I debated with myself if this should go into the gaming or R&P section, but decided on this one since this about how Bioshock Infinite may make a few enemies for it's political view, not the politics themselves.
Video game controversy has always come from one of only a handful of things. The game has either been to violent (GTA), to sexual (Mass Effect), the game is racist (RE5) there is one minor detail in the text that is all but meaningless (Medal of Honor), something specific about the game code that puts a specific party in a frizzy (DRM/Pre-order bonuses that give actual bonuses), or rarely somebody involved in development (Shadow Complex). What a game hasn't been controversial over is the games internal politics.
Up to this point, video games haven't dealt in political matters in a way that has rubbed anybody the wrong way, even the ones that appear to be about nothing but complex politics. Metal Gear manages to please both conservatives and liberals by having an old military hard-case star in an anti-war game. Army of Two, a game about two private military contracts avoids the issues by taking nothing about it self remotely seriously. 4X (Civilization and the like) when the introduce possible political forms into your nation they are equal and only show the more practical effects on your empire.
The only games that have made a big political statement has been Bioshock 1 and 2. However, Bioshock 1 was a counter-argument against Objectivism, the political theory that is libertarism taken to it's largest extreme, has very few practitioners now-a-day's. Bioshock 2's sparse and confusing story made it unclear to most people it was a counter-argument against Communism, not helped that Bioshock 2's communistic cult would make Marx eat his own beard at the idea.
Every single criticism aimed at the Tea Party, true or not, is demostrated in that image. It also is taking a stab at radical liberal thought as well, if the newest bit of Bioshock Infinite's gameplay is to be believed. http://www.escapistmagazine.com/videos/view/trailers/3558-Bioshock-Infinite-Factions-at-War
I think this may be a big step for gaming as an accepted medium. Every other medium has dealt with political issues and has never been angry when they made some political enemies. If a game is hated for the point of the game's story and writing, that is the ultimate indecator that we have been taken seriously.
Do you guys agree or am I out of my mind.
Video game controversy has always come from one of only a handful of things. The game has either been to violent (GTA), to sexual (Mass Effect), the game is racist (RE5) there is one minor detail in the text that is all but meaningless (Medal of Honor), something specific about the game code that puts a specific party in a frizzy (DRM/Pre-order bonuses that give actual bonuses), or rarely somebody involved in development (Shadow Complex). What a game hasn't been controversial over is the games internal politics.
Up to this point, video games haven't dealt in political matters in a way that has rubbed anybody the wrong way, even the ones that appear to be about nothing but complex politics. Metal Gear manages to please both conservatives and liberals by having an old military hard-case star in an anti-war game. Army of Two, a game about two private military contracts avoids the issues by taking nothing about it self remotely seriously. 4X (Civilization and the like) when the introduce possible political forms into your nation they are equal and only show the more practical effects on your empire.
The only games that have made a big political statement has been Bioshock 1 and 2. However, Bioshock 1 was a counter-argument against Objectivism, the political theory that is libertarism taken to it's largest extreme, has very few practitioners now-a-day's. Bioshock 2's sparse and confusing story made it unclear to most people it was a counter-argument against Communism, not helped that Bioshock 2's communistic cult would make Marx eat his own beard at the idea.
Every single criticism aimed at the Tea Party, true or not, is demostrated in that image. It also is taking a stab at radical liberal thought as well, if the newest bit of Bioshock Infinite's gameplay is to be believed. http://www.escapistmagazine.com/videos/view/trailers/3558-Bioshock-Infinite-Factions-at-War
I think this may be a big step for gaming as an accepted medium. Every other medium has dealt with political issues and has never been angry when they made some political enemies. If a game is hated for the point of the game's story and writing, that is the ultimate indecator that we have been taken seriously.
Do you guys agree or am I out of my mind.
