Art without style is like a pasty without pastry.

Today, I shall look at Art Deco and it’s influences on Bioshock.

Art Deco became popular in the 1920s, predominantly in large American cities. The style lead to very symmetrical designs of squares and rectangles, all in dry, low colours. Steel was a hot commodity back in those days, which is why the Art Deco movement heavily features steel sculptures. This style was supposed to replicate the shape and colours of a large, bustling metropolis.

Similar ideas can also be seen in the setting of Bioshock.

You can see the muted colour palette of squares and rectangles, all enwrapped in uncoloured steel.

The creators of Bioshock clearly looked to the Art Deco movement for stylisation. How else are you going to make a giant underwater city appear like a giant city? Well, make it look like every large city back in the…