As I continue to play through Bioshock Infinite, I’ve noticed the somewhat large role that women play in the story. Although the character you play as, Booker Dewitt, is a man, several important supporting characters are women, such as Elizabeth and Daisy. Booker’s missions are centered around Elizabeth, such as saving her and bringing her to different locations. After Dewitt rescues Elizabeth, she becomes somewhat of a sidekick to the protagonist, providing helpful supplies in battles and leading Dewitt in the right direction in his missions. On a number of occasions, Elizabeth saved Dewitt in battle (at least while I was playing), by providing health, ammunition, and salts when he was running low, which allowed him to complete several missions he may not have been able to complete otherwise. Clearly, Elizabeth is an essential character to both the plot and the game play of Bioshock Infinite.

Other important female characters in the game are Daisy and Mrs. Comstock. Players learn that Daisy is the supposed killer of Mrs. Comstock, Father Comstock’s wife. These female characters add depth to the game’s plot. In addition to these characters, there are a number of women seen around Columbia, providing a fair representation of both women and men.

I think that Bioshock Infinite fairly incorporates women into the game through its prominent and supporting female characters. A few weeks ago, we read a number of articles about the representation of women in video games. These articles mostly argued that women in video games are under-represented, over-sexualized, and that there are not enough female protagonists in video games. However, Bioshock Infinite does a great job of showing female characters in important roles in the story, namely Elizabeth and Daisy. None of these women are over-sexualized or in the game simply to appeal to male players. Rather, they play an essential role to the gameplay and plot of the game. For example, Elizabeth helps Dewitt move through the game and also has special powers and a special identity. She is pretty, but wears appropriate clothing and has proportional body parts. Overall, I think Bioshock Infinite has a really fair representation of women throughout the game.