![]() So is using symbolism or allegory as a storytelling device ineffective? In the general sense, no. What's the difference between this scene as is, and this scene if the people on stage were elves and orcs? As is, this scene could actually happen… However, the direct method with which Infinite displayed the racism in the game feels more effective to me than showing me a make-believe alien bug race hoping that my mind associates them with South African apartheid. This article isn't strictly about Bioshock Infinite's writing, as I'm sure there are plenty of people dissecting that game already. I'm not saying those other games were badly written (because for the most part they weren't), nor am I here to say Bioshock Infinite's narrative on the subject is ground-breaking (because it isn't). Seeing this disturbing yet almost refreshingly direct portrayal of racism as it relates to American culture, and the responses from people playing the game, says a lot about the simple act of being straight with your message. The host of the lapidation even asks you if you "take your coffee black these days" when your character hesitates to take a swing at the interracial couple. We rarely see something so blatant as a town raffle used as an excuse to publicly martyr a white man and black woman for being romantically involved with each other. Most of the time however, they end up doing both. A more common approach is turning to the wonderful world of allegory and symbolism to show real-life acts of racism against fictional people who aren't actually being discriminated against in reality, like elves or mutants or people with dark hair. Sometimes they just go in soft, never daring to really tackle the subject so much as gently nudge it for fear of offending people. For the most part, on the rare occasion that a video game tries to tackle the subject of racism and bigotry, they do one of three things. It's not just because it shows the city of Columbia as a giant flying city full of racists, it's due to the fact that the game shows that racism in a form we all immediately recognize. There's a reason the opening hours of Bioshock Infinite illicits the reactions it does. WARNING: SLIGHT BIOSHOCK INFINITE SPOILERS. ![]() (This post was selected from our Community Blogs to appear on the front page.
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |