BioShock Interview

Shacknews has conducted an interview with Irrational Games’ Ken Levine, firing off a large batch of questions to the lead designer about the team’s ambitious FPS/RPG hybrid, BioShock.

Q: BioShock seems to thrive on emotion. When I watched the presentation at E3, I felt a sense of despair as I watched the demo guy walk around some of Rapture’s environments; it was once so beautiful, but now is in a crumbling state of disrepair.

What are some of the emotions the team has set out to spark in the player, and what has been done to ensure that they are accurately and convincingly portrayed onto the player?

A: Rapture is a failed dream. Before it fell apart, it was beautiful. That’s the difference between drama and tragedy: tragedy demands that things MIGHT have worked out, MIGHT have been great if only things had gone differently.

BioShock is a tragedy.