11 Video Games That Taught You Valuable Life Lessons

Bioshock Infinite leans heavily upon themes of religious doctrine and utopian idealism warped into a restrictive sectarian and racist regime. The idealism of Columbia as a new civilisation filled with hopes and dreams and societal advancements rapidly descends into one of fear, punishment and hate; the narrative of Bioshock Infinite being symptomatic of many of the religious issues in the world today.

As a precursor, Infinite cannot serve as a suitable allegory to all religious groups. Tolerance, love, peace and communitarianism are the cornerstones of many principled men and women of faith. However, more radical sects exist who are wholly responsible for capitulating the original message, moulding and distorting these ideals in the vain of maintaining order and control, into a message of hate and intolerance. 

This, obviously, has parallels in the modern religious sphere, where fundamentalists interpret texts and principles to justify inhumane acts and cultures of tyranny and oppression. Consequently, Bioshock Infinite invites players to empathise with Columbia's cultural tensions and examine the religious propensity for good and evil.