World's Columbian Exposition – 1893
In 1893, Chicago hosted the World's Columbian Exposition, also known as the Chicago World's Fair. Celebrating the 400th anniversary of Columbus's discovery of the new world, the fair served as an opportunity to display American Exceptionalism. Much like the Great Exhibition that inspired Victorian England, it set novel trends in industry, fashion, and architecture, awing over 27 million visitors with attractions that ranged from the World's first Ferris Wheel to a 1,500 pound chocolate version of Venus de Milo.
The World's Columbian Exposition was also home to "the White City", a set of neoclassical buildings towering over the streets of Chicago. Built with a white stucco material, the buildings were illuminated so as to create a contrast to the city itself. According to Erik Larson, author of the book The Devil in the White City, many people were brought to tears at the sight. The White City beamed with national pride, the buildings lined with American flags, the towering Ferris wheel looming nearby. The illumination upon the city ultimately gave rise to the illusion that it was floating on the water. Sound like Columbia? Look at some images of old Chicago, and you may not be able to tell the difference (minus the sepia tone, of course).
In the BioShock Infinite universe, we learn that Columbia was launched in 1893, the same year the World's Columbian Exposition took place. In many ways exploring the city is like visiting the World's fair itself: magical vigors on display to the public; candies, popcorn, and soda-pop lining the streets, breathtaking structures dotting the sky.
However, this was not all that the Fair and Bioshock Infinite shared. The White City also stood for the concept of "the white man's burden", a concept that mandated it was the job of the white man to enlighten lesser races. Many events in the White City focused around showcasing Native or African Americans in exhibits for "educational" purposes. We can see a version of this in the game when Booker wins the lottery for what appears to be a public lynching of an interracial couple.
Although some of the game does deviate from true American history, there is significant accuracy to be found. As a women who was born and raised in United States, I was shocked to find the amount information I did not know about my own country. I was even more astonished when I realized I was learning more from a video game and the internet than I learned in the classroom. I could talk for hours about the problematic effects of British Imperialism in India, yet I cannot recall the repercussions of America's involvement in the Boxer Rebellion. Had I not taken history classes in college, I probably would not have known anything about the massacre that occurred at Wounded Knee. Though it could be argued that much of the radicalism found within game is exaggerated, it is by no means baseless. In his creation of the game, Ken Levine, history buff that he is, was not insulting America. In some respects, he is actually highlighting what many of our history books seem to miss. It exemplifies our need to analyze , criticize, and understand. What BioShock Infinite's world ultimately provides us with is a glimpse into an alternate, but somewhat accurate, American history… in both its terror and glory.
