"We Can Kill The Industry With Cynicism" - Ken Levine - Bioshock
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- čas přidán 10. 07. 2024
- Ken Levine talks with Kevin VanOrd in the Break Room about Bioshock Infinite, Religion, and much, much more.
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Thank you Ken Levine for making one of the greatest games ever made.
I upvoted but I'd go as far as to say he made (or was involved in making) *three* of the greatest games ever.
THE greatest.
D. L. He wasn’t involved in Bioshock 2
Solid Snake True, I guess I just interpreted it as Bioshock related exclusively
@@stanfordfeynman2796 He may have meant System Shock 2. And yes, 3 years later!
4:00 that guy predicted future.
It's funny how Ken Levine gets asked if he would prefer to have a smaller group to go "indie" since that's exactly what he did, and I totally support him for that. Can't wait to see what other rabbit he gets out of the hat.
No more Bioshock.... My life, it crumbles.
ZeGermanDoctor There will be more Bioshock, don't worry, another company's taking over the series.
***** Well for one thing the fact that Halo 4 was trash is your opinion. Also just because that was the case with Halo 4 doesn't mean it'll be the case with every game. But chances are, even if the game is good, everyone's gonna hate on it simply because it's by a different game company.
***** The development for the series is being taken over by 2K Marin, who developed Bioshock 2
***** Well 2K Marin should hopefully learn from their mistakes from the last game and fix them in this new game.
ken levine,you sir are the god of videogame makers
You know, if they made a feature length film consisting of the various interviews by everyone who made BioShock Infinite participated in I would be ecstatic. The mindsets of the people who worked on this game are amazing!
Long live Ken Levine
we need someone like him to make video games industry becomes alive again
A deeply religious friend of mine bought the game, after playing it he gave it away to me.
*his thoughts* this game insults my beliefs
*my thoughts* WOOHOO! Free game!
Poor dude. I'm deeply Christian and this game is brilliant.
The ironic thing is the game isn't criticizing religion. Its criticizing theocracy, racism nationalism, and despotism.
Buoshock has always clean games of people creating utopias but are flaws by its people and its leaders being broken people breaking their own system. The message is thay a well run system cannot be created by a single man it has to be a system built by comitte. For example Raptute was the closest thing to a utopia but Andrew Ryan failed address the issues in his city and the people struggling looked for leaders such as Fontaine and Sofia Lamb and relinquish control to the people like he envisioned instead out of fear he developed into a Despot
The game isnt saying its capitalism or objectivisms fault its a critique of depositsm which all society's can lead to. Which is basically what happens in collecrivist countries as well.
Bioshock infinite isn't critiquing religion its criticizing the people like Comstock who would build it as a system for their own personal gain.
@Greenkid for me the first Bioshock is all about how Utopia wouldn't exist in real world. individualism won't be compatible in an existing Utopia due to a different mindsets, ideas, and goals.
i just finished it. 2020
Still stands up. Made me feel things i dident even know i had inn me.
Much love too you
Amazing interview. I have so much respect for Ken, he seems so genuine and humble. I am pre-ordering Bioshock Infinite not only because I am a huge Bioshock fan, but I love supporting people like this.
This man is a masterpiece factory.
Ken is a brilliant mind. He is inspirational, his point of view is very interesting and he is modest. Even today, Bioshock 1 looks beautiful on PS3, their work is not just games. Their games could be books, and they would be best sellers.
..I can barely handle all this emotion coming from the bloke that is interviewing...
ahahahah
23:19 gamestop couldnt u be so nice and show the box for a second like he wished?
I think at this point it's a counting contest: see who counts to 3 first. Volvo or Irrational Games. Bioshock Infinite 2 Coming Soon (only if Levine accepts his hidden deal). This is Dr. Nguyen signing off
KEN IS SUCH A RESPECTABLE GUY. GAH.
holly shit Kevin Levine is actually awesome person who has a smart head on his sholders who loves game ingeneral and has being forced to shut down his company because people would rather play cod or bff sign Bio shock you will be sadly missed:( but I am glad to have experience them:)
That's not why he shut down his company. And actually, he didn't shut down his company at all. He has stated many times that he laid a lot of guys off so he could focus on small, narrative-driven games with a high replay value. You can't do that with a large team because you lose that intimacy in your team.
YoiaPlays - In the Irrational podcasts that he did, he stated that there were days where he didn't want to get out of bed, and you'd have to be very stressed out to get to that stage. On top of that it took him around 7 months to come up for the ending for Infinite, and I can't even imagine the pain that he went through waking up every single day trying to figure out constantly what kind of ending he wanted for the game.
So I think Infinite burned him out, and I would honestly rather see Irrational close / size down than see a poor impact on his mental health.
Dalek22comments link me the video please
Aziz Mesned
- It's been many months since I've listened to the podcasts, they used to be on their Soundcloud but now they're no longer there for whatever reason. Again, I'm not sure exactly which episode he said it, but they're on the Irrational behaviour episodes, *NOT the interviews.* irrationalgames.com/tag/irrational-podcasts/page/3/
Dalek22comments okay thanks man
The length is perfect and this interview was very entertaining yet informative. Awesome vid.
53:02 "WAKING UP IN THE MORNING AT 6 AND GOING"
..an HOUR long interview: this is awesome ! more of these please
His genius comes from his objectiveness on alot of important topics. I love this guy!
I love this interview. Great interview and great environment.
I love this man will always a place in my heart for making my favorite game of all time nothing will and has topped it for me the stories are so good
As a Christian, I very much respect Ken as a writer. I may disagree with certain views, but I think he is really sharp, and a great writer. Just as well, he doesn't bow to what people want, he does what he thinks is best, and as an English Major/ Aspiring writer, I really respect that.
I still think Andrew Ryan was right :P
But I like having my views challenged. People who only want to hear confirmation and freak out, even feel offended if someone says "I think you are wrong."... Well I guess their world must be very fragile.
Same, I agree mostly with Andrew Ryan's politics, aside from his ardent Atheism. Forced altruism in a society is bad, and is only effective when people want to help each other of their own free will. As a Christian, that is where I stand. It is my personal responsibility, and only mine, to help others.
DRFUZY1 dumbass religious buffoon
I don't know how guys like this get an interviewing job in gaming. I would be thrilled to sit down and chat with Ken Levine about this game and I haven't even played the first Bioshock all the way through. Infinite was great and there was so much love put into it. Kudos to their whole team, and to Take2 for not butting their heads into the creative process.
Good interview, Ken Levine is already a living legend who brought us amazing games and still is experimenting in what games could be and deliver to the player. Go Ken lets see more of the amazing stuff hopefully coming to the next gen platforms ;)
Bioshock infinite was an awesome game. 10/10. Story was amazing! Truly one of the best games I have ever played (and I've played a lot!)
I found the game's religious element fascinating, though I'd have done it differently as a devout Catholic myself. I can totally see where Levine's coming from though. Growing up with the Old Testament and trying to come to terms with a God whose justice demands destroying a whole city (Sodom) and the whole planet (Noah). Not to mention the inability of man to be redeemed, which also makes sense if you don't believe Christ rose from the dead. This is not a game about Christianity. It's about a cult that seems modeled on Mormonism. I hope Ken Levine keeps on telling stories, really curious what he'll come up with next.
The cult of the Prophet could be referring to not just Mormonism, but any religion where the personality of the leader or leaders are emphasized more than the teachings they espouse. This could include your definition of Christianity, post death of Jesus of Nazareth. That we are even asking these questions about a video game shows how deep Bioshock Infinite really is.
Apparently some people had problems with the baptism scenes present in the game, it's good to see actual devotees who aren't excessively strict regarding their beliefs.
I don't think comstock was a blow to any specific religion, but more of an extreme demonstration to make you think. Comstock and his followers seem more like a reference to cult's, and how some hide from the world, and don't want anything to do with anyone other than their fellow members, instead of a reference to any religious leader/group in particular.
RepCom1140 I actually thought about the mormonism of the game
the gaming industry needs more people like ken levine, this guy is legendary.
ken levine and hideo kojima have helped make people see video games as art.
Great interview. Wish there were more like this.
I love this video. This guy is a genius, hes extremely deep, and everything he does and says has substance. I'm really glad this video is so long! Its so interesting to hear the way he thinks.
43:35 Omg, when he said Far Cry 3 as the first game that came to mind, he just became my biggest hero in the industry :p Bioshock dude loves Far Cry 3 gameplay. I also love how he doesn't name the SKyrim gameplay, which I hate, but he does name the Skyrim landscapes and vistas, which I do love. This guy thinks so much like I do :o I like him! I like myself!
I like you
I like you!
+Thomas Huayra I like you more!! Dammit
Bruh. Skyrim man, Skyrim.
This is so well shot
Thinking about what he said about the box art. I actually really liked it, mostly because you rarely get to see what Booker looks like. So actually being able to see him really clearly was kind of nice. I can see Elizabeth whenever I like and I love her, but putting her on the back was kind of cool too. It's the two sides to the game. There's nothing else really to it.
Yeah, Levine just said "because Marketing." And that's an absolutely valid reason. Put versions of the box in front of groups of people, and see which version grabs the highest adoption rate. Done.
39:10 Yeah... it's called Bioshock 2 lol
It's not ken's ...
Ultimately a great interview, but you can tell that the interviewer is absolutely into the notion of 4th wave feminist gripes on gaming. In the end, I have to give him props. He asked, and listened.
Yaa you can tell Kevin Van Ord was disappointed in his answer about the cover.
However Ken Levine did give a pretty long BS answer tbh lol
Anyone else grow to love Ken Levine over the length of this interview? I was never too interested, past the fact that he's written a brilliant and wonderfully cast game. However, seeing him put all his thoughts and ideas out there has shed some light on the man behind Bioshock. It's almost relieving to see the fact that he loves what he's doing , and knows why he and his team are doing it. Bioshock is in good hands.
Funny that he mentions Oldboy at the end of the interview considering the twist at the end of that movie and the end of Bioshock Infinite.
I've looked at Comstock as a man who didn't understand the faith he claimed to have. He seems to think that his works (baptism) was going to save him and redeem him. He doesn't really believe he is redeemed, so he goes overboard with his works to an extreme, trying to make up for his past.
I would have loved to see an ending where Booker understands it is his faith in Christ alone that he is forgiven, and he repents...and the baptism is only a public expression of his faith. And then he could have reconciled with his family. Anna has a mother somewhere. Booker could have lived a nice normal family life.
I’m a believer too. I think the genius of the game is that it doesn’t negate the possibility of a “born again” thing happening. That’s essentially what happens.
The game doesn’t negate the possibility of salvation I guess is what I’m saying
I love interviews with eloquent, intelligent guests having to shout over a clusterfuck of background noise..
Time to make a GIF of Ken Levine going "Do do dooo" haha :) Love the interview! Ken Levine is my favorite game developer in the industry like now I love the energy and enthusiasm he puts in to his work. It's a product of passionate, fervent love for an idea, and he does it so well. Bioshock fan forever :D
Great interview. I love this guy, he's really a thoughtful guy.
Damn that table in the background towards the end. Their voices consumed the room and were some how louder than Ken Levine despite being 20 feet further away from the mic than him.
Why does the interviewer only seem interested in the conversation when he's talking? As soon as Ken starts talking he has this look on his face like he doesn't give a shit. And he never attempts to actually have a conversation. He talks for 5 seconds, and then just seems to be bored for the 5 minutes that Ken talks. Why even regularly cut back to the interviewer's face just so we can watch glimpses of him seemingly falling asleep?
This interview is a joke. He gives so many opportunities to dive into deep and compelling conversation and is met with cliche game industry blogger questions. Such a waste of an opportunity. And also, editor, stop wit the quick cuts to the interviewee. No one is watching this interview to see this guy awkwardly sitting across the table sipping coffee and nodding with weird faces.
Step the journalism up gaming community. Ask tough questions and dig deeper, don't just move on to the next question on the list you thought up in a cubicle. This man is a gold mine of philosophy, politics, religion, and writing and you dropped the ball with questions about indie gaming and publishers.
This interview is part of The Break Room for a reason. This isn't meant to be a super serious interview, just one where two people sit down, with a cup of coffee, and talk about whatever subjects they want to talk about.
The Break Room is meant to be laid back, and not like an interview you'd see on the news.
While I wouldn't go as far as calling this interview a joke, I agree that it's a shame that Kevin (or maybe more accurately Gamespot) treated this like a PR interview. That is, the interviewer would ask a question and zone out, as if to allow the interviewee to promote himself. Then, he would come back to reality and ask a completely unrelated question for presumably the same reason. For example, Ken spoke in very nearly great detail about what it was like to write Comstock, that Lady Comstock was especially underdeveloped at first, and that he learned a lot by asking the guy who resigned about his misgivings with what had been written.
Kevin could have explored that with Ken for the next 30 minutes if he had asked some follow up questions. Instead, he wakes up from his daze and asks "Will your success with Bioshock make it possible for clones to make money?" (That was paraphrased heavily.).
For example, how else does Ken recognize and attempt to reconcile creative differences among his team? Was his ultimate goal making Comstock sympathetic, or a straw-man villain? How exactly did he get to a mental state that allowed him to write Comstock, since Comstock's ideology differs so significantly from his own?
Levine is a really, really insightful person. It's rare against a backdrop of other devs who just want to talk about mechanics and wax pseudo-philosophical about what it "feels like" to make a game. He offers substance, and it would be incredible if the press would take advantage of that.
That was a fascinating watch. It gives a valuable insight into the creative process, and I really admire Ken for his insistence on adhering to his vision without the fear of compromise. I really hope BioShock Infinite becomes a gargantuan example of how taking whatever time is necessary will result in a much more detailed, polished experience, which the game completely was.
very interesting interview, thanks
great video, but background noise is incredibly distracting.
i don get it, at some point "hmm watchaa say" is playing in the back but theres no one dying
Bruno Ivas lmao
Great interview.
Great interview Kevin. So interesting listening to Ken.
Not to be another rude youtube commenter, but does Kevin VanOrd seem a have his nose tilted up a bit. I understand its the fans job to praise Levine, not the interviewer, but come on! It Ken Levine! He is legendary! just send him a smile instead of sitting there plank faced! Of course I understand being an unbiased interviewer, but to me VanOrd comes off a tad judgmental. At least, in the end he seems a tad more pleasant.
The interviewer asks Ken Levine a question he absolutely does not like at 33:59. The touching of the ear says that Levine would rather not hear this question as its contrary to everything that Levine is motivated by in life. The body language is pretty clear.
Audio is bothering me because the voice seems to be coming from one speaker (it plays from both, but channels aren't balanced?). Otherwise, good interview.
Ken Levine you are awesome. You convey depth without sounding pretentious. Mentioning other game titles and acknowledging that not all games should have depth and still be enjoyable lets us know you are a real gamer. Life is already heavy as it is, much heavier for some (or most), and games act as an escape. I completely agree that games should be varied. Thank you for these interviews gamespot. I hope you make more of them and release it as a compilation.
Oldboy is one of the best films
the original though, the remake is dog turd.
Agreed
We need a bioshock 4.
Its coming!
@@Hammersch really?
@@ahmedkhan.5948 yes look it up
@@Hammersch but without Ken Levine, very sad. Do you know when it will be released?
@@ahmedkhan.5948 Thats true! I have no idea
Very great interview.
awesome interview
I find it utterly hilarious that he's told fans to stop making Rule 34 pictures of Elizabeth. And is it me, or does he resemble Steve Carell?
Is it me, or does Ken Levine look a bit like Ben Stiller.
eh
Like Ben Stiller and Charlie Day had a baby.
It's called being Jewish.
Now that's just racist!
Jory Stultz not at all, every ethnic group got some visible traits, some stays very distinctive. As one who lives in most multi-tribecountry in world after China (yes, chinese are actually over 20 differnt ethnic groups, or tribes, with own traits and languages) I can tell that often can make out from where one or other person is, at least, historically. Russia got over 40 ethnic groups, if count all minor ones, and many of then stay isolated enough or have dominant features that are distinctive and make them look like relatives to someone from outside group.
This is why I love the games industry. You don't often see this else ware, smart people going extremely in depth about the subject. I hope to see more of these types of interviews in the future.
What he said about "loving a child so much, you smother it" really hit home for me. It pretty much sums up what I feel about the First Person Shooter genre these past years,What with yearly releases and lack of innovation in terms of gameplay and narrative.I havent bought a COD in 3 yrs & any militaristic shooter since then because I fear the oversaturation of these kinds of games will eventually kill off the genre. I LOVE FPS's and I am so happy Bioshock Infinite really did invigorate the genre
I'll never understand WHY conservative Christians get all pissy over this game. If anything, the religious aspect mirrors Mormonism. Not fundamental Christianity.
The interviewer is the least interested person in the room.
Awesome.
Gamespot should do more interviews of this same quality.
gamespot, more long interviews like this please!
He's so overrated
Most ✡️s are
Why hasn't this got more views? This is such a interesting interview.
Seriously, this is one of the best games I've played so far.The Story is simply brilliant, environment is thought through down to the last detail and the music... damn there is no more fitting music for this game ! 10/10 points ! Well done !
This interview amazing! I would love to talk philosophy with this guy!
Nice video interview Kevin need's to do more of these. And flight sim's like wing commander boy do i remember playing them, but where in luck as Star Citizen that was made by the same dev that made Wing commander, will release in 2014.
I love the intense stares he gives at the end of all of his dialogue.
Quite nice to see someone who is sincerely passionate about what they are doing.
More Break Room Interviews!! This is the kind of stuff gaming journalism should be!
Developers like Ken Levine and Hideo Kojima are some of my favorite artists. Emphasis on the word artist.
Unfortunately, Kojima stated before that he believes that games aren't art. I love Kojima but boy did he disappoint me.
I love how honest he is.
He doesn't even look like he's enjoying the interview, i would love to just sit down and chat with Ken Levine such an awesome stand up guy.
Loving this game, hearing the developer's theories about it just makes it ten times better. Hope there are more people like Ken Levine out there who make games to create a memorable experience, not just to make a quick buck.
Ken Levine for president! :) Great interview enjoyed every second :)
man that was one fucking awesome interview.
Games like bioshock reinvent storytelling in such a approachable way that it is possible for anyone to really be immersed in it.
For centuries intelligent people have used stories and music to convey certain ideas, feelings and emotions, and games like this are the culmination of all those artforms. It's the same fucking principle, but 1000 times easier to be absorbed by it and understand the underlying idea. Thanks Ken Levine for taking this to the next level, let's keep on building!
I understand english quite good, but i still have hard times to understand all the interview. Is it possible someone puts the good subtitles? Thank you in advance.
I would love to have long chat with Ken...he is truly brillant
Man he got so heated on that box cover question hahah I love ya, Mr. Levine. You give me real hope for this industry
Mr. Levine...you, sir, are a creative genius. You're an inspiration to myself and many others who hope to be creatives and innovators in the future.
Very interesting interview. Ken Levine is really an intelligent person, would have loved to be there and asked him a couple of questions myself.
It was so immersive that Elizabeth didn't strike me as ingenuity. But hearing Ken talk now, and looking back, it truly is a work of art. The entire decision to make Liz interact in real-time environments was what made it shine! Developers need to learn to pool their resources and follow in this bold step!
I agree. Every single gamer NEEDS to watch this. He has one of the most creative, intelligent and innovative minds, and he definitely cares about video games. I could listen to him talk for hours.
Ken Levine is the man. Can't wait for this experience!
I picked up on this too. In the end, it wasn't that Booker transported to a different dimension or time, it was that he was transported into an existing person, which isn't something that was done in any other part of the game.
I love how understanding of religion and faith, Ken is. As a Christian myself, its nice to see understanding like that in someone who isn't religious. The dudes awesome.
Does anyone know what panel he's referring to or have a link? 16:45
I haven't dared to install my PC copy yet as I know I dont have the right system to do it justice ! Patiently waiting for my new PC rig... then its off to an adventure !!!!
Thank you Ken Levine ! without you, this work of art would had never been possible.
God I always love to here Ken Levine's point of view. He's such an interesting guy, oh and I can't wait to experience Infinite.
I love that he mentioned "Old Boy"! :D
Well, thanks for showing us the box art Gamespot.
I LOVE Ken Levine. This man should be making movies, he is brilliant
i love ken levine. he got balls, and he is not a company robot. he feels what he feels, and he says that.
Ken Levine is an inspiring guy. He had no friends at school, he was basically what you'd call a nerd i guess. Now look at him, making top of the line video games that have some of the most interesting stories and some of the best gameplay you can ever get
In the What is a game section - in terms of games that are basically just a narrative, i really like New Tales From The Borderlands - totally different from the other Borderlands games but still an enjoyable experience because i just saw it as a movie that once in a while i had some input into what direction it went in.❤
Ken Levine is my idol, I am going to do what it takes to get into the gaming industry, because of the inspiration he gives me.
what an enjoyable game, i appreciate what they done
Wow, I really liked Ken Levine before this video, but after watching this I realized he is extremely smart and very interesting. I am so beyond hyped for Bioshock Infinite now! I really like how he mentions other games too.