The summary of ‘🔴Ken Levine talks New Game Judas, Bioshock, Celebrities in Games & working with Troy Baker’

00:00:00

In this part of the video, the guest, Ken, discusses his work with various teams and companies over the years, highlighting key collaborations. He mentions working with an Australian team, Uppercut Games, on projects like “Judas” and acknowledges their significant contributions. Ken emphasizes his company’s open-door policy, allowing former employees to return, which has fostered long-term professional relationships. He reflects on the evolution of his colleagues, from young professionals to experienced individuals with their own businesses. Ken also touches on the emotional aspect of seeing legacy games like BioShock being played by new generations. He concludes by talking about stress management and the unique challenges and innovative approaches involved in developing their current project, “Judas”.

00:05:00

In this segment, the speaker discusses “Narrative Legos” and the challenge of making games more responsive to player actions. They describe a long development process that began ten years ago and involved five years of research and development. The speaker enjoys the stage where the game starts to come together, and extensive playtesting begins. Instead of early concept testing, they prefer putting a rough version of the game in front of players to gather continuous feedback. The current game is significantly larger and more detailed than previous projects, featuring numerous speaking characters and a complex, ensemble-driven narrative.

They also mention the animation process, which combines motion capture and traditional animation techniques. Animators sometimes use mocap suits for baseline performances, but some actions are hand-keyed. The speaker shares personal insights into their background in drama and playwriting, revealing a past struggle with acting and line memorization. Despite this, their experience in a rigorous theater program contributed to their current storytelling skills.

00:10:00

In this segment, the speaker discusses their experience at a method acting training center, expressing a dislike for the pretentious atmosphere but appreciating the learning aspect. They explain method acting as finding and expressing genuine emotions rather than merely reciting lines. The speaker then recounts an influential time at an arts camp where they wrote and directed a play, marking the beginning of their passion for writing. This moment helped them realize their talent for writing, leading to successes in contests and continuous writing efforts. Additionally, the speaker shares experiences from college, where they wrote and directed plays, emphasizing the importance of managing and interacting with people, learning to accept critique, and the logistics involved in theater production.

00:15:00

In this part of the video, the speaker discusses their early experiences in theater and television writing. They emphasize the importance of audience feedback in theater to understand what works, including timing and blocking. They recount meeting a successful playwright who introduced them to a Hollywood agent, leading to their first rewrite assignment for Paramount Pictures during college. The speaker explains the challenging nature of screenplay rewrites, highlighting how multiple writers often work in sequence on a single project, sometimes without credit. They also reflect on directing actors, emphasizing the need to respect actors’ input and adapt scripts to leverage their unique contributions. He mentions specific experiences with actors like Troy, who often improvise and enhance lines, underscoring the value of collaboration in directing for better performance outcomes.

00:20:00

In this part of the video, the speaker discusses their involvement in the casting process for games, particularly highlighting their work on the Bioshock series and other projects. They explain that they have cast every game they’ve worked on, often handling a significant portion of the writing, directing, and casting tasks themselves. For Bioshock Infinite, a writer’s room was established, which allowed for a more collaborative and extensive audition process. They describe the casting process, which includes initial recordings and callbacks to assess chemistry and direction-taking abilities.

The speaker recounts casting decisions for characters like Booker and Elizabeth in Bioshock Infinite, praising Troy Baker and Courtney for their performances and noting that Baker was relatively unknown at the time. They emphasize the benefits of recording actors together in the same room, despite the typical practice of recording separately in the industry, to achieve more natural and organic dialogue interactions. The importance of avoiding “turn-based” dialogue in game development is highlighted, with an insistence on editing to create a more fluid and human-sounding exchange, even if actors are recorded separately.

00:25:00

In this part of the video, the discussion focuses on making dialogue in games sound more organic by incorporating natural elements such as interruptions and stumbles in speech. The speaker emphasizes that people don’t usually speak perfectly, and by embracing imperfections, characters appear more realistic. Additionally, there is a conversation about the role of music in games. The speaker, who has a background in musical theater, describes how music and storytelling are deeply intertwined in their work. Specific examples from games like “Bioshock Infinite” illustrate how period music and original compositions are used to enhance the narrative. The speaker also highlights their ongoing collaboration with a talented music director who brings both original songs and reinterpretations of modern songs to the games.

00:30:00

In this segment of the video, the discussion focuses on the involvement of actor Troy Baker in an upcoming game, where he plays a character named Char. The conversation then shifts to the broader topic of celebrities in video games, noting the trend of hiring well-known actors like Keanu Reeves and Norman Reedus. The speakers express skepticism about the impact of celebrities on the gaming experience, arguing that gamers primarily care about the quality of the game rather than star power. Additionally, they discuss the logistical challenges of working with big-name actors, who often have busy schedules and do not audition for roles. They share an anecdote about considering Emma Stone for a role and explain their preference for dedicated actors who are passionate about the project. Finally, the segment recounts the casting experience for the character Andrew Ryan in Bioshock, highlighting the advantages of choosing versatile but lesser-known actors like Armin Shimerman for nuanced roles.

00:35:00

In this segment, the speaker discusses the challenges of exposition in the game “Judith,” which involved introducing a complex world and multiple major characters. Comparatively, the exposition for “BioShock” was easier because it focused on setting up the city of Rapture and the character of Andrew Ryan, inspired by Ayn Rand’s distinct writing style. The speaker highlights the importance of visual elements and music in the game’s reveal, crediting Gary Schyman’s score for enhancing the experience. They also reflect on their detailed and sometimes obsessive involvement in game design, emphasizing the balance between exaggerated worlds and believability. This approach helps the games age well and stand out visually without striving for hyper-realistic graphics.

00:40:00

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00:45:00

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00:50:00

In this part of the video, the discussion centers around the evolution of superhero films and the risks involved in their early stages compared to the safer approaches taken today. The conversation also touches on the consistent popularity of video game franchises like Call of Duty and the dynamics of innovation in gaming. Ken expresses his admiration for the game Mooncrash and its innovative design despite limited resources. He shares his excitement about new team members joining the Judas team and reflects on his development experiences. The segment concludes with Ken expressing his enjoyment of the discussion and promising to return for future talks once Judas is released.