What inspired the games direction with the dystopian underwater world?
Early in BioShock’s development (BioShock’s Creative Director) Ken Levine was very interested in the doctrine of objectivism, which led to the character of Andrew Ryan and his ideology, and probably the time period as well. As for the game being underwater, part of that came from the need for a good “edge metaphor”: a reason you can’t just leave the game world behind for safety, like being trapped on a spaceship or an island. Underwater cities hadn’t been done to death in games, so it seemed very promising. Also it’s creepy and dark down there. 4. How do you know when to put enemies in the right spot so that they will freak out the player the most? Freaking people out is all about hiding things from them, subverting expectations and manipulating the environment around them – hopefully not too often in a “cheap scare” kind of way. The guy in the Medical level who appears right behind you when your guard is down is a basic example. On the other hand, good game design often dictates that
