Alexx's Journal

We recently had a press event where journalists got to go hands-on with the first section of our game. The embargo just lifted, and the articles are pouring in. They love it! Here's a few favorites of mine. The first one is pretty much spoiler-free, the others have some significant spoilers, but only for the first few hours.

Escapist
Eurogamer
PC Gamer
OXM
Videogamer.com

ETA: Good interview with Ken on Gamespot. No spoilers.

Within the last year Irrational Games has grown from around 40 people to more than 100 employees. Our announcement of BioShock Infinite drew an amazing response from gamers and industry press alike. Even though we’ve grown considerably, we’re still looking for more talented people across all disciplines to realize our ambitious plans. We need:
Programmers(numerous levels and positions) - Designers (Level Designers, Systems Designers) Artists (Level Builders, Environment Concept Artist, 3D Rigger) http://irrationalgames.com/studio/careers-at-irrational/

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There were tons of news stories right after our launch announcement, but here are my two favorites.

Eurogamer.net had, in my opinion, the most insightful reporting.

Rock, Paper, Shotgun had an interview with Ken Levine which was a lot more substantive than most.

While I was on vacation, I missed this being posted on the Irrational Games web site. Check it out!

I went to Pax East on Friday. There was some neat stuff, but not enough to go back. Have I mentioned lately that I'm mildly crowd-phobic? 17,000 people is (IMAO) too many to cram into the Hynes, and that was just Friday; the following days would be worse. Huge lines to get into everything, so I didn't see any of the scheduled events. (And when I say huge, I mean it; I think the longest was over a quarter mile.) Also, very very loud.

Good stuff:
* Seeing some BioShock cosplayers (photo below).
* Also in the costume dept, a bunch of Team Fortress 2 characters: Sniper, Mechanic, Spy, and Medic.
* Seeing Phil Speer, shaggyman, Sara Verelli, darusk, Andrew Plotkin; meeting Elizabeth Short for the first time.
* Seeing juldea briefly, hanging out with JoCo at the merch table.
* Getting a (relatively) cheap copy of the new, improved, Tales of The Arabian Nights boardgame.
* Having a long-time fan from the UK approach me due to my improvised name badge.

You can tell that the organizers come from internet culture, not fandom culture. The passes were anonymous, and only a few old fogeys like myself had improvised name tags.

Most of the office was there, and I ran into them at one point or another. A couple of my colleagues mentioned that I had a big goofy grin on my face when they saw me across the hall, and that I seemed to be having a great time. Must be a subconscious defense mechanism, 'cause I mostly wasn't.

I might go back next year if they take steps to reduce the density. Somehow, I doubt it, though.

( splicer picture )

Some folks from GameInformer magazine were up here a few months back, doing a profile of Irrational Games. They got taken out to see Sleep No More (this was before it was ultra-sold-out). Here's the beginning of the resulting article:

Understanding the Irrational
The Past, Present, and Future of Irrational Games
by Joe Juba

I walk into a room with dozens of envelopes hanging from the walls and ceiling. The Ink Spots' rendition of a classic 1940s tune hangs in the air ("I'll never smile again...until I smile at you..."), and a man dressed in period clothing purposefully moves between two desks. He scribbles something down, then frantically steps over to the other desk and flips through documents. He is surrounded by others like me - silent figures in haunting white masks - but he doesn't acknowledge us. We simply watch, soaking in the sense of urgency and danger, trying to piece together clues. This surreal scenario shares so many thematic similarities with BioShock that it could practically be a room cut from the game - except this isn't a game at all. It's an inventive theatrical production called Sleep No More, where the audience is free to roam the halls of an abandoned school, examine the elaborate sets that were once classrooms, and seek out actors across the facility's four floors in hopes of witnessing important scenes.
Irrational Games staffers took me to Sleep No More during my visit to the Boston-based developer, and it didn't take long to see why the show was such a popular topic of conversation among the team members (some of whom had already seen the show several times). The play revolves around discovery and atmosphere; two viewers could walk away from the show with vastly different experiences depending on what they had the opportunity to explore. Since releasing System Shock 2 in 1999, Irrational Games has specialized in crafting precisely this kind of interaction between the players and their surroundings, establishing intricate virtual worlds held together by compelling narrative. Experiences like Sleep No More resonate because the core concept is at the heart of Irrational's heritage...

Just had a meeting presenting a big section of the design for [censored] to my Big Boss, Ken Levine. Closing quote from him: "If all our design docs were this creative, this well thought out, this well thought *through*, we'd be done by now." He actually wants me to present it to the rest of the team as a good example.

I hope we finish pre-production on this project soon. I've been in it so long that, the other night, I dreamed I was writing up a detailed design spec for a tuna sandwich.

The sound designer at my office is seeking opportunities to record "live" electricity sounds. Any one have a contact at the Boston Museum of Science? Or have any other ideas for where mad-science scale electrical noises might be recorded?