Abstract
This chapter discusses the role of the Unreal game engine in transforming the narrative structure, and therefore the political implications, of the Elizabeth character in BioShock Infinite. While Elizabeth can be described as a magical feminist character in the base version of the game—using onto-historical shaping powers to undermine a misogynist and xenophobic empire—her character is fundamentally altered to mimic a more common first-person shooter play archetype. This chapter argues that the design logics of Unreal, which encourage a rationalist ontology of hierarchical relationships, also exert political force that discourages designers from embodying postcolonial and queer ontologies in play design.
If we were to just put Booker in a dress, then that would be the most awful betrayal of what we’re doing for Liz.
Amanda Jeffrey, level designer for BioShock Infinite, Burial at Sea: Episode 2 (Goldfarb 2013)
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Malazita, J. (2018). The Material Undermining of Magical Feminism in BioShock Infinite: Burial at Sea. In: Gray, K., Voorhees, G., Vossen, E. (eds) Feminism in Play. Palgrave Games in Context. Palgrave Macmillan, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-90539-6_3
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