BioShock Creator Believes Stories Should Fit Video Game Tools

Ken Levine, the boss of the Irrational Games development studio, is outspoken about his new project, BioShock Infinite, and says that the game will take full advantage of the particularities of the video game medium while making sure that it does not devolve into a parody of movies or books.

As part of an interview with Gamasutra Ken Levine, who is the leader of development on BioShock Infinite, said, “I don’t believe there’s any medium that doesn’t have its advantages and disadvantages relative to other media. You just have to play to the strengths of the medium as best as you can. I think what you lose in being able to pull the camera and show emotion, you gain in immersion, and you gain in mood.”

The developer believes that game designers need to pay more attention to the tools they can use and make good choices when it comes to how they deliver information to the player and how they link him to the game world.

Levine added, “you sift through your toolbox and then find the best tool. And sometimes you go ‘Well, there’s no good way to tell that story. Maybe I should tell a different story.’ Then you change the story so it fits your toolset better. Whenever you find yourself fighting against your toolset, you’re not going to win that fight.”

The BioShock series of games is well known for its complex narratives and well developed characters and these elements will likely return in the new Infinite title, even if the action moves from the under-the-sea Rapture to the in-the-clouds Columbia.

Levine recently also commented on the input of voice actors on the core story and on how the design decisions for the Elizabeth character have been made.

BioShock Infinite is being developed for the PlayStation 3, the PC and the Xbox 360 and will be launched at some point during 2012, presumably during the fall, pre-holiday release season.