Crispy Gamer: During the development of BioShock, was there a sense that you were making a balls-out, transcendent piece of software here?

Levine: I'd say that there was a sense that we were doing something different here, yes. We thought, We're really taking a leap of faith. Who knows how this is going to turn out? Our wives and significant others were very patient with us. My wife is a very patient woman, bless her heart.

And, you know, beyond that, credit 2K Games, too, for greenlighting the project. Here's a truth: No marketing guy ever got fired for greenlighting a licensed property that failed. But the tombstones of marketing guys are all along the game development highway for those who greenlit projects like [BioShock] that didn't work out.

For example, consider the whole concept of the Little Sisters. You're basically holding a child and having to decide if you're going to save her or kill her. They never said, "Are you f***ing kidding me?" They never put up a single creative block.

Really, give credit to 2K Games, because at the end of the day, we've all got families to feed, and honestly, I'm not sure I would have greenlit this project if I had a family to feed...