Bioshock Creator Ken Levine on Judas, His Career and Writing in Games | AIAS Game Maker's Notebook

Adam Orth chats with Ken Levine, the legendary creator behind the Bioshock series and the upcoming Judas. Together they discuss Ken's journey into game writing; using art as a healthy outlet for processing uncomfortable subjects; dealing with the pressure of following up the first Bioshock game due to its massive success and popularity; how to tackle complex narratives and concepts aimed at general audiences; his thoughts on AI; and how to avoid falling into the trap of arrogance.
Podcast Links:
Apple Podcasts: apple.co/3rF0EtC
Spotify: spoti.fi/3ZKI6Vo
RSS: interactive.libsyn.com/rss
Website: www.interactive.org/Interview...
Podcast Playlist: • The AIAS Game Maker's ...
Follow us:
/ official_aias
/ official_aias
Timestamps:
0:00 Introduction
2:12 Interview Start
3:45 Ken's Origin Story
14:33 From Playwriting into Screenwriting
18:10 First Job in Games
19:39 First Spark about Writing in Games
25:35 Hiring Talent from Outside the Industry
28:42 Building a Believable World in Games
33:03 Writing Messy and Complicated Characters
38:05 The Legacy and Impact of Bioshock
44:05 How to Deal with Feedback/Opinions About Your Game
55:25 Properly Conveying Your Game's Ideas to Players
59:18 Narrative Seeds through Audio Logs in Game
1:04:45 Narrative Experiences Driven by Player Actions
1:14:00 Potential Narrative Tools in 2023
1:21:30 Keeping a Game Relevant during a Long Development Period
1:27:35 Biggest Lesson from Ken's Career

[@IceCrystalWolf]

Ken's ability to write interesting characters and build unique worlds is phenomenal. Can't wait for Judas

[@Vub.]

I am loving these interviews. This channel is going to blow up!

[@dimitriz5578]

Completely unrelated, but Adam played bass on one of the greatest weezer songs from 1996. Many fans felt that Pinkerton and its Bsides from 1996 was their best album, and the band nosedived in quality after that. It bummed many out that we would never hear anything like that again, with the band making trash like Hash pipe, island in the sun, and beverly hills instead. Then in 2010, a deluxe edition of pinkerton came out, with a PREVIOUSLY UNRELEASED track, and Adam Orth played bass on it. A lost gem from the 90s. Thank you adam! And not to mention your impressive resume after all that. And thank you Ken. Loved his interview with Colin. Anytime i ask someone, whats a game that blew your mind? People always say, Bioshock Infinite (the ending).

[@sehrschee]

Really enjoyed the honest exchange of experiences. Also really looking forward to what Ghost Story Games is doing with Judas.

[@amandakucsera]

“Discovering a room in your house” is how I felt when I opened the art house. Recently in my brain the art house has been getting bigger, and I’ve been finding more rooms. Like this one room I recently got to unlock, I’m probably a better game character designer than a comic book character designer. I never realized there could be a difference. Any ways it will be fun exploring that room! So maybe when you wrote that title and play it could be seen now as a little metaphorical in a sense.

[@MisterDevos]

Ken is one of the grandfathers of the greatest video games/franchises from the 2000's. This video will have an upsurge in views the closer the release of Judas.

[@devilmayclarify666]

He's technically the father of the games/franchises from the 2000s.

[@nestordiaz5302]

That was fantastic and had relevant information for many industries beyond just gaming.

[@suripto746]

Already preordered JUDAS ❤

[@varzeano100]

im so hyped for Judas , i cant stop thinking about it , bioshock is a franchise close to my heart

[@HelderP1337]

Absolutely astonishing interview. Loved every second, thank you both.

[@PuffPuff903]

Awesome interview! Both of you are great.

[@Cartterr.]

Awesome thanks for doing this podcast!!

[@slax4884]

I really hope this game does well

[@bakedafparade9067]

This interview is great but what is that door in Ken’s room?

[@robbieburns3564]

He has a house elf. Don't you??

[@lowbudgetmic]

Bioshock in space! 😮💛🍑🌎😎

[@zrtrztzrt1753]

14:30

[@LowLevelLemmy]

Anyone else think Ken’s head looks like a 🍍

[@tremorstudio9766]

46:00 Ken… you do the same, wtf?

[@xBINARYGODx]

A) Ken pretends he cannot hire other people to handle those business/PR/etc. stuff. B) we totally skip over his total failure to get several games out the door due to him never being happy and constantly changing the design. So really, a fluff piece.

[@MisterDevos]

Cope beta.

[@eatmanyzoos]

fluff is nice and soft and/or delicious

[@ehcmier]

Weird. Didja get lost and think this was some sort of hardball interview?

[@TaylorX04]

Fluff piece? Why bring your mom into this?

[@ggary04]

He can't that's part of being at the top. Even though he may have a blank check I'm positive he's still playing within a set amount and even if he could hire someone you have to trust somebody to do it right which means he'd have to oversee it and if he's overseeing it he might as well be doing it himself. It's not just as easy as words on paper. Anyways this wasn't a fluff piece, it's meant to teach those looking to getting into these positions within the industry. I think Adam and Ken were very insightful and I'm always intrigued about what Ken has to say because I do believe he's amongst the top tier developers in the industry.