14 DAY TRIAL // In a podcast interview with Irrational Games' Creative Director Ken Levine, The Cult of Rapture asks the man about some of the issues surrounding their upcoming first-person shooter for the Xbox 360 and PC, BioShock. The inclusion of the Little Sisters was a topic of discussion and why it wouldn't be exactly moral to kill them, given that they look exactly like human little girls.
The Little Sisters are very creepy beings wandering the halls of Rapture, stealing the Adam from dead bodies. Adam is a life-giving substance that players must also collect by killing the little girls. The player has two choices though: kill the little girl for the Adam, or rescue her.
In the interview, Levine actually points out that gamers never actually have the opportunity to inflict damage on the little girl with their weapons. Their two choices are to "save" the child or "harvest" it for its Adam. OK, but "harvesting" the child will result in the Little Sister's death. Although, Levine suggests in his podcast that the Little Sisters aren't even human at all, they look human enough for a crazy person to make the bad connections.
BioShock is the last title I'd want to see hammered down by Jack Thompson (not that he managed to hammer any titles down so far, but you never know when he may succeed). But the problem takes even greater heights when next-gen graphics are involved. Visuals and movement of a character have become so realistic that it scares you. Have you seen the trailer? Click HERE if you haven't and take a look at the player pulling the Little Sister out of that hole.
The first time I saw that scene I was terrified. The second time I saw it I was even more terrified, as I could see a scared look on the little girl's face. Yeah sure they don't have a background to envy, but still, they look a lot like little human girls, so again - it's easy for a mental person to make the wrong connections. Check out the entire podcast when you have the time (uncensored).