people are talking about the stories, the gameplay, the themes, the ENDING!! Oh God, the ending! How much did that ending mess with people?

And that's really something that needs to happen more in video games; conversation. Good, productive conversation.

I grew up with video games, starting from 8-bit NES games through every console generation up to the present systems. Most of those games were nothing more than an attempt at making great entertainment, usually using puzzles, violence and/or tired character tropes. But, like many other gamers out there, I'm in my late twenties and I want to have my games mature with me. I want my games to treat me like an adult and make me think on an adult level. I don't want to simply be shown pretty things and flashy graphics anymore. I want something real, in-depth and intelligent.

More and more developers are starting to understand that. Games like Heavy Rain and Journey are among those that realize that age doesn't limit those that play video games. It just means that you, as the developer, need to give those older gamers something more than just entertainment. And that's where I feel BioShock: Infinite has really started to demonstrate the industry's grasp on this notion.

Why? Because they give intellectual themes. Sure, they might hit you over the head with these themes and maybe they don't give their players very much intellectual credit, but the point is they're trying. And because of that, people are talking about a video game's themes as much about, if not more than, the gameplay and the graphics.

----------

Here are the main talking points concerning BioShock Infinite as seen on the internet:

Violence
Anyone who's played an FPS (first person shooter) probably should expect some level of violence in another FPS like BioShock: Infinite. That's definitely past experience in the BioShock series of games, anyway. But Infinite turns it up a notch from previous BioShock games, which has put a few bees in the bonnets of some gamers. These people are feeling that the violence wasn't necessary and was nothing more than a means to draw in a crowd of gamers, who may never have played a previous BioShock game, who see video games as nothing more than a Y-chromosome action sport. These critics felt it cheapened everything that Infinite set out to achieve.

Then there are those - myself included - who feel that the heightened violence was a means to either A) distract from the underlying theme(s) of the game so you could be better blown away at the end, B) draw more of an importance to the ugliness of Columbia's society, or C) both.

Personally, I saw that the violence was necessary to show more importance on the ending (SPOILERS!!!), where we learned that Comstock (the antagonist) is actually Booker (the protagonist) from another universe. Booker runs around Columbia destroying everything in a horrid and violent manner. So, when Comstock makes a jab at Booker, saying, "then again, you've always had a talent for self-destruction," the player realizes it resonates throughout the entire game; Booker is essentially destroying himself, and doesn't even realize it. Thus, necessary violence; unfortunate to admit, but true.

Let's also note that Irrational Games, the minds behind all of the BioShock games, put in a little reminder of the disgusting nature of video game violence. If you pay attention to the ambient noise during fights, anytime you execute an opponent with the Skyhook, Elizabeth will give an audible reaction ("Oh God...", "Why?", "*groan*"). It's sort of Irrational Games' way of saying, "This may be a necessary thing to our story but this violence in video games is getting old, fast, and here's a little conscience to follow you around just to remind you of that."

Religion
This aspect of the game was one of the biggest conversation pieces, prior to BioShock Infinite's launch. It drew in people because we watched a "moral" land of the sky demonstrate how God hates all people of different creeds and races than those who are in the elite of Columbia. We saw how God anointed the Founding Fathers with a blessing to create a truly Utopian society and how Columbia emanates that. What we saw was a Theocracy at its finest level of manipulation.

The "Lady Comstock", martyr of Columbia.

Let's be honest, religion doesn't need to be in a video game for it to be controversial, at least not in today's society. People of different creeds and non-belief come out of the woodwork daily, spouting their opinions, respectfully or not. So, having it in this game isn't something terribly ground-breaking. However, when it's used as a means to essentially defecate on the foundation of the United States and everything for which the Founding Fathers fought, then maybe it does make things a little harder to swallow.

People got angry because it makes some people feel that creed is being persecuted. Others are saying it's a true reflection of how some in our current government are using God as a means to create morals for all people in the country, even if there are people of different creeds. And then there are those who believe that this was nothing more than a red herring, a distraction from what was really going on in Columbia.

Regardless, this was a great talking point that didn't have to do with violence and/or graphics. And I personally loved it.

Racism
Prior to launch, BioShock Infinite talked a lot about racism and religion as the two themes of the game; the things that truly drive Columbia.  Infinite boasts a grand level of racism and bigotry in Columbia as a means to create a massive superiority complex in the white, non-Irish members of its society. Interracial mingling is forbidden and "indentured servitude" is commonplace. And the Irish are seen as nothing more than factory workers sent to serve the higher folks.

This obviously sent a nice ripple through the world of gaming. "Why is there so much racism?" "Do they have no shame?" "How can they put this right in our face?"

Well, because while racism isn't as blatant in society now as it was before, it still was something very big during the turn of the 19th century. Therefore, it'd only make sense to have it be something important to a society that is hellbent on improving upon its "holier-than-thou" superiority complex; not to mention important in a game that takes place in 1912. No?

While violence, religion and racism were the main points of conversation, at first, the finale definitely made people realize there was something more important to talk about.

Time Travel
Now, this isn't the modern-day version of time travel where we'd expect to find a blue box popping up on the corner of a Columbian street. No no. This is the type of time travel where the universe is a living thing and if you tear into it, there are wounds. This is the type of time travel where choices have consequences and new paths are formed from said choices.

As stated earlier, it is revealed in the end that Booker and Comstock are one and the same, but are different versions of each other from different universes. Each are formed after one specific moment in time, where one choice creates one path and another choice creates another. The choice to be baptized and have his sins washed away was one choice Booker made, being reborn as Comstock. The other Booker chose to run from baptism, believing that his sins couldn't be so easily forgiven, let alone forgotten. After this, numerous worlds were born and millions more were born from the choices that followed in those worlds. Thus, "a million million worlds" were created just from that one moment. So, in the end, the only way to truly defeat Comstock was to remove him from existence. And to do that was to make sure only one choice was made at the point of baptism, the one where you kill yourself and never let Comstock be "born" in the baptismal river.

And that's really where all these different talking points come together, where conversation makes people question different things. "What was important to the gameplay?" "What was the point of religion and racism in Columbia?" "What truly happened in the end?" "Does the post-credits sequence mean Booker can keep his daughter and raise her without interference from Comstock?"

----------

With all the talk of gun violence in the United States and just as much talk of video games being responsible, it's good that we get more and more games coming forward and displaying the gaming community's willingness to think and be challenged intellectually. Finally, we're seeing something happening in gaming where conversation is about the story, or why something was necessary to help the story, not just about something that was there to help the entertainment value of the game, or how awesome it was blowing off a guy's head. Finally, we can say, "We understand it's violent, but in order to show how horrid a man Booker/Comstock is we need to show how he embraces this nasty side of himself."

Many people outside of gaming probably won't understand it, but this game, BioShock Infinite, is a huge step in the right direction for video games. And we need to keep talking about it. We need to keep hearing more about what someone thought of the Nolan-esque ending. We need to hear more about how religion and racism as themes were nothing more than red herrings distracting us from the truth of the matter. We need to hear more about how Elizabeth had verbal disdain for the violence we enacted upon our enemies. We need to hear more on how it was a battle between two men, that are the same man, fighting to be the right version of that man; the right version of the father for Elizabeth. We need to hear more about BioShock Infinite and games just like it.

Plain and simple, folks, we need to keep talking.

Elizabeth is one of the most realistic and engaging NPCs one could ever encounter in a video game.
Credit: gamereuphoria.com

G-Spirits: The Proper Gamer's Drink

Are you a stereotypical gamer?

Do you live at home, in your parents' basement?

Do you shy away from sunlight, healthy foods, hygiene and.... women?

Do you long for the taste of a beautiful, silicon-filled woman to be upon your tongue while you drink away your conscious thoughts of depressing loneliness?

Well, we have the drink for you!!

G-SPIRITS!! The proper drink for an improper world!

This is not an actual advertisement, but from the way the German brewer is promoting its product you'd think that this was the target audience.

"G-Spirits is promising customers that "every drop" of its line of alcoholic beverages has been poured on the naked breasts of a certified model - with her approval, of course." 

O.o
Seriously?
I mean, I'm all for a naked women being wet and there being alcohol involved, but this just goes beyond* ridiculous. It's like these guys took the greatest thing about being a stereotyped "loser" - being alone and, apparently, male - and using that as a means to draw them in. And which group still, to this day, gets the greatest classification of being a hermitted loser? The video gamer. So, hey, they've got to be the perfect target audience.

Let's see, we've got the demeaning of women down already. Why not take the next step, G-Spirits, and head to E3? That'd be the perfect place! Your target "loser" consumer-base is there and they're already demeaning women in the skanky costumes! You'll fit right in!! You can even have girls pouring booze all over themselves to show the process and no one would bat an eyelash, too.
*gasp*
That's genius!! I should be in marketing. It's that simple, right?



Hey, at least they were kind enough to make sure they got the approval from these women to do it. They were really classy about it.


Check out this blurb about it on the Miss Representation website.

*Speaking of "Beyond", please be sure to pass along your best wishes to IGN's Greg Miller who is battling cancer - Hodgkin's Lymphoma - and is going to be missing NYCC 2012 due to a port being surgically implanted into his chest. All the best to him.

IGN Made Me Think? About Addiction?

They've done it! It's finally happened! IGN has finally written an article that can't, logically, be seen as pointless drivel. It's actually more of an Op-Ed, but it's one of the better ones that I've seen on the internet, let alone on IGN.
Don't get me wrong. I enjoy IGN's content a great deal and I tend to look to them for my gaming news. It's just that their content is well... Let's think of it like Jim Gaffigan would, "It's all McDonald's. McDonald's for your soul. Momentary pleasure followed by incredible guilt, eventually leading to cancer. 'I'm lovin' it.'"

Anyway!

IGN. Yes. Article.

So, IGN posted an Op-Ed written by IGN Wireless editor Justin Davis. Who?  Yeah. I was unaware of him until now, too. Guess if you don't do the mainstream stuff or scream "BEYOND!" you're not likely to be known on the website, unless you write something with some heart. And this guy did.

Seriously. If you're a person that has come to hate life - aka the 99% - and has come to play video games as a means of stress release and relaxation, then perhaps you should be reading this little tidbit from Mr. Davis. Here is the link!

He basically talks about how video games can be a destructive means of "security" and protection from the outside world. According to Davis video games have a certain level of guaranteed accomplishment; that they give you a feeling that your hard work is paying off. I, for one, cannot see anything incorrect with this logic.

I mean, the basis of video games is to play something entertaining, whether that be manipulating RG3's rookie season in Madden NFL 13, or you're running around a dark version of ancient Greece, killing Gods in God of War. Either way, you're doing it because you want to be entertained, right?  Well, what if you're doing it because you NEED to be entertained? There's a new and troubling way to think about it.

The truth is, you want me on that TV; you NEED me on that TV.

Gaming as an addiction isn't a relatively new viewpoint, but the way that Davis words it - in an "everyday man" sort of way - is a bit more convincing than from a doctor who's never laid a finger on a controller and yet wants to put you down for your evil vice (shame). Personally, I can find a whole lot of things that relate to me recently for why I would use a digital world to escape the shitty one in which I currently reside. And frankly, I don't care.

I'm not running out and buying up every new game every week for $60 a pop. I'm not standing in line for 18 hours waiting for the latest consoles (just bought my first N64 the other day which doesn't work on this craptastic coax port on this TV but that's anotherrantforanotherdayohmyGodmakeitstop!!). I'm not ignoring work, my girlfriend or eating in favor of long term gaming sessions. Well, maybe the eating part if I'm really getting into a game and a I have to turn in a review by a specific time, but that's actually doing work. REGARDLESS. I'm not letting the controllers control me.

Either way, I'd say that if you do have a curiosity into the psyche of a gamer and you'd like to read something that isn't pointless opinion about why Black Ops II is the second coming, I'd suggest reading Davis's Op-Ed.

Examiner blurb!!

Hey, guys.
I know you're desperate to hear my opinion on something soon, but I have nothing at the moment. However, I do indeed want to point you in the direction of my Examiner page, which has been updated with a short blurb about the "Hearthfire" DLC for Skyrim. Check it out!
Here it is!!!



In other news....

Weeee! Pandas!!

You Are a Splinter Cell

Morning, all!

It's Tuesday, so that means there should probably be some posts going on in here again. Today, we're going to try something different. How about not hearing from me for a change, hmm? Okay then. Today's piece is brought to you by @xbmcxbox, or Xbox Softmod. They specialize in softmods on the Original XBOX.

***As a note, Gamer Cents blog does NOT endorse/support the modification, whether hardware or software, and sale of any gaming console - XBOX, 360, PS2, PS3, etc - as it is a breach of the terms of use to either sell these modded systems and/or use them in an online capacity.

However, Gamer Cents is a blog that covers viewpoints on different topics of gaming, modding should not be excluded from that.***

You are a Splinter Cell

The date was October 31, 2006. I remember because I still have the receipt. I had previously gone to GameStop and purchased an Xbox Action Replay Kit. At the time, it cost around forty dollars, but it was worth it for what I had in mind. I was planning to hack my very first game console.

I was fascinated by anything hacking, tweaking, modifying or reverse engineering. The first thing I ever hacked was the T-Mobile Razr, clearing space and customizing files. The discovery in hacking electronics always kept me curious. But I'm not a real hacker; the real hacker is the guy who created the Splinter Cell exploit. I just read and applied like most.

I’m thinking the hacker read the back cover of Splinter Cell and took it seriously. At the top right it states, “You are Sam Fisher. You have the right to spy, steal, destroy, and assassinate to ensure that American freedoms are protected. If captured, the U.S. government will disavow any knowledge of your existence. You are a Splinter Cell.” That was intense! 

Anyhow, I was going for the Splinter Cell Xbox softmod. This quickly struck a chord since I always like software and I was always tweaking my Windows XP every chance I got. Software is where it's at - hardware always came off as tedious to me - so it was cool that I didn’t have to unscrew the Xbox to hack it. Anyhow, I got home with the hardware requirements to softmod the Xbox and this is when I started cracking my head. The difficulty was all in the research. It had seemed as if no one person was capable of publishing a simple softmod tutorial and these days people still write in circles. The lack of simplicity in tutorials is catastrophic. One should take tips from the instructions on the back of a Pop-Tarts® box, like "Step One: remove pastry from pouch." On top of that, there's such animosity on forums; users are so quick to flame you. Just make sure to hold back to block. Eventually I softmodded the Xbox and learned how to install emulators and XBMC. The first game I played was Donkey Kong Country (SNES); I was so amped I think I did a barrel roll.  At the same time I felt like Sam Fisher; I had sneaked my way in and solved the mission. 

At the same time I felt like Sam Fisher; I had sneaked
my way in and solved the mission.

Some time afterwards, I stumbled upon an idea to simplify the softmod process for the newbs. I quickly put it up on eBay, promoting that Action Replay was not required to softmod the Xbox. It did very well and then eBay eventually suspended me. This caused me to branch out, I began a site and instead of Action Replay Kit, I named it the Xbox Softmod Kit. Eventually I would write my own tutorial that was rated "E" for everyone to comprehend. The idea was to help the new comers cut through the forums and obscure information and create a one-stop service to softmod the Xbox.

The Xbox Softmod Kit is still active today with a 3-day rental option and contact support for obscure questions. Needful to say, I created this niche and now there are a few others doing the same. A special thanks to UberDalem from GameBlips forever posting that video tutorial/review and to the one who created the exploit, you are a Splinter Cell.

Kinect: Better With Skyrim

Dilated pupils, Dovahkiin?  So, that isn't fog floating around you.

Well, tomorrow is Tuesday, the day of the week that always finds its way into the soft place in a gamer's heart, despite being in the beginning of the week.  This is all the more so with the release of the Skyrim Kinect Support!  Yes, it's finally happened where a main stream game has a massive update to allow great use of the Kinect controller-free system.  What about Mass Effect 3?  Well, that was the first to really utilize the Kinect but it was in more of a "hey that's neat" kind of way.  The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim options for Kinect seem to be far more in-depth.  At least, in my opinion.
Take a look at the Skyrim Kinect Support trailer:

That.  Looks.  So.  Damn.  Cool.
In addition, Bethesda, developer of the Elder Scroll Series has so graciously posted a list of all the Kinect supported words and phrases.  I'd suggest printing it. Hi, I'm the link!!

::prints::

Well, I don't know about you guys, but I'm pretty nuts about this.  I even traded in my PS3 version of Skyrim for the 360 version just so I could utilize my Kinect a little more (it's been collecting dust as an exercise piece...)!!  Plus, it didn't hurt my decision that the PS3 version was still insanely buggy. >_<

One last bit... along with the release of the Kinect update, Bethesda will be giving an announcement concerning the first DLC (downloadable content) for Skyrim.  Oh, my nerd-dom has gone off the radar here.  I guess there's a small part of me that is glad that my better half is gone for the week as I fulfill much delayed gaming withdrawl.  She'd probably kill me if I were to start shouting at the TV while she's trying to do.... well, anything.

Devs Are People, Too!

A recent article from Gamespot has rekindled my attention to something that has been floating out in rumor land for a few months now, Next-Gen consoles blocking used video games.  This is probably one of the more important topics for gamers to pay attention to, but is kind of flying under the radar a bit, or is at least over looked a lot more than topics like homosexuality in video games.  However, when the topic does come up a good amount of the voices are those of the consumer exclaiming the selfish evils of the developers and publishers and their money-grubbing tactics.  WAAAAAHHH!!

You know what?  I too feel a slight stinging in my heart when I think about how much money I WON'T be saving if I'm forced to buy only new, unused games at full retail price.  That would make my purchasing habits minimize as well as minimize the bookshelf of games of which I'm slowly growing proud.  I don't want to have to deal with buying a game at full price, then, after an hour of play, realize what a horrid piece of refuse I have purchased and then come to find out I cannot trade it in for anything because it was part of the "non-resellable" games for the new Next-Gens.  It would be the end of all things for anyone less sane.  And let's face it, despite my mild temperament, I border on sanity and bi-polar pretty often.  And remember that there are many, many people who are worse than me and with louder voices.

There would be no doubt that a veritable shit-storm of cries, whines, bitches and moans would emanate from the victimized masses.  Panic and chaos would reign supreme at Gamestops all over the country as calls for refunds and credits would hail from the heavens upon the unprepared black-polo-ed customer service representatives.  Stores would close.  Walmarts would take over.  Uninformed game opinions would take over the internet.  ANARCHY!!!

However.

Despite the fact that the doomsday machines are possibly in the works with the Next-Gens, I cannot help but think that blocking used games is something that makes complete and total sense, from a business perspective.  Most gamers are hobbyists and play only for an escape from a rough day... or the real world, whatever.  And those people don't pay attention to the workings behind the machine.  They don't see the cogs; developers, publishers, distributors, etc.  They only see the game and the price tag on it.  Isn't that a bit selfish?

"Waaaaaaahhhh!!"  Why should I have to buy the game new?  Why do I have to pay for a code to play the game online when I could rip off the development company and buy the game used?  I SHOULD be able to buy the game at a cheaper price and give nothing to the people that make the game.  I'm a special consumer.  Waaaaahhhhh!!!"  Oh, good grief.  Shut the hell up already!

This is seriously the thinking behind many gamers on the internet.  They see it as "unfair" or a "scam" or some damn invasion of their rights to cheaper shit.  Well, it isn't (well maybe the invasion of getting cheaper shit, but that's not immoral).  It's business and it's a way for the companies that gamers love and enjoy to stay alive.

Let's face it.  Gamers have been ripping these poor bastards off for years now, especially with how long the current gens have been running.  Gamers go into a Gamestop, GAME, EB Games, etc and buy a slew of great games, used and at a fraction of the original, new retail price every day.  This does a world of good to the retailer but does next to nothing for the people that make and/or publish the game.  Shouldn't they be the ones that gamers, the "loyal" fans of these guys, be protecting?  YES!!

It's being seen all over the place.  SONY recently announced they're cutting thousands of jobs.  Developers are closing down and/or are being bought out by other companies just to survive.  Thousands of jobs are being lost in an industry that shows such great potential for progression and innovation.  Why?  Because the consumers are not giving anything back to these people.  They're essentially STEALING the products from under the noses of the ones making them.

Now, I'm not a developer (would love to be some day *dreams*) and I really hate spending 60 bucks for a video game, but I also am intelligent enough to know that if I keep buying used games, a lot of my favorite developers, and thus my favorite series, will be shut down due to lack of profit gains. I think that takes a little bit more prevalence, at least in my mind, than saving 20 or so dollars.  Wouldn't one agree?

Personally, I'm not completely for the ban of used games in the Next-Gen systems, but I wouldn't be outraged if it happened.  I'd realize that these people, who work the hardest for us, the gamers, need to put food on their families' plates, too.  Therefore, we should be buying new games, instead of used.  And if any gamers get concerned about buying garbage games and then being stuck with them, perhaps looking into a Gamefly or Blockbuster account may end up being a good solution.  Rent a game for a few days, decide you don't like it and send it back.  The end.  Not so hard, huh?

"But it's an inconvenience to me.  I want to worry only about me."

Well, get over it, and yourself.