Post by Lawnmower Joe on Jun 1, 2013 8:15:44 GMT -5
Let's face it, people. We all love video games. But video games aren't all about shooting pixellised bad guys in the face, are they?
When I picked up Bioshock Infinite, I immediately expected to see a lot of steampunk aesthetics and "themes". The trailers had already made it abundantly clear that the game was set in the era steampunk focuses on and had a shitload of retro-futuristic technology floating around.
First off, let's see what the main themes of steampunk are:
-Technological optimism and romanticism. The 19th century and early 20th century were periods marked by a strong belief in technology and scientific progress. Science-fiction at that time delighted in predicting the disappearance of illness, poverty and other ills through the application of science and reason. Nothing seemed impossible.
-Adventure and exploration. The 19th century saw the scramble for Africa and the development of new propulsion technology. Africa, which had been an almost unexplored continent before, became the centre of an imperialist race of conquest and exploration. Steam power made travel faster and reduced distances between countries. Therefore, steampunk often features exploration with some kind of fantastic means of transport (airship etc).
-"Great men". Steampunk focuses a lot on the upper classes, and with good reason: the 19th century was a time of glorification for those who served their country or science. Conan Doyle's and Verne's novels are filled to the brim with dashing, adventurous heroes from the upper classes.
As I played through Bioshock Infinite, however, I began to see a lot of aspects that the steampunk movement glosses over or ignores in its quest for nostalgic retro-perfection. Racism and eugenics are rampant in the flying city of Columbia and there are massive class divisions. These two aspects were VERY present in the 19th and early 20th. Eugenics were seen as a way to a healthier society by weeding out the ill and the weak and was often tied up with racist ideas. The industrial revolution created a monstrous rich-poor division with millions of workers living in slums while the wealthy pranced around luxurious homes.
Themes of nationalism and colonialism are also explored in Infinite, further deconstructing the glittering aesthetic that steampunk has built for itself. Nationalism was indeed a strong ideological force in the 19th century, and it is this strong nationalistic fervour that was partly responsible for World War 1. The whole exploration and adventure aspect of steampunk is also subverted in Infinite, with the inclusion of a racist man-hunting big game hunter, the Boxer Rebellion and the Wounded Knee massacre.
All in all, Bioshock Infinite seems to be a deconstruction of steampunk, or at least an attempt to put the "punk" aspect back where it belongs. Gone is the awesome, glittering world where the 19th century never died in the muddy trenches of Europe, gone is the shallow "gears everywhere" aesthetic.
This is just my opinion, though.
When I picked up Bioshock Infinite, I immediately expected to see a lot of steampunk aesthetics and "themes". The trailers had already made it abundantly clear that the game was set in the era steampunk focuses on and had a shitload of retro-futuristic technology floating around.
First off, let's see what the main themes of steampunk are:
-Technological optimism and romanticism. The 19th century and early 20th century were periods marked by a strong belief in technology and scientific progress. Science-fiction at that time delighted in predicting the disappearance of illness, poverty and other ills through the application of science and reason. Nothing seemed impossible.
-Adventure and exploration. The 19th century saw the scramble for Africa and the development of new propulsion technology. Africa, which had been an almost unexplored continent before, became the centre of an imperialist race of conquest and exploration. Steam power made travel faster and reduced distances between countries. Therefore, steampunk often features exploration with some kind of fantastic means of transport (airship etc).
-"Great men". Steampunk focuses a lot on the upper classes, and with good reason: the 19th century was a time of glorification for those who served their country or science. Conan Doyle's and Verne's novels are filled to the brim with dashing, adventurous heroes from the upper classes.
As I played through Bioshock Infinite, however, I began to see a lot of aspects that the steampunk movement glosses over or ignores in its quest for nostalgic retro-perfection. Racism and eugenics are rampant in the flying city of Columbia and there are massive class divisions. These two aspects were VERY present in the 19th and early 20th. Eugenics were seen as a way to a healthier society by weeding out the ill and the weak and was often tied up with racist ideas. The industrial revolution created a monstrous rich-poor division with millions of workers living in slums while the wealthy pranced around luxurious homes.
Themes of nationalism and colonialism are also explored in Infinite, further deconstructing the glittering aesthetic that steampunk has built for itself. Nationalism was indeed a strong ideological force in the 19th century, and it is this strong nationalistic fervour that was partly responsible for World War 1. The whole exploration and adventure aspect of steampunk is also subverted in Infinite, with the inclusion of a racist man-hunting big game hunter, the Boxer Rebellion and the Wounded Knee massacre.
All in all, Bioshock Infinite seems to be a deconstruction of steampunk, or at least an attempt to put the "punk" aspect back where it belongs. Gone is the awesome, glittering world where the 19th century never died in the muddy trenches of Europe, gone is the shallow "gears everywhere" aesthetic.
This is just my opinion, though.