Bioshock design lecture

Just found this absolutely brilliant article on Gamasutra about a lecture given by the team that designed and built Bioshock. It really gives an insight into the thought processes that took place whilst the game, and more importantly the city itself, Rapture, were being designed. One scary line that appears in the article is a problem that is faced daily within IT departments who are delivering for other teams in the same company, “Both departments figured, ‘Hey, we know how to make a game and they don’t.’” Obviously substitute the word game for the software package of your choice!

I have to say that as someone who has only really scratched the surface of Bioshock (yes I know!) it’s re-ignited my desire to get back to the game and give it a good play through. I remember the first time I picked up the demo and had a play and was absolutely gobsmacked by how well it played, and the feeling as you walked into Rapture for the first time that you had found a deserted city. It actually felt like a city. One that used to be living and breathing (albeit underwater) but was now eerily silent. I also fell into the trap that I’ve read so many others fall into in that you get to the end of the opening cinematic and you wait for something to happen, the switch is that seamless!

But enough of my reminisces! Go and give the article a read, and if you still own it, go back to Bioshock and marvel at the beauty of the game with the knowledge that everything you see is there for a reason, and probably caused one or two arguments along the way…