I was turned on to this list of things wrong with Bioshock Infinite by author N.K. Jemisin, who then stated that because of these issues and others like it, she would be unlikely to pick up the game in question. Which I feel is a damn shame, because I read through the list and found myself disagreeing with almost every point.

The list (and obviously, if you haven't played Bioshock Infinite and don't want things spoiled for you, just TURN AWAY NOW)

racial oppression is a huge part of the game, but is still considered secondary, and used mainly to further the white cis-male main character’s personality development.

It fails utterly as a social commentary because the issues of why the racial apartheid in columbia is wrong is never addressed.

It’s all basically white tears about how “fighting violence with violence is bad” coming from white people about why there shouldn’t ever be any kind of violent uprising, regardless of what kind of violence is used to actually oppress PoC in the context of the game.

Daisy Fitzroy, is a black WoC who we’re apparently supposed to think is “equally as bad” as Comstock, the leader of this racist ass society, (Regardless of the fact that white people had been stepping all over, and murdering the PoC in columbia) because she leads a violent uprising against the white bourgeoisie.

You have to watch PoC be harmed and murdered in order to demonstrate fucking game mechanics.

Later in the game, you are forced to kill literally hundreds of PoC because they belong to the Vox Popli, which is Daisy’s revolutionary army

Again it’s legit just white tears about why violence is bad, but no commentary on why them perpetuating centuries long violence against PoC was bad. It’s like “waaaaanh this is what will happen if u choose ~violence~ white genocide and oppression” and it just shows a total lack of understanding of oppressor vs. oppressed dynamics

Okay, lets address these issues one at a time. Firstly, yes, racism and bigotry are fundamental to the world of Bioshock Infinite. The game is set in 1912, in a floating city that exists as a symbol of American exceptionalism. The racial oppression that exists throughout the city is a reflection of the real-world oppression taking place in the world below. Racism is your introduction to Columbia and is ever-present throughout the journey, beginning with the public shaming and abuse of a mixed-race couple, later evoked subtly when you step into a "Irish and Coloured's Only" restroom and the black man cleaning inside begs you to leave so trouble doesn't fall on his head, referenced when the Irish workers you meet discussing their second-class treatment in the engine rooms, and again evoked in the way the industrialist Fink oppresses his workers with 'tough love', giving patronising speeches about how it's necessary for his employees to work 80 hour weeks lest they instantly fall into lives of alcoholism and violence as soon as they have any leisure time. Racism in Columbia is explored along a long scale, beginning with almost cartoonish hatred for people of colour and continuing to those who genuinely believe that their oppression is a form of kindness.

What exactly was the Great Emancipator emancipating the Negro from? From his daily bread. From the nobility of honest work. From wealthy patrons who sponsored them from cradle to grave. From clothing and shelter. And what have they done with their freedom? Why, go to Finkton, and you shall find out. No animal is born free, except the white man. And it is our burden to care for the rest of creation. - Zachary Comstock

Seeing as this oppression sparks a war that forms the centrepoint of the game up until the final two chapters, I have no idea how anyone could consider it a secondary theme. It is always as present and as important as the other primary themes: that violence forms an unbroken circle, and whether redemption is ever possible for truly evil men.

As for whether the game "fails utterly as a social commentary because the issues of why the racial apartheid in columbia is wrong is never addressed", I don't know how to answer. I didn't realise that violence against minorities and the stoning of mixed-race couples needed to be accompanied by a banner screaming RACISM IS WRONG. These events are always heinous and unforgivable in the context of the game. Unless the author was expecting a speech outlining the history of racial oppression? The actions of the players in the game, the environment and your own characters actions speak for themselves.

Daisy Fitzroy, is a black WoC who we’re apparently supposed to think is “equally as bad” as Comstock, the leader of this racist ass society, (Regardless of the fact that white people had been stepping all over, and murdering the PoC in columbia) because she leads a violent uprising against the white bourgeoisie.

That's an outright lie. The main character aids Daisy Fitzroy and fights alongside her revolution up until the point where she attempts to murder a child purely because his parents were of the white upper class. We later witness the Vox, Daisy's revolutionary army, lining up and gunning down blindfolded civilians. Again, for those that didn't hear it - your character supports and assists in social revolution and the uprooting of a white bourgeoisie. He does not support the slaughter of children.

You have to watch PoC be harmed and murdered in order to demonstrate fucking game mechanics.

You have to watch people of ALL colours be harmed and murdered in order to demonstrate game mechanics. The very first scene involving such racial oppression features a white man and black woman being lined up for stoning, side by side.

Later in the game, you are forced to kill literally hundreds of PoC because they belong to the Vox Popli, which is Daisy’s revolutionary army

Again I point out that you were working alongside the Vox Populi until the point where their leader tried to shoot a child in the head, and you kill her in order to save the aforementioned child. After that, they try to kill you, at the same time as Comstock's army of all-white Americans are trying to kill you. You're a man caught between two wars, fighting people of colour and people not of colour in roughly equal proportions. It's dishonest to suggest that this is some sort of racial imbalance. If you want to complain about white men gunning down people of colour without context or racial sensitivity, you're welcome to attack Borderlands.

Again it’s legit just white tears about why violence is bad, but no commentary on why them perpetuating centuries long violence against PoC was bad. It’s like “waaaaanh this is what will happen if u choose ~violence~ white genocide and oppression” and it just shows a total lack of understanding of oppressor vs. oppressed dynamics

To which I quote:

I told you, Comstock-- you sell 'em paradise, and the customers expect cherubs for every chore! No menials in God's kingdom! Well, I've a man in Georgia who'll lease us as many Negro convicts as you can board! Why, you can say they're simple souls, in penance for rising above their station. Whatever eases your conscience, I suppose. - Jeremiah Fink

To tax the black more than the white, is that not cruel? To forbid the mixing of the races, is that not cruel? To give the vote to the white man, and deny it to the yellow, the black, the red -- is that not cruel? Hm. But is it not cruel to banish your children from a perfect garden? Or drown your flock under an ocean of water? Cruelty can be instructive, and what is Columbia, if not the schoolhouse of the Lord? - Zachary Comstock

Yes, the ultimate message of Bioshock Infinite (putting aside the quantum entanglement plotlines) is that violence begets violence begets violence. Your character is a murderer of women and children, caught in the middle of a war between white industrialists who exploit and kill people of colour, and a young black woman who is prepared to murder children in order to achieve social revolution. There are no heroes. Every major player in this story is a terrible human being. But that doesn't make the ACRES of commentary on the oppression and violence inherent in turn-of-the-century US society any less relevant. Would the game - and the player - have benefited if the focus had turned entirely towards racial oppression? Or does it function so well precisely because it's an omnipresent theme, a constant undercurrent that never bludgeons the player with an outright RACISM IS BAD message? According to Google, the terms 'Boxer Rebellion', 'Wounded Knee' and 'Pinkerton' have all been trending lately, almost certainly as a direct result of Bioshock Infinite providing players with enough information to give context, but not so much that it becomes a chore for the player. Isn't that exactly what games should do? Incite curiosity without preaching a message?

Perhaps, on that point, Infinite's big sin is hammering home the 'violence begets violence' theme that seems to diminish Daisy's efforts to achieve social equality. If that theme had been a little more subtle, would we be having this conversation? Are these complaints really about a lack of commentary on racial inequality, or just a lack of narrative balance?

I don't really know, but I do know that it'd be a damn shame for anyone to miss out on a rich gaming experience because of preconceived notions about Infinite functioning as a racist apologist text.