It’s been an interesting thing growing up with video games. The artform has moved in such a way, that both the content and themes now represent the appropriate age group of Gamers. Where once games were designed only for young people, the last 10 years especially has proven to showcase real content by and for adults.

One such game that played a big role in this (and has had a tremendous impact on me) is Bioshock (2007). This First Person Shooter based in an Ayd Rand inspired science fiction dystopia, produces a wonderful and rich look at people and their relationships with culture, politics and products. It was also responsible for introducing me to a lot of Classic Jazz Artists (something which I will write about in the future).

Most interestingly, as BioShock is set in a time locked 40s/50s aesthetic, smoking is still a very much relevant cultural pastime. In fact, smoking is quite prevalent in games sets in these time periods (both the Fallout and latest X-Com game come to mind). As the underwater city of Rapture is shut away from the rest of the world (based on the objectivist views of the visionary Andrew Ryan), the citizens of Rapture produce their cigarettes using things like sea shells and fish eggs. Luckily it’s thought that cigars are smuggled in. Frankly, aren’t all the best cigars?

There’s even a range of different Tobacconists across the city, all with varying brands and products. As the city has fallen into ruin due to civil war, none of these establishments are open. Our top image shows an open store from the following sequel to Bioshock, Bioshock Infinite: Burial at Sea Part 2. The designers put a great sense of reality into the packages of the cigars in the game. There’s even an abundance of advertising for cigars throughout Rapture.

It’s things like this that create an immediate connection to games like this for me. BioShock explores the relationships between people and advertising a lot, so it’s understandable they’d include tobacco products. There’s also a section where the player can fight his way through a tobacconist, even finding one of the insane Splicers trying to break into the locked humidore.

BioShock remains one of my favourite games for a myriad of reasons, but it’s attention to detail and depiction of a time gone by are what stands out for me. It’s tinged with a beautiful melancholy that I really enjoy, and I have to say – there’s apart of me that would of love to smoke a cuban, watching the city lights shimmer through the ocean gloom.

Video by borissaurus

Images from the BioShock Wikia