I found Bioshock Infinite's Ayn Rand

[CupboardNinja]

I think I just found the author who most greatly influenced Bioshock Infinite: L. Frank Baum, the author of the The Wizard of Oz.
In 1912, the same year Infinite takes place, he published a book called "Sky Island". In this story, a boy and a girl travel to a floating island in the sky, one that is in the middle of a civil war, just like Columbia. In the game, the two opposing forces are the nationalists and Vox Populi. In the book, they're called the Blues and the Pinks.
http://oz.wikia.com/wiki/Sky_Island_(novel)
Like Elizabeth in Infinite, the little girl(Trot) is captured there because the people think she's special and will help them in some way.
The book also comments on things like "xenophobia, isolationism, race and color prejudice, and personal vanity" all of which are big themes in Columbia as shown by this mural.

The game seems to also be influenced by Baum's other books.
The "Handyman" looks like a combination of the Tin Man from Wizard of Oz and the Tik-Tok from Tik-Tok of Oz. Notice the bow tie and heart from the Tin Man and the bowler hat and handlebar mustache from Tik-Tok.

Charles from the demo also highly resembles the Scarecrow from The Scarecrow of Oz, both of them covered in crows.

What'd you guys think?

 

[BlumiereBleck]

I really REALLY like the first image...

 

[Moonlight Butterfly]

I think Bioshock makes great use of those 'uncomfortable truths' about the history of western society. My grandma was born in 1921 and is still alive now and she says morals and ideas of the world are alot different now, just 90 years later. It makes you feel even more disconcerted and uncomfortable in a game where everything is already pretty traumatising and horrific. Infinite is definately Steampunk and <3 it for that. I'd say the Bioshock team definatley have a psychologist working for them somewhere. I think your comparision with Sky Island sounds likely.

 

[Mesca]

I really like the skyhook picture. The art museum here is running a circus poster exhibit, and the skyhook thing really reminds me of that. To the best of my knowledge- sky hooks are a Roald Dahl reference.

The way Bioshock reflects its times is something that really made it appeal to me. Infinite is the birth of industry, that Henry Ford kind of fantastic thing. I skipped 2, but this one seems much more interesting.

 

[voetballeeuw]

Great find. When's this game out again? Next year?

 

[Alex Berry]

I really like the skyhook picture. The art museum here is running a circus poster exhibit, and the skyhook thing really reminds me of that. To the best of my knowledge- sky hooks are a Roald Dahl reference.

The way Bioshock reflects its times is something that really made it appeal to me. Infinite is the birth of industry, that Henry Ford kind of fantastic thing. I skipped 2, but this one seems much more interesting.

And thank god you did. 2 was an embarassment, but the Infinite trailer fills me with such schoolboy wonder.

Definitely going to pick up 'Sky Island'.

To whoever it was that said Bioshock drudges up those 'uncomfortable truths in western society', I believe you hit the nail on the head quite nicely.

 

[Nooners]

Congratulations on the find. Seriously, you did a good job there. Be interesting to see what the developers say after BI is further along, even if I'm not that interested in it.