BioShock 2: Plot has to be really stupid

BioShock big daddy Ken Levine has declared the importance of dumbing down videogame plotlines in order for people to get the picture. We're such thickies.

"If you want people to follow your plot, it has to be really f****** stupid," Levine says in the latest issue of UK mag PC Zone.

POTENTIAL SPOILER ALERT

"What are you doing in BioShock?" he continues. "Act 1: Find the submarine and get out. But, the sub goes down. So, Act 2: You go find and kill Ryan."

POTENTIAL SPOILER ALERT ENDS

The advantage of videogame storyline over movies, Levine goes on, is that developers "have the opportunity not to push information at people but to let them pull it to them."

He praises Valve for being a real pioneer in this area with Half-Life, but admits the potential pitfall of this method of plot delivery is that gamers may miss content studios place in games.

In recent times, plot has been highlighted as an area in which games fall short, but do we really want to be caught up dissecting a story for hidden messages and meaning. Or, do we just want to sit back and be entertained?

Courtesy of CVG.

Apr 2, 2008