BioShock Interview

1Up has published a three-page interview with Irrational Games' Ken Levine, quizzing the lead designer about various BioShock-related topics.
Q: Do you think you might be christening a new genre here?

A: What is a genre really? It's a concept, really, and genres evolve over time. Whatever Grand Theft Auto is, it became its own genre as it were but until the genre exists it's hard to clarify what it is. I think we think of it as an FPS that has a lot more than you've seen in any other FPS. Traditionally FPSes don't have open ended environments and don't have amazing AIs that you can manipulate and interact with on really deep levels. They don't have crafting, and all these other things we are doing; they don't have emerging game spaces. As a gamer that's where I want FPSes to go. I'll do my part by drawing the line in the sand and say this is the direction -- I think FPSes should move away from corridors and more towards the things I love about games like open ended emergent experiences.