Time Sink: Columbia Tourism And Gaming Photojournalism In 'BioShock Infinite'

I recently played through the opening 20 minutes of Irrational Games’ BioShock Infinite, but nearly 2 hours of real-world time ticked away. This protracted session wasn’t caused by protagonist Booker DeWitt dying, nor by any work distractions pulling me away from the PC. No, I simply couldn’t stop jabbing F12 and capturing an endless stream of screenshots.

After giddily sharing the first batch, Facebook friend Benjamin said something profound: “I feel like a tourist on holiday with this game — I can’t stop taking pictures.” He wasn’t alone; multiple folks on Twitter confessed to the same behavior.

The floating city of Columbia, set in a fictional period of American exceptionalism, is brimming with personality and patriotism. It’s overflowing with history waiting to be unearthed and engaging conversations to overhear. Majestic monuments cast their shadow over every citizen, and sky rails are as much a thrillride as they are a means of alternate transportation.  Yet the game doesn’t force the player to do anything but shoot their way from point A to point B.

Games typically drive us to push the narrative forward, but BioShock Infiniterevels in its meticulously crafted environment. In fact, it’s as if the developers went beyond traditional level design. One gets the distinct feeling that 1912 Columbia isn’t a work of fiction — that maybe it existed in some alternate universe; the artists and storytellers at Irrational Games simply recreated this world with pixel-perfect clarity.

My father was a professional wedding photographer, but he marketed his business as “wedding photojournalism.” This entailed acting like the proverbial fly on the wall, capturing emotions and reactions and unforgettable moments in time without forcing anyone into a specific pose or situation. The resulting photos were magical.

With BioShock Infinite, I feel like a games photojournalist. I want to remember every nook and cranny, every alleyway, shrine, mechanized beast, battle, and ice cream parlor. Moreover, I feel like I’m the first person to discover everything my eyes are drawn to. It’s a world so perfectly realized that when the “leave area” prompt appears, I’m overcome with genuine anxiety, wanting to retrace my steps and soak it all in one more time.

The best games don’t encourage you to follow an objective marker, but rather foster exploration and inspire wonderment at every turn. BioShock Infinite is that game, with layer upon layer of inspired environments brought vividly to life. It still amazes me that no corner of this game seems ignored. Hopefully the player treats BioShock Infinite with the same respect.

If you’re playing on PC, consider slowing down the pace and capturing some screenshots of your own. The screenshots above were captured with the PC version of the game running on maximum graphics settings. If you’re a Steam user, feel free to add me to your collection of friends. 

forbes.com