StaceyPowers

I was listening to Ken Levine talking about how early play tests for BioShock went badly, and I thought how close the world might have come to missing out on an amazing series. What are some other games like this that at one point came close to failing?

What in-game events are emotionally distressing for you consistently? Like for me, losing a follower is distressing, especially if it is a child or animal I have to escort.

Do you feel growing up gaming has made gaming easier for you in adulthood? For me, I would say it has, not just because I had early experience playing, but because I remember when there were far fewer resources for learning. I feel spoiled being able to turn to Youtube for help, which helps keep my frustration levels down during challenging parts.

Do you find learning to play a new game a fun challenge, or a frustrating hurdle -- or is it somewhere in between?

If a game is hard to learn, is it the fault of poor design, impatience on the part of the player, or a combination? Where do you personally draw the line?

Have you ever felt angry enough about a game to contact the publisher or dev to complain?

What demographic groups are left out of gaming? For example, some people with epilepsy/seizures can't safely play a huge percentage of games.

If you were forced to work for a video game developer, which would you pick and why?

How long has it been since you played your favorite game? For me I think it is somewhere around 1-2 years.

Is there a type of game that no matter how hard or often you try, you just cannot get into?

What is a video game character with relatively generic/few attributes that you still feel attached to? For example, I care a lot about what happens to Jack in BioShock and after, even though he is presented as mostly a “blank slate” for the player to impose their personality on.

What is a game you feel is always over too quickly? Not a game that you feel is actually too short, necessarily, just one you subjectively feel passes too fast.

Yeah, that tactic did not end up working for me either. I eventually got one online through Walmart.

A lot of people complain that they had no choices/branching endings in BioShock Infinite, unlike BioShocks 1 and 2 because the first games were “about free choice.” I actually feel like all three games were more about free will. In BioShock 1, Jack had free will, but his choices were too limited to exercise it in full. In Infinite, Booker and Elizabeth had too many choices, and made the decision at the end to restrict them only to those that represented their will. By definition, this had to remove choice from the gamer. And having since learned Ken Levine only wanted one ending for BioShock 1, I feel all is thematically consistent.

I found out in the director’s commentary for The BioShock Collection that Ken Levine really only wanted one ending for the first game (the good ending). The publisher made him add the bad ending. Honestly, this made sense to me. The bad ending doesn’t really offer any emotional payoff, and seemed unnecessary to me. How do you feel about it?

Do you feel confident when gaming? I have realized I do, even though I’m not that good at it. I only realized why recently. I think that confidence has less to do with believing you will succeed at something than knowing that if you fail, you will be okay.

Weirdly enough, gaming has created many of the most meaningful experiences in my life as an adult. How meaningful has gaming been for you?

If your favorite dev could remake any game you wanted, what would you pick, and why? What would change if they re-developed it?

Video game tutorials can easily be boring or frustrating. What are some ways they can be more fun or less obtrusive?

What games feature the most realistic NPC reactions?

Somehow I missed until recently that Brigid Tenenbaum in BioShock is autistic. What are some other autistic (or possibly autistic) game characters?

In school, different classes helped “break up” time and make it feel longer. Adulthood has largely bled together, but playing different games has helped mark passage of time for me. Does it do this for others as well?

How long do you wait for a game you want to go on sale before giving up and getting it at full price? What makes you decide to just bite the bullet and do it?

What % of your games did you pay full price for? For me, it's probably like 5%.

I never actually knew till getting a PS5 that modern consoles feature menu music. How do you feel about it, and do you leave it on or turn it off?