BioShock Infinite creator hearing criticism from opposite political sides

BioShock Infinite creator Ken Levine talks about the complexities of the politics in the game, and why he's hearing criticism from different sides of the political spectrum.

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After the first BioShock and now with BioShock Infinite, it's clear that creator Ken Levine is interested in exploring political themes. By setting itself at the turn of the century, Infinite is primed to tackle issues of race, immigration, and the idea of American exceptionalism. As the old saying goes, everyone is a critic, so Levine says the game has gotten criticism from people from all over the political spectrum.

"When I started working on this game, relatives of mine were very offended, because they thought it was an attack on the Tea Party. Specifically an attack on the Tea Party, which they were very active in," Levine told PC Gamer. "Then, when we sort of exposed the Vox Populi people, I saw a lot more left-leaning websites being like, 'This is trying to tear down the labor movement!' I remember that I saw postings, unfortunately, on a white supremacist website, Stormfront, where people literally said, 'The Jew Ken Levine is making a white-person-killing simulator.'"

Levine says that the thematic elements are difficult to talk about, because they "may not be going where you think they’re going." He compared the reaction to the first BioShock, which had those on the right and left disagreeing about his thoughts on objectivism. "I think these games are a bit of a Rorschach for people. It's usually a negative Rorshach. It pisses them off, you know? These games are, to some degree... If they're about anything they're about not buying into a single point of view. About having a lack of confidence in anything. They're not ever an attack on a single idea. It's a bit of a plague on all your houses."

He notes that whatever we see in BioShock Infinite, it has to be viewed in context through the lens of history. "Abraham Lincoln, if you read his writings now, you would ascribe him? Even though he’s the most important abolitionist of all time, and a great man, he was a man of his time," he said. "He viewed African-Americans as a lesser race. He just thought they should be free. Thomas Jefferson owned slaves. George Washington owned slaves. People were men of their times, and this is a game that's set in a time where, if you don’t have those elements in the game, it's just dishonest, you know?"

BioShock Infinite is coming March 26, after the latest (and hopefully, last) delay.

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From The Chatty
  • reply
    December 14, 2012 9:00 AM

    Steve Watts posted a new article, BioShock Infinite creator hearing criticism from opposite political sides.

    BioShock Infinite creator Ken Levine talks about the complexities of the politics in the game, and why he's hearing criticism from different sides of the political spectrum.

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      December 14, 2012 9:09 AM

      When you piss off both sides you know you're doing something right.

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      December 14, 2012 9:21 AM

      I think when you get people from both extremes angry, you might have something interesting on your hands.

      I'm a bit of a history lover so I'll be curious as to the portrayals are and what people take away from them. Two people who have different philosophies and principles can see the same thing and form two different conclusions. The key is to understanding the perspective of the other person and acknowledging that your own perception of events is never going to be completely objective.

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      December 14, 2012 9:34 AM

      I play games for fun, not to hear a political message. Contrary to the other comments, I'd say that if you're pissing off players you're doing something very wrong.

      I played a few hours of the original Bioshock, and there seemed to be some sort of political message there, but it was so poorly formed I couldn't tell exactly what it was. The fact that they were making a statement at all was enough to put me off the game and I stopped playing.

      How about we cut the crap and focus on the gameplay?

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        December 14, 2012 9:43 AM

        I think there's a difference between a political message or statement, and pissing off "political sides"

        also: too early to tell anything about anything about this game. I wish people would cool their jets. Though I guess it wouldn't be a videogame forum if people don't get hyped/anti-hyped about something.

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        December 14, 2012 9:48 AM

        Why not both? Or either extreme? Not every game needs to be frat boy wish fulfilment kill-fests.

        People make statements with books, films and music. Why not games?

        Do you like Rage Against The Machine? District 9? Etc etc.

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        December 14, 2012 9:49 AM

        Speak for yourself, there's room for both.

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        December 14, 2012 9:50 AM

        really? the story is an important aspect of the game. If you just want stripped down FPS gameplay with no depth, there are plenty of other games to play. Some "games" have as much in common with a good book as they do with quake.

        And maybe you couldnt pull out the political message from bioshock because thats not really what it was about. Maybe they were just trying to get you to think.

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          December 14, 2012 10:11 AM

          yah this is thinking man's shooter, not dumb shooter.

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        December 14, 2012 10:02 AM

        [deleted]

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        December 14, 2012 10:20 AM

        post+username?

        There's absolutely no reason that games cannot or should not attempt to express ideas and themes, either as part of a narrative or through the actual gameplay itself.

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        December 14, 2012 10:21 AM

        lol what the fuck

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          December 14, 2012 10:33 AM

          pretty much. probably plays call of duty for the lack of politics

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        December 14, 2012 10:26 AM

        If you'd kept playing to the end you'd be a better position to say whether the politics added to or subtracted from the experience. One of the best parts of the game (in many people's eyes, not just my own) would have been impossible to achieve without the political back story.

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        December 14, 2012 10:26 AM

        [deleted]

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          December 14, 2012 11:04 AM

          yeah i can't fathom someone being confused by bioshock, they made it ridiculously accessible

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        December 14, 2012 10:29 AM

        All games have a political message when you break them down.

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          December 16, 2012 9:24 AM

          Yeah. PAC-MAN is full of political messages. It is crazy. Make you really think about what is going on in the World today.

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        December 14, 2012 10:40 AM

        I think you did the right thing. If you don't want it then don't play it but don't insist that all games should be what you want them to be.

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        December 14, 2012 11:00 AM

        Yeah fuck that content bullshit. Just let shoot some Nazis amirite boyz

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        December 14, 2012 11:03 AM

        I agree.

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          December 14, 2012 11:14 AM

          DOTA has a pretty strong political message, my friend.

          Men who wear red masks and scream about blood are sub-human trash that need to be exterminated from the Earth.

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            December 14, 2012 11:16 AM

            It's so obvious Bloodseeker is an Al Qaeda sleeper agent.

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              December 14, 2012 11:18 AM

              brb gonna learn gyrocopter so I can drone strike his ass

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        December 14, 2012 11:03 AM

        may all games be pong! i'd say pac-man or spacewar but those have overt stories and messages.

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          December 14, 2012 11:43 AM

          IN A WORLD, where only 2 men have paddles, the BALL decides the FATE OF THE WORLD.

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            December 14, 2012 11:43 AM

            I shouldn't have used 'world' twice...sorry.

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            December 14, 2012 1:03 PM

            The ball represents the world and the paddles represent the left and right of the political spectrum.

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          December 15, 2012 11:36 PM

          Didn't Giantbomb already demonstrate that PacMan (or Ms. Pac Man) was actually about Communism?

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        December 14, 2012 11:11 AM

        [deleted]

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        December 14, 2012 11:31 AM

        Are you serious? You are practically beaten over the head with the political messages in Bioshock, and I don't think that's a bad thing. In fact, it was pretty integral to the overall game experience.

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        December 14, 2012 11:38 AM

        [deleted]

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        December 14, 2012 12:19 PM

        Hahaha, you've got to be kidding.

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        December 14, 2012 12:31 PM

        yesss i needed some front pager action today

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        December 14, 2012 12:35 PM

        Doom had many political messages as well and John Romero had a secret subliminal message in there

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          December 14, 2012 1:39 PM

          Doom: Unregulated private space exploration and exploitation literally brought about Hell on Earth.

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        December 14, 2012 12:37 PM

        this was one of the arguments I heard as to why games are not art: no social relevance

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        December 14, 2012 1:18 PM

        I play games TO hear a political message. Hah! My opinion cancels out yours. Now what?

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        December 14, 2012 1:21 PM

        I'm really sick of hearing "fun" as a counter argument to any kind of depth. It's usually used in the "realism vs fun" arguments, but it's just as absurd here. They aren't mutuality exclusives and it's obnoxious and presumptuous to act like your simple tastes are the only thing that constitute "fun".

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          December 15, 2012 9:43 PM

          Stupid people will be stupid, no way around it.

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        December 14, 2012 1:22 PM

        Thinking is hard

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        December 14, 2012 3:13 PM

        Speak for yourself, I prefer my stories with a grain of edge to them thank you very much

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        December 14, 2012 4:41 PM

        To each his own. I don't agree with you, but then I've met people who think everything is worthless unless it beats you over the head with some sort of activism, and I certainly don't agree with that take either.

        If you really can't stand any sort of message in your games I suggest you simply avoid those games, instead of saying they shouldn't exist.

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        December 14, 2012 5:07 PM

        That was pretty much the entire story of Bioshock. And part of the reason it was such an excellent game.

        You know, you don't have to agree with the story to enjoy it, right? The game is not real.

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        December 14, 2012 5:44 PM

        This is an incredible shackpile

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          December 14, 2012 7:59 PM

          Reserved for especially bad posts.

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        December 16, 2012 4:13 AM

        Ok, go back to BLOPS2.

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      December 14, 2012 11:01 AM

      It's a great thing that Levine and Co. are willing and able to tackle substantive themes. I am so excited for this game, just to see how these ideas play out.

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      December 14, 2012 7:14 PM

      This actually makes me kind of interested in the game.

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      December 15, 2012 7:43 AM

      Why do people have to be so god damn stupid. *facepalm*

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      December 16, 2012 2:34 AM

      The retard right is archaic and just not suited for the modern age. The loony left is the new right, now we need a new left.

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        December 17, 2012 2:20 AM

        ...Libertarians?

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        December 18, 2012 4:33 PM

        That makes no sense. I bet you don't follow politics at all.

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      December 18, 2012 4:31 PM

      Yeah, I get what he's saying. I like it. Not sure about his Abe Lincoln comment though - did he really think blacks were sub-human? I doubt it. Compassion for slaves was not unheard of - as long as there has been slavery (and beyond, of course) there have been those that disagree with it.

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