JS:"When you work at a company, people leave and people join. We were up to almost two hundred people at one point and just mathematically you're going to have some turnover," Irrational Games president and creative director Ken Levine told Joystiq when asked how the studio's corporate culture changed after key members of its team had left.
JS:Along with being the President of Irrational Games, Ken Levine wears the hat of creative director and lead writer on the developer's projects. Speaking with Joystiq, Levine made it clear that he doesn't subscribe to the notion that video games should be restricted from tackling any sensitive issues.
It's time that games get the same respect as other forms of entertainment when dealing with subject matters
Namely mature topics like sexual content and violence. Books and films do it just as often and in just as much detail, yet only games are criticized for it. It's one thing that has never made sense to me.
That likely comes from games being interactive. Movies and TV shows are typically criticized far more often than books for "going too far" on things because they are a visual medium, along similar lines. Some parents find mature content obscene and many don't want their kids being exposed to it.
Thing is, if you don't like it don't involve yourself with it. If you don't want your kids to be exposed to it, don't let them. Be responsible, these age ratings on everything exist for a reason.
Because society views video games as the "kid's play thing". Only when people start to see games for what they truly are will that begin to change.
I hope the religious themes aren't a retread. Magic girl tied to the city's fate who is worshipped by a cult led by her corrupt parent while the protagonist trying to rescue her is being branded as some sort of demon? That sounds like the basic plot of Bioshock 2 all over again, not that I don't acknoledge Infinite has a lot more going on than that.
On another note, I don't think videogames have censored much at all in dealing with certain topics. Rather developers just don't want to take the risks involved. I really admire devs like IG for not being afraid to gaming beyond its usual comfort zone.
This is interesting, all creations of humans contain part of their creator. Expression is silenced by normality so it would be nice to lift a bit of that burden and see what people can reveal about themselves.
I would love to see some really controversial subject matter included in games. Subject matter that is not for shock value, but included to enhance the experience. I don't particularly care if they include these elements as cut-scenes or as in game commands where you have full control.
I find it very hard to be shocked, offended or insulted by any game, movie or book etc. I know there are many like me who appreciate peoples creations for what they are. The problem is that every single person has a line and it is a very thin one at that. Racism, extreme violence, sex etc etc are such touchy subjects in games and I really don't understand why they are. Explore everything. I am even okay at the fact Rapelay exists... its not hurting anyone... I don't care there are mindless racist games out there either... These games don't suit my taste so I avoid them completely.
Its that simple.
The PlayStation Vita is struggling. There’s simply no way for anyone to spin it otherwise. Hardware sales are severely lagging and early-adopters and would-be purchasers alike are waiting for announcements and reveals of some must-have games.
But do some of the industry’s most prolific developers agree? What is their assessment of the PlayStation Vita, where it is right now and where it’s going in the future? The June 2012 issue of PlayStation: The Official Magazine answers this question for us in a short article aptly called Developers on Vita.
The vita is an amazing system and I think its doing fine. Because of Sony I know the vita will get mass software support and because of that it will do well. The vita has been on the market for a few months and with the imminent release of some big name games like resistance, cod, lbp, and a lot of core games, its destined to do well. E3 will entice a lot of people when they see all the new announced games for vita
Let's see if it's struggling with Resistance Burning Skies and Gravity Rush releasing this month and next and all the Vita announcements at E3
Are resistance and gravity rush system sellers?
Would they make people actively go out and buy a vita?
Probably not.
dosn't matter if it has 2000 games, it must have the game that makes me want to buy it.
Well I hope Mikami's new game is coming to PSV then. I mean, if he believes that it needs more good games then he may as well roll with it because Zwei could be really good.
No way!
Zwei is the best news I've heard this gen.
I've been waiting for him to announce his next survival horror title for 5 years.
It better be for home consoles or I will be a very sad panda!
“It’s the pinnacle of current gaming technology,” - Hideo Kojima
Dark Sniper couldn't have said it any better himself. For those who are new to the gaming industry, Hideo Kojima is one of the forefathers of our genre. Hideo Kojima is responsible for revolutionizing the art and science of video games itself. Blending Hollywood motion picture cinematography and meshing with the Dual Shock controller provided the organic combination of something we have never seen before. These reasons above are why Dark Sniper always takes Hideo Kojima's words as gospel.
Hideo Kojima has always had a vision for the future. It's no surprise that Sony Computer Entertainment has once again crafted the finest piece of machinery known to humankind, PlayStation®Vita. What this means is that Kojima will be able to complete his grand vision of interactive gaming beyond the fourth dimension, not thinking about 10 year old remakes with cheap 3D attachments.
PlayStation®Vita is the nexus that provides the gateway between reality and virtual reality. Sony Computer Entertainment has always been the forefront of modern technology, going against the grain to only be proven right in the long run.
Dark Sniper carries his PlayStation®Vita more than his own cell phone. Giving him the ultimate satisfaction of staying connected to the PlayStation ecosystem at all times.
Once again, Dark Sniper is glad to have Hideo Kojima back on board. He is one of, if not THE primary reason of why PlayStation is the consumer leader in interactive electronics.
$niper
youtube.com/therealdarksniper
Twitter: @therealdsniper
I was on the floor dying of laughter when I saw it was you that was commenting and then saw the perfectly hand picked quote you chose to include in your comment.
seriously, you sounds a bit like GeneralChaos or whatever his name is but he's all Nintendo!
Yes, indeed!
That's just his style...
Man, I miss the old schoolers from the blu-ray vs hd dvd and the 360 vs PS3 wars.
And Open zone was crazy fun too. Newer cats don't know what they are missing.
Arguments and drama 24-7. Now most people are respectable and civil. Ah, well... :)
There are at least 40 registered PS Vita's in a 1km radius from me where I live. It looks like a pretty popular device to me considering it's only been 3 months since it launched here.
I get an average of 30-40 users in my vicinity. The very peculiar thing though, is the fact that when I got it on launch, within 4 days it was picking up to 117 users/vitas, and then the number flatlined and started to decrease to where it is right now.
i was surprised when i used my near, there was at least 10 other vita owners living nearby me, i seriously thought i was the only vita owner in my area :D good to know its slowly becoming popular in my country.
How do you guys know that? Is there a feature that lets you see all nearby vitas??
Dont tell the Sony fans that the vita is failing, they'll refuse to believe u and say it's a lie and that it is selling and has better games than the 3ds lol
Which sony fan said that? I read all the comments above urs and nobody talked about lies or any mention of the 3ds.
1/vita is not failing, only dumb sony's haters are saying that ridiculous thing (like the "bluray, ps3 is failing" from dumb people)
2/best hardware (nintendo 2017 approximatly)
3/ best games ? soon or later, like every sony's console.
and like kreate says, nobody is talking about 3DS, vita's owners don't care, only distiurbed fanboyz are always talking about sales, and competition.
Gamasutra: The original BioShock stands as a sterling example of environment-as-character. The city of Rapture, with its mad scrawling on walls and atmosphere of deteriorated grandeur, told the story as much or more than the audio logs salted throughout the game, or the radio conversations with supporting characters. The strongest character in the traditional sense in BioShock, city founder Andrew Ryan, was mostly a disembodied voice.
Bioshock's story made 99.9% of other games seem kindergarten material and then those games try to get a movie on the big screen, it's silly, lol. If any video game should be made into a big screen event, it's Bioshock.
Love Ken Levine. He always reminds me of Steve Carell, or at least his older more mature brother. I really respected Rod Ferguson, he always seemed so calm and nice. Glad to hear he is helping the game improve.
Lol how funny were the background sirens? It started around the 2:20 mark and went on for a bit. Ambulance or something lol.