It all started with a shopping list. “We brought the range master in and showed him the weapons we had in our game” says Scott Haraldsen, Audio Lead. “He then came up with the guns he thought would provide the desired sounds.” Of course, the world of Columbia isn’t a mirror image of 1912 America, and even if it were, finding perfectly operational 1912 era guns and ammunition isn’t easy. “We didn’t necessarily use the exact guns, but rather, guns that gave us the sounds we were looking for. We got a list, got coordinated, and went out and had a blast … literally.”

The audio team not only set up the field recordings, they fired the weapons personally.  Just to be sure they got the right sound, of course. Of the weapons at their disposal, they were particularly excited to fire a Barrett M82 .50 caliber sniper rifle – and with good reason. The M82 is one of the most well-known firearms in the world, in part because of its imposing ammunition, the 4-inch long 50 caliber Browning machine gun round. This go-to long range sniper rifle for the U.S. military represents a level of power that is not easily found elsewhere, with an effective range of over a mile.

Imagine the reaction, then, of Audio Director, Patrick Balthrop, who had never fired a gun. Any gun.

“Holy sh*t.”

“When I shot that gun, I was in position. I had that thing right up against my shoulder,” recalls Balthrop. “When I pulled the trigger, the chair I was sitting on moved back about six inches.” It was like learning to drive in a car that just happens to be a Maserati.

“It’s not even hearing,” says Music Director, Jim Bonney. “It’s experiencing.” The team had never experienced anything as loud as the .50 cal, and with each shot thundering from the sniper rifle, they’d jump and giggle. Despite the mental preparations and expectations, the shockwave from the Barrett would get the better of everyone; time and again.

Even though the team was excited about the Barrett, it wasn’t necessarily the team’s favorite firearm from their hard-working day of shooting – and recording – at the gun range.    For Senior Sound Designer, Jeff Seamster, that honor went to the Mauser C-96 pistol, a semi-automatic pistol first produced in 1896. Until the introduction of the .357 Magnum, it was the most powerful handgun in the world, but nobody on the team had ever even seen one in real life. Though the final sound effects will be enhanced and crafted from these original recordings, the Mauser was unlike any other weapon on the range that day, and will contribute a unique element to Infinite’s sound arsenal.

However, it was a weapon familiar to any gamer that Jeff may remember most: the AR-15. A civilian version of the military M16, this particular AR-16 was nicknamed “Skittles,” and it was a crowd pleaser.  “It was the closest thing to the weaponry in modern combat that we shot,” Seamster explains. “Any of us who has played Call of Duty or Battlefield know this gun from using it in-game. We were just wowed. This is it – this is a gun that I’ve only fired before in a video game. It’s something else.”

Be sure to check back next week for part three, in which our heroes put it all together.

Here’s why we think Shane is swell.

Emily Brinkert, Operations Director: Shane is fairly new, but out of the gates he is clearly a badass. He immediately took the lead in making sure our team has all of the technology and infrastructure that we need in order to make a groundbreaking game. He is upgrading left and right and using his Southern charm to get the job done. Most importantly, he has an amazing Donkey Kong painting in his office, which in and of itself has raised the class level of the operations department. Now, if we can just teach him how to drive in the snow, he’ll be golden.

Your title is IT Director. What does that mean?

Shane Smith: I help manage the process that keeps the bits flowing so the developers can focus on making great games. I help make sure just about everything with a plug or a battery is working. My role requires a love of technology and a desire to support creative people. Every now and then, I get a chance to script or design — and “pretend” to be a programmer too.

What games have you worked on?

SS: The entire Gears of War series, Unreal Tournament III, Bulletstorm, Shadow Complex and Infinity Blade 1 & 2.

Describe Life at Irrational in three words or less.

SS: Very passionate people… well, that, or “I’m on fire.”

What is your favorite game of all time?

SS: I’m hoping to not catch a bunch of grief from my new coworkers with this answer. Even though I’m not very good, I have a lot of good memories playing StarCraft in college. Not much has changed; I play SC2 now and I still suck.

Name a game everyone should play once in their life.

SS: I’m sure it’s cheating to say BioShock . It’s hard to say: I grew up with so many great games, it’s hard to choose the one that got me excited playing them. I’m going to say Pong. If you play that, you’ll have to appreciate all the amazing games out now and how far we’ve come.

What is your favorite movie?

SS: Again, at the risk of getting made fun of… Amélie.

What are your hobbies outside of work?

SS: Hiking, road biking, running, gaming, live music, attempting to play guitar and banjo, and tinkering.

What sort of tinkering have you done? Have you built anything you’re particularly proud of?

SS: I’ve made a lot of furniture. Most of it was old furniture that I’ve repaired and restored. I just like fixing and building things. I also fix old electronics, like classic arcade cabinets. Like a boss.

Tell me your favorite story about life at Irrational.

SS: I just got here a few weeks ago, so I can’t say that I have a favorite story. However, I can remember when I was in a meeting about BioShock Infinite. It was a pretty amazing feeling to realize I could give feedback and that it was valued. It’s a simple thing, but it’s nice to realize I was part of such a talented team.

“We basically gathered up all the gear we had, made an assessment and chose the best layout,” explains Audio Lead Scott Haraldsen. The layout that was settled on was fairly robust, allowing a great range of audio frequencies to be captured, and the options the team had afterwards were certainly inspiring when dealing with the task at hand. Four mics were dedicated to close-weapon recordings, with several stereo recorders placed throughout the range – 150 feet away pointing at the weapon, 300 feet downrange pointed away from the guns, and an omni-directional mic right in the center of the field.

The reasoning behind this approach is to capture the entire dynamic soundscape. While some of the mics placed further downrange would capture the echo from the weapons, the ones placed a bit closer to the source would be able to best capture the immediate transients.

When the team focused on the finer details of the sounds a gun makes, they also noticed that there are specific audio characteristics, giving each weapon its own personality. When someone listens to a gun being fired from a few feet away, there’s that distinct, sharp pop most associate with it, but when shooting the guns themselves, a new experience awaited. When firing a weapon, the team could hear all the fine mechanical sounds the weapon had to offer. They’d be able to hear all the metal parts moving around, even hearing the bullet leaving the chamber, all over that small timeframe.

“There’s a lot of action taking place, so there are interesting characteristics that you’d never really know about without firing a gun,” Audio Principal Patrick Balthrop said. “What makes a gun sound interesting from first person is actually how the gun is designed; the mechanics of it, the materials of the gun – metal, wood, the actual firing mechanism. It’s possible to record that stuff, but we decided to take what we heard in first person and design those intricacies later.”

After hearing those mechanical sounds when firing these guns, the team opted to ensure these characteristics were properly captured. The mechanical action of each weapon was recorded separately from the firing session since the sound of the gunfire was overwhelming the microphones. “To make all of our guns feel more tactile, we’re building a lot of that mechanical action back into the guns, because otherwise it would have been missed,” says Senior Sound Designer Jeff Seamster. “When you’re holding a machine gun and you’re aiming down the sights, we want this to feel like this jangling, unstable machine in your hands, so you’re getting that nice clack each time the slide comes back. Each time you have a grip or a piece of hardware jingling on the side makes the guns feel that much more visceral, exciting and dangerous.”

Be sure to check back next week for part two of our trip to the gun range, in which our heroes pull the trigger.

During the Irrational Games Voice Actor panel at PAX Prime 2011, there were a lot of great questions from those in attendance, questions we sadly couldn’t answer due to a lack of time. Fortunately, we heard many of them from the Irrational Games community, so we decided to pay tribute to our fans in this latest installment of Irrational Interviews by going straight to the source for the answers.

In this episode, Creative Director Ken Levine is joined by BioShock Infinite voice actors Troy Baker (Booker DeWitt) and Courtnee Draper (Elizabeth), as they tackle questions taken directly from our audience. Things kick off with Ken, Troy and Courtnee discussing the process of voice acting, how they approach their characters in BioShock Infinite, the emotions involved in a memorable performance, and even the collaborative process between the actors and director.

The podcast closes out as our trio explores how their characters evolve over the project, and how they identify with them as they become more familiar with the roles. Each person has a different perspective on how they learn about the characters, but the actors are able to shape the Booker and Elizabeth relationship as they build the connection between each other.

Share your thoughts about this podcast in the comments below, or head over to the forums for a more in-depth discussion.

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• Produced by James Bonney, Eduardo Vasconcellos, and Julian Murdoch
• Editing by Ant Bear Audio
• Music courtesy of The Happy Hollows

Are you going to need to complete the game to unlock 1999 Mode or is it available from day one?
-Facebook User Brandon Jackson

Bill Gardner: 1999 Mode doesn’t require you to complete the game before you can experience it. However, since we don’t want just anybody stumbling across it by accident and getting overwhelmed, we’re toying with the idea of “unlocking” it from the main menu. I’m sure you can imagine some ways we might do that.

Will it have a limited number saves, or designated save points, or anything that interferes with saving your game?
-Facebook User Sam Gross

Bill Gardner: We have no plans to change the save system. We felt that this would not enhance the experience we’re going for with 1999 Mode.

Many regret adding weapon degeneration in SShock2, but I loved that disadvantage. Will there be weapon degen in 1999 Mode?
-Twitter user acantophis3rd

Bill Gardner: Weapon degeneration won’t be a feature in 1999 Mode.

Will this harder mode make the enemies smarter or merely tougher and more accurate like many games do?
-Irrational Games user danielhill

Bill Gardner: The scarcity of resources and the fact that you’re having to deal with enemies using the tools you’ve specialized in make the enemies feel a lot tougher. That said, we’re not changing the enemies on a behavioral level. Things like health and accuracy will be tuned differently, but enemies won’t be using any screw attacks, showing off fancy new abilities or anything like that.

I had understood that the Nostrums were a permanent modification of the player character, as opposed to the Tonics of BioShock which could be swapped out at a Gene Bank. If the permanent player mods are in the 1999 Mode, does that mean that Nostrums in the regular version are modifiable?
-Irrational Games user 1019ice

Bill Gardner: One of our goals in BioShock Infinite is to give your choices more meaning across the board. Nostrums are permanent choices in every mode. However, in 1999 Mode, we take this even further by raising the stakes and make it so that if you’re not specializing in something, you’re really not going to be use that tool effectively (be it a weapon, vigor or other tool). Your choices push you towards specific play styles, and these are choices you’re going to need to commit to. Once you walk down a path, it’s going to be very difficult, if not impossible, to change course.

Besides the experience and ultimate bragging rights, would 1999 Mode have a payoff you’d miss in a normal playthrough?
-Twitter user phonehands

Bill Gardner: Aside from the zen of achieving such a masterful feat? Yes, we’ll have regular achievements/trophies as well.

Does higher difficulty imply enemies will become bullet sponges or more aggressive / intelligent / numerous?
-Twitter user Frobitz

Bill Gardner: We have a bunch of ways we’re adjusting how deadly they are. The mode isn’t about introducing new content. Rather, it’s about approaching decisions with more caution. You have to choose which fights you can take on, along with which tools to specialize in, while committing to a long-term strategy.

For more info on the BioShock Infinite 1999 Mode, Bill and Ken Levine answer some questions to provide some additional reading:

BioShock Infinite Gets Hardcore – IGN
BioShock Infinite’s 1999 Mode Forces You To Live With Your Choices – G4
Ken Levine On BioShock Infinite’s 1999 Mode – Game Informer

You can ask us your questions via our Twitter account, our Facebook page, or you can simply add them to the comments section below. Your questions will be answered in a blog post early next week, so be sure to get them in before it’s too late!

Back in December, there was a survey from us here at Irrational to better understand how you play games. We had a hunch about a new feature for BioShock Infinite, and we built this survey to see if it’s something that our fans wanted. The results of the survey are in and we heard what you want loud and clear, which is why we’re proud to announce something new for the game: 1999 Mode!

BioShock Infinite’s 1999 Mode will feature an especially demanding gaming experience, forcing you to examine your decisions while going through your adventure in Columbia. With every choice you make, there are irreversible implications, and if your choices guide you down a path not suited to your play style, you will suffer for it.

It’s not simply a matter of adjusting the difficulty sliders in the game – the team went much further than that. Resource planning? If you’re to survive this mode, proper planning will be crucial. Combat specializations? You’ll need to develop them efficiently and effectively throughout the story; any weapon will be useless to you unless you have that specialization. Combat? You will need to carefully target every shot, and your health will be set to an entirely different baseline. Game saves? Well, yes, there will be those, but according to Irrational Games Creative Director Ken Levine “there are game saves, and you’re gonna f***ing need them.”

“We want to give our oldest and most committed fans an option to go back to our roots,” said Levine. “In 1999 Mode, gamers face more of the permanent consequences of their gameplay decisions. In BioShock Infinite, gamers will have to sweat out the results of their actions. In addition, 1999 Mode will demand that players pick specializations, and focus on them.”

Click here to view the embedded video.

“If you’re not freaking psyched for BioShock Infinite, you may be missing some synapses in your mind grapes. Exploring the twisted, floating world of Columbia is something we can’t wait to do.” – IGN.com

“Where Rapture introduced us to an underwater dystopia filled with drugged riddled enemies, here we will be plunged into a civil war featuring sky mortars, ultranationalists who can summon flocks of crows, and varied automata resembling circus strongmen and the Maltese Falcon. We’re eagerly looking forward to what is next for this franchise.” – 1up.com

“Set in 1912, the action takes place in Columbia, a huge floating city constructed by the U.S. government as a lofty tribute to American ideals. Of course, this being a BioShock game, wrinkles abound: rival factions vie for ultimate control of Columbia even as the airborne community passes through rifts in the space-time continuum (occasionally placing its citizens at various points in time, including the early 1980s). If nothing else, Infinite has origins perhaps unique in the annals of gaming: lead designer Ken Levine got the central idea of his game while watching a history documentary on PBS.” – Time.com

“It’s tough to downplay the insane amount of hype that BioShock Infinite has around it, but it’s one of the only game franchises that really deserves it. Because the original had such an engaging storyline, brilliant art direction, and fantastic gameplay, we can only assume BioShock Infinite will deliver in all these areas and more.” – Cnet.com

“Returning to the BioShock helm is game designer Ken Levine, who dazzled players five years ago with the first chapter of this amazing franchise. There’s also the dizzying combat while riding the city’s skylines.” – USA Today

“Bioshock Infinite has been wowing audiences since its announcement in 2010 and has already won numerous awards even before its official release next year. Taking the action from underwater to the skies, creator Ken Levine is hoping fans will embrace the new direction and explore the new setting.” – CNN

“As if I wasn’t already champing at the bit for this after talking with the director and his voice cast, the latest trailer has me jonesing even harder. Listening to the Elizabeth character sing ‘Will the Circle Be Unbroken’ gives me goosebumps.” – WIRED & ArsTechnica

“But with creative director Ken Levine and the team at Irrational back behind the wheel, there is a definite buzz surrounding the development of BioShock Infinite, which trades the dark ocean depths for the blue skies and American Exceptionalism of the early 1900s.” – VentureBeat

“Infinite moves the action backwards in time and up in the air, sending you on a mission to the fascinating steampunk air-metropolis called Columbia. It’s like a secret adaptation of Thomas Pynchon’s Against the Day!” – Entertainment Weekly

“Expect imaginative design, compelling themes, and nail-biting gameplay to power Infinite to early Game of the Year consideration.” – Yahoo!

“Featuring an all-new setting and cast of characters, BioShock Infinite looks to take storytelling in games to another level.” – Game Informer

““There’s political and class warfare going on in the story, an AI companion in Elizabeth that seems like she’s really going to push the boundaries of anything we’ve seen before, the creepiness of the Songbird, and just the fact the game looks so damn pretty.” – Official Xbox Magazine

“It’s hard to not be excited for Bioshock Infinite, and when a game looks that good, it’s hard not to take notice.” – MediaKick

“BioShock has never been a series that shies away from moral decision making either and it will be the player’s choice whether to risk hurting their vulnerable partner in exchange for the extra power wielded.” – TheSixthAxis

“Columbia looks to be one of the most artistically realized settings in the history of gaming, and BioShock’s classic guns-meet-plasmids gameplay makes this our most anticipated game of 2012.” – VGChartz

BioShock Infinite was also named as a most anticipated game for 2012 at:
GameSpot.com
MSNBC.com
Complex.com
Videogamer.com
GeekSugar.com
Amazon.com

Here’s why we think Ken is swell.

Clint Bundrick, Principal Designer: Ken loves language and is quick to display that in everything he generates. Whether he’s putting lines like “the Handyman’s grabby, porcelain ape-hands can pound the player into meaty bits” into design documents, describing a weapon as “the bastard child of a hospital lab and the slaughterhouse” or creating temp Nostrum names like “filth gorger” he’s always good for a laugh and a clever name. He happens to be a great systems designer as well and can intelligently discuss everything from the Skinnerian reward structure to how we’re seriously lacking a dude-bro moment in one of our beats.

Your title is Principal Systems Designer. What does that mean?

Ken Strickland: It’s my job to bring the core gameplay of Bioshock Infinite to life, which is kind of like being a surgeon in the school of Victor Frankenstein. I raid the graveyard of terrible ideas for new parts, grab some of the good stuff from the big brain trust we have going on here, and hack away until only the useful bits remain. Stuff like our weapon set, Vigors, or our AIs.

That’s the easy part; almost anything sounds good in isolation. Once I sew all these component pieces together I see whether our core combat experience has become more than the sum of its parts. When my creation inevitably fails me, I take it apart, preserve the parts that work, and tinker with the rest. I’ll do that about a thousand times before we ship.

Luckily, I’ve got a great team of systems designers that I can point at all the really hard problems. And I have not once called any of them “Igor.”

What games have you worked on?

KS: I worked on a bunch of the PS2 and PSP Ratchet and Clank games, some prototypes that never saw the light of day, and the original Resistance: Fall of Man. Lots of playing with fun, absurd weaponry.

Describe Life at Irrational in three words or less.

KS: Fantastic creative maelstrom.

What is your favorite game of all time?

KS: Silent Hill 2. This is how you do horror, not with monster closets but by investing a character with stakes and slowly peeling them away. Incredible monster design, too.

Name a game everyone should play once in their life.

KS: Mass Effect 2. Halo’s core combat is still uncontested champ, but Mass Effect 2 brought together RPG, FPS, and Hollywood movie DNA in a way I find really compelling. Definitely a case of the sum being greater than its parts.

What is your favorite movie?

KS: “The Big Sleep” beats out “The Usual Suspects” by a nose. I’m a huge mystery buff, mostly in the style of Chandler and Ross Macdonald, and Bogart captures Marlowe’s weird combination of compassion and being a super-judgmental asshole. I also think it’s hilarious that they slid a movie about gambling, sex scandals, and the corruption of wealth past the Hayes Code; maybe having William Faulkner on the screenwriting credits bamboozled the censors.

What are your hobbies outside of work?

KS: I do a bunch of writing and toying around with indie game dev engines, but of course that waxes and wanes depending how engaging my current work project is. Needless to say, that home edition of Visual Studio isn’t seeing a whole lot of use right now.

I also enable my terrible baked-goods binges by going to a small Kenpo school a few blocks down from work.

Kenpo? That sounds fun! How’d you get involved with that?

KS: I’ve been doing some form of martial arts since the Resistance days, when a bunch of us designers decided we needed a little less “crunch gut” and a little more “flying kicks delivered at midnight from head-height cubicle walls”. We enlisted en masse at a local Kung Fu school, and it ended up becoming this crazy, pivotal experience for a lot of us. I got my black belt with those same friends years after we had moved on to different projects and roles within the industry.

Of course, when I moved to Boston, I spent way too long forgoing exercise in favor of exploring the city (by way of its restaurants), so I’m trying to plug holes in my Kung Fu training while starting afresh in this new style.

Tell me your favorite story about life at Irrational.

KS: There are a ton of great stories, but I think my favorite is still my first day in town! I had just moved into some temporary housing at the edge of Quincy, and after an hour I was convinced the complex was deserted except for phantom sounds and ghosts from “The Shining”. I had to get out. I called Bill Gardner to arrange lunch later in the week, and after thirty seconds on the phone he stops and says “Wait, you’re here, in town, now? Don’t move WE ARE COMING TO GET YOU.” Ten minutes later, no joke, this Black SUV pulls up and some game designer I’ve never seen before jumps out and tells me to hop into the back, and that it’s almost “too late”. No one can explain exactly what we’re going to, except that “It’ll be fun” and “Oh, it’s in the abandoned schoolhouse on the hill.” At this point I’ve texted my girlfriend to arrange ransom money.

We arrive at the school in the dead of night, and we enter one at a time into a pitch black hallway. I feel my way forward through some twists and turns, and eventually a series of tiny tea lights in the floor lead me into a room which my tired brain first identified as the dream sequence from “Twin Peaks”. Red draped walls, small stage with a jazz crooner, and a bunch of confused people all holding playing cards. A man in a white mask, the bird equivalent of Sander Cohen’s rabbit fetish, hands me a card and tells me to wait my turn. Then and only then am I told that I’m actually seeing some experimental take on MacBeth called “Sleep No More”, and not say, attending some sort of cult sacrifice already in progress. The show itself was incredible, but the experience of hurtling towards some deserted stretch of night with one’s soon-to-be coworkers, wondering if you trust them with your life, well, it’s the sort of thing that sticks with you.

One of the largest facets of the video game industry lies with the various game conventions that all developers must attend in order to show off their wares. Throughout the history of Irrational, the minds behind the games would often travel to the various gaming shows throughout the year, giving them unique experiences, including past events where some team members attended as part of the press. Not only did the team get to meet some of their heroes from the industry, but they also gained invaluable lessons when examining the wins, the failures, and the gaps between making and promoting a game.

• Part 1: The First Con – Ken Levine, Nate Wells
• Part 2: The Middle Years – Ken Levine, Nate Wells, Shawn Robertson, Chris Kline
• Part 3: Showing BioShock Infinite – Ken Levine, Nate Wells, Shawn Robertson, Chris Kline
• Part 4: The Other Side – Shawn Elliott, Joe Fielder, Chris Remo
• Part 5: Press Past – Shawn Elliott, Joe Fielder, Chris Remo
• Part 6: Covering Conventions – Shawn Elliott, Joe Fielder, Chris Remo

Be sure to let us know what you think in the forums, and in the comments section below!

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• Podcast produced by James Bonney and Shawn Elliott.
• Editing by Ant Bear Audio.

Podcast music provided by:

• Signal Hill (Theme music)
• Cathode Rays (Part 1 intro)
• The Monolaters (Part 2 intro)
• The Monolaters (Part 3 intro)
• Cathode Rays (Part 4 intro)
• Justin Schwenk (Part 5 intro)
• Signal Hill (Credits music)

Click here to view the embedded video.

As you can see, Xander put in quite a bit of care while making these, mixing and matching parts while improvising for the rest. The end result isn’t just any army, it’s a formidable force straight out of the depths of Rapture. Be sure to head over to The Warhammer Forum to get a deeper look at all of Xander’s work, while finding out all the details on how these modded miniatures were created.

Whatever could it mean? There’s one way to find out! Be sure to tune into the 2011 Video Game Awards this Saturday, December 10 at 8pm ET / 5 pm PT for the world premiere of the new trailer for BioShock Infinite.

As we journey towards the end of 2011, we’re entering the season of reflection, gazing at the past year, and looking forward to the next. While we’re in the thick of creating BioShock Infinite, one common thought occurred as we reminisce about this past year: We’d love nothing more than to better understand how you play games.

To do just that, we’ve created this survey to help us get a better grasp on what’s important to you, our wonderful fans. To take this survey, simply head to survey.irrationalgames.com – It only takes a few moments of your time, and better yet, it’s your chance to be heard!

As you may already know, Levine embraces all facets of nerd-dom, but in this interview, you’ll find out a bit more about why he loves geek culture, and why there’s no shame in that. If you’ve ever wondered a bit about Ken’s youth, how he got into writing, or if you’d simply like to know about some of the influences found in BioShock Infinite, this article may be well worth your time.

Click here for the full interview on the PlayStation Blog.

Here’s why we think Scott is swell

Jim Bonney, Audio Director: Scott is hardcore about pretty much everything. Whether it’s sound design, game development, ping-pong… you name it, he hits it hard. As the Audio Lead, Scott is both enforcer and advocate – making sure we get the job done, on time, and then representing our department to the rest of the dev team. Since we’re a small team, Scott is also constantly getting his hands dirty: doing field recordings, creating sound effects (like the zeppelin rocket barrage in the E3 demo), and authoring our most complicated technical audio systems. Besides being an accomplished musician and sound designer, Scott is an experienced programmer, and we all rely on his advanced technical expertise on an hourly basis.

Scott is also responsible for enlightening us with most of the “inside jokes” we continue to sling at each other day after day in the sound department – so in that way, he brings a lot of “depth” and “culture” to the group.

Your title is Audio Lead. What does that mean?

Scott Haraldsen: I actually wear quite a few hats as the Audio Lead at Irrational. Aside from the regular managerial tasks that every lead has to perform, one of my main duties is to work with the tech team to make sure we have all of the audio technology we need to make the game sound amazing. On top of that, you’ll typically find me creating sounds, implementing audio into levels, field recording or doing post-production on voice-overs.

At the end of the day though, my main duty is making sure that the work the audio department does is of high quality and delivered on time. I’m kind of like Patton going through Africa. Hell or high water, it’s going to get done.

What games have you worked on?

SH: Bully: Scholarship Edition, Empire Earth, Empires: Dawn of the Modern World, Star Trek: Legacy, Rise & Fall and Natural Selection.

Describe Life at Irrational in three words or less.

SH: Un-f%@*ing-believable.

What is your favorite game of all time?

SH: I was going to say Team Fortress 2 but in the end I’d have to say Diablo II. It has everything, an amazing story, addictive gameplay, great music and it’s a game that never gets old. It’s as fun today as it was when it was released over a decade ago.

Name a game everyone should play once in their life.

SH: E.T. for the 2600. Anyone who plays that game more than once needs their head examined.

Seriously though, the one game that I recommend to everyone is Beyond Good and Evil. I don’t think many people played it on release, which is a shame because it has some of the best characters ever created in a video game. They recently re-released it in HD for the 360 so if you haven’t, play it. NOW!

What is your favorite movie?

SH: I’d have to go with Blue Velvet since it’s the one movie that has influenced my career as a sound designer the most.

What are your hobbies outside of work?

SH: Music and Mixology. The nice thing about those two hobbies is they go great together.

Music and Mixology? What do you play? Are there any concoctions you have made that goes well with the music you’re playing?

SH: I mainly play organ but I also play guitar and bass from time to time. Also, I’ve found that certain drinks better suit the different styles of playing. For example, if I’m playing blues, I like to go with a whiskey based drink like a Manhattan or Sazerac. For jazz it’s Martinis all the way. For funk I prefer a cognac drink such as the Sidecar or Vieux Carre. It’s a beautiful thing.

Tell me your favorite story about life at Irrational

SH: The early stages of a project are both the most difficult and the most fun for the audio department. It’s difficult because we have no idea what we’re going to need two or three years down the road when the game is in full production, but also fun because it gives us a lot of time to experiment and try new ideas.

The one thing we knew we would need back when BioShock: Inifinite was conceived was a lot of wind recordings. And not just your typical everyday wind, we needed something that was new and strange since that is what Irrational does. Jim Bonney, our Audio Director, and I had gone out a number of times to different locations trying to get the sound we wanted but at the end of the day the recordings we got just ended up sounding like wind. They were technically great recordings, but they just didn’t have that strange sound we were looking for.

After experimenting a bit, we finally found something that we liked. We had recently purchased some contact mics (microphones that pickup vibrations through solid surfaces), and we wondered what kind of results we would get if we recorded the sound of wind affecting a solid object rather than just recording the wind. So when a gusty day eventually rolled around, we trekked out to different locations and recorded the sound of the wind affecting things such as aluminum framing and high tension wires. The results were amazing and we’ve used those recordings in a number of the sounds that you’ll hear in BioShock: Infinite. It was, by far, one of the most productive field recording trips that I’ve ever been a part of.

With the 1893 World’s Fair used as an influence, the discussion turned to the famous Columbian Exposition, examining how some ideas found in BioShock Infinite stemmed from the work of Nikola Tesla and George Westinghouse. “When you go back to that time period and start examining the fiction being written, the art, the early science-fiction – there were all these images of cities floating in the sky,” says Creative Director Ken Levine. “That’s where we got this idea from, and really ran with it.”

Care to discover more about the influences of BioShock Infinite? Would you simply like to know how some pioneers of science helped direct the creation of Booker and Elizabeth’s adventure in Columbia? Head over to the Geek Out blog on CNN for the entire interview.

Guillermo del Toro is known for films like Blade 2, Pan’s Labyrinth and the Hellboy series, bringing a specific brand of horror to his works, but it’s his passion for the nerd culture and a love for games that has guided him to where he is today.

In this second part of our Guillermo del Toro interview, Creative Director Ken Levine chats with Guillermo about what’s necessary to tell a story in a brand new medium, and how he’s adapting to the gaming industry to ensure his upcoming projects live up to his standards. These two narrators also discuss how to tell stories in various mediums, and how flexibility and dedication are necessities to the creative process.

To close out the interview, Ken and Guillermo return to the concept of passion, and how hard work and persistence will lead to bigger and better things.“At the end of the day, it’s about love. You can love wherever you are and you can love whatever you’re doing,” says del Toro. “I don’t want to sound like Mr. Chirpy, but put your shoulder to it, and put your heart into it.”

Share your thoughts about this podcast in the comments below, or head over to the forums for a more in-depth discussion.

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• Produced by James Bonney & Julian Murdoch
• Editing by Ant Bear Audio
• Music courtesy of The Happy Hollows

Let us know what you think in the comments section below!

Originally, we planned for 1st and 2nd place winners in both categories but due to lack of submissions in the BioShock Infinite category we have no 2nd place.

Category: BioShock Infinite

1st Place

Character: Elizabeth (Game Informer cover variation)

Submitted by:Katherine J.

———————————————————————————————-

Category: Original BioShock

1st Place

Character: Plaster Spider Splicer

Submitted by: Rachel B.

2nd Place

Character: Baby Jane Splicer

Submitted by: Fiona D.

Just after the launch of System Shock 2, Irrational Games had the opportunity to make its first console game, and the team had something just in mind. The Lost was Irrational’s new adventure being built for the PlayStation 2, and eventually the XBox, incorporating influences from across the spectrum. “The Lost was a bit of everything,” Gardner recalls about the adventure/horror project. “It was Silent Hill meets Zelda meets Devil May Cry in the sense that it was a series of levels in linear fashion, but within the levels, there was freedom.”

In the summer of 2003, the small team finished production on The Lost, but it was never published in North America. In the end, Irrational decided the game wasn’t up to their quality standards.

In 2005, things changed for The Lost when Irrational’s Creative Director Ken Levine met the CEO of a development studio in India called FXLabs. This fellow was hoping to bring more of the gaming industry to the Indian market. The pitch was to take the final finished version of The Lost, port it to PC only, and repurpose the game for the Indian market. The idea was approved, and localization of this port was under way.

“They spent about a year or so after we gave them all game assets and they periodically checked in,” says Gardner. “Finally, someone sent around a link to this YouTube video of the trailer for the game, and it had a bunch of Bollywood actors in it. There was this really well known Bollywood actress in the lead role, and just to see their spin on the game was a bit of cross-culture shock.”

*Disclaimer: We don’t speak the language, so we have no idea of what’s being said in this video. We apologize in advance if this is offensive to anyone in any way.

Click here to view the embedded video.

A few months later, The Lost was released and a few team members managed to get copies for themselves. Gardner recalls how surreal it was to the western eye, as the game was more or less the same when it came to the design. Beat for beat, the game was the same – the flow, the level structure, the weapons remained unchanged, but it was repurposed and redubbed for a different market. “You’re playing this game, this otherworldly version of a game you spent a couple of years working on, and it’s just weird,” comments Gardner. “You can’t wrap your head around how bizarre this is.”

With all the considerations and frustrations involved, this hasn’t turned the team off in the slightest. In fact, Gardner has found the upside to it all. “We wouldn’t have been able to make BioShock if it weren’t for The Lost. In a lot of ways, it was what BioShock wound up becoming. We had said with The Lost, we wanted to take a lot of what made System Shock 2 successful,” says the design director. “We learned so much from it, and learning to interface on a console game, while accounting for the tech aspects and considerations on all sides was, frankly, helpful.”

We stumbled upon this first piece on DeviantArt featuring Elizabeth from BioShock Infinite – while it’s a simple portrait, all the care and fine detail DeviantArt user Huzaa put into this depiction of Columbia’s mysterious young lady makes it truly shine.

Another piece of artwork arrived at the Irrational Games offices, this time, in the form of a poster. Created by Irrational fan Dan Lebl, this a piece is inspired by the propaganda imagery found within BioShock Infinite, and it’s focusing on events that occur prior to the events of the game. Needless to say, we were wowed when this arrived at the office.

You may have seen our final piece a few weeks back – it’s a vinylmation replica of Andrew Ryan from BioShock, created by custom toy artist Joe of War. As it turns out, this vinylmation version of Rapture’s head honcho was actually commissioned by an Irrational fan as a gift for Irrational’s Ken Levine, which he received at this year’s New York Comic Con. It’s now proudly displayed for all at Irrational Games to see.

Click here to view the embedded video.

The People Behind Booker and Elizabeth Part 1

Simply go to the VGA Website and click on your choice for most anticipated game – easy, right? BioShock Infinite is up against an impressive list of nominees, and every vote counts. Be sure to vote before it’s too late! The winner will be announced during the 2011 Video Game Awards, airing on Saturday, December 10 at 8pm ET, 5pm PT on Spike TV.

Take a look at the new episode of Off Book from PBS Arts and let us know what you think in the comments section below!

Gotta catch ‘em all!

I could go for some toast.

Ready for the ball.

Producer Joe Fielder approves of Lead Programmer John Abercrombie’s Joe Fielder costume. The real question is: Which is which?

A Silence for the good Doctor.

This is just a taste of what to expect – you can see the full Irrational Games Halloween 2011 gallery on our Flickr feed here.

Guillermo del Toro is known for films like Blade 2, Pan’s Labyrinth and the Hellboy series, bringing a specific brand of horror to his works, but it’s his passion for the nerd culture and a love for games that has guided him to where he is today.

For this Halloween installment of Irrational Interviews, Creative Director Ken Levine had a chance to sit down with this master of horror to talk about how to tell a frightening story, and how to create a character that is a monster to better suit the narrative at hand. Levine and del Toro also chat about the concept of passion, passion for what they do, and how that kind of enthusiasm helps on each project they work on.

“Films are fantastic – they are one of the peaks of human narrative. But I’m sorry to break the news to the movie industry: So is a video game.” – Guillermo del Toro

Share your thoughts about this podcast in the comments below, or head over to the forums for a more in-depth discussion.

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• Produced by James Bonney & Chris Remo
• Editing by Ant Bear Audio
• Music courtesy of The Happy Hollows

“The only thing we’re afraid of is losing things we have. You can’t be afraid of losing something you don’t have. If you don’t have a family, you don’t have any concern about losing them. You have to create a sense of stakes.” – Ken Levine

The ideas of loss and the unknown are just a few of the topics covered, with Levine explaining why they’re so potent in the horror genre, and how that’s reflected with the characters of Booker and Elizabeth throughout their journey in Columbia. Read the full story on Wired.com.

Click here to view the embedded video.

Stay tuned for part 2 of 2 soon!

“As a gamer, we like creating these worlds and seeing some reflection of what we’re working on, not telling the future so much as noting that it’s fun to reflect on what’s happening outside our window.” – Ken Levine

Would you care to find out how various political movements throughout history have influenced the events in the game? Have you been curious about the origins of Columbia? Would you simply care to learn more about the narrative of BioShock Infinite? You can read about all that and more at WashingtonPost.com.

Here’s why we think Dustin is swell:

John Abercrombie, Programming Lead: Dustin’s passionate about game development and laid back at the same time, which makes him one of the easiest and most effective people to work with anywhere. As an animation programmer, he has his hand in nearly every aspect of the game systems we make, including the systems and AI behaviors on top of the animation system for our complex AI. He shoots from the hip, constantly seeks perfection, is a seriously smart and talented programmer, and is an all-around great guy.

Don Norbury, Senior AI Programmer: What should you know about Dustin? His drumming skills make him a first-pick in company Rock Band competitions. You’d never know that he’s an Indiana native… until his second glass of Jack Daniels and a wild-eyed homage to the Oregon Ducks, followed by a description on the particulars of corn-husking. And most importantly? You never — ever — want find yourself on the painful end of his weapon in a Halo match.

He’s also been known to program on occasion… Dustin is our animation tech incarnate: He eats, sleeps, and breathes blend-networks, character-state representations, artist pipelines, and all sorts of nerdy crap he worries about so you don’t have to. Dustin also moonlights as an AI programmer and if he wasn’t busy running our animation, he’d probably take over all our AI work as well. (And we would love him for it.)

Irrational Games is Dustin’s first studio and we’re amazingly lucky to have nabbed him straight out of Digipen.

Your title is Animation Programmer. What does that mean?

I handle the majority of the animation programming and occasional AI programming, interfacing with Morpheme and setting up systems that the rest of the AI team uses to make things happen on screen.

What games have you worked on?

Just this one. When I started here we were working on an unannounced project, but that was only for a few months and then I transitioned onto BioShock Infinite from the start.

Describe Life at Irrational in three words or less.

Opportunistic, awesome, and challenging.

What is your favorite game of all time?

I spent a lot of time on Halo MP but if I had to go with one I would say The Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past.

Name a game everyone should play once in their life.

Shadow of the Colossus. I played it well after it came out and it was still unlike any other game. It’s on a whole other level of entertainment.

What is your favorite movie?

The original Matrix is good but I would pick Braveheart. I saw it when I was younger and it was epic.

What are your hobbies outside of work?

I play soccer. I just had a game last night.

Are you any good?

I ‘m the goalie and it was 6-0, so I guess so.

How long have you been playing?

I played a lot when I was younger, then played in a league in middle school. My hometown didn’t have a high school team so I didn’t play at all from middle school until college. When I came here, there was a game developer league for a little while so I was paying with the Irrational guys. That eventually disbanded and now I play with Ray (our systems admin) in another league.

Did you ever win a championship?

No, my middle school team wasn’t very good.

Tell me your favorite story about life at Irrational

When I started, I was on an unannounced project. When we transitioned off of that, we did a lot of sitting around and talking about what we wanted the game to be. I got to sit in on a lot of those conversations, so I was getting to listen to Ken, Nate, Shawn, Kline, Bill and all the other original BioShock guys hashing out what they wanted the new game to be. I even got to chime in every once and awhile. That was a really awesome experience.

As you can see, this blank figure has been masterfully transformed into none other than BioShock’s Andrew Ryan. What’s better is that joeofwar even went so far as to recreate Ryan’s final moments on the back of this custom Vinylmation figure. “The back of the head is Andrew Ryan’s ‘death mask.’ A little bloody and rugged for a Mickey, but I love how it turned out,” says joeofwar. “Ocean water surrounds the mask. The back of the left ear stands for Rapture – the underwater city Andrew Ryan thought up. The back of the right ear is a certain achievement you get in the game. A golf club comes in handy here.”

If that’s not enough, joeofwar also has a companion for old Mr. Ryan: Sander Cohen, making for a great addition to his collection of custom figures.

Care to see more of these custom Andrew Ryan and Sander Cohen figures? Click here to see the full thread and the entire picture collection in the forums.

In the video above, you’ll see Levine chat about his love for comics and why comic conventions are important to him, as well as how famous horror movies have helped guide the way Irrational tells a scary story. Along with that, Ken also explains some of the approaches used when designing the game world of Columbia and the various factions found within, giving some extra insight in how BioShock Infinite is created.

We kicked things off on Saturday afternoon with a signing for BioShock Infinite, featuring Irrational Games Creative Director Ken Levine, and voice actors Troy Baker and Courtnee Draper. We brought hundreds of lithograph we had printed just for the show – perhaps you’ve seen it before?

Everyone in line got a poster for the Irrational crew to sign, free of charge, and not only that, your poster was your ticket in our signing raffle. That’s right – 10 lucky attendees won NECA toy packs, including an EVE Hypo replica and a deluxe Big Daddy figure, all by simply stopping by. Meeting so many of our wonderful fans and having the chance to speak with so many of you face to face was an amazing experience. We met fans who showed their love for Irrational Games with tattoos, others who brought copies of Freedom Force for Ken to sign, and even some dressed in costumes inspired by their favorite BioShock characters. Take a look.

Once all that was all said and done, we set up shop at McGarry’s Pub just a few blocks away for any and all Irrational Games fans to come by, relax, and have a drink with us after the show. The turnout was absolutely stellar, with so many of our fans and forum members stopping by to introduce themselves in person. After everyone had a chance to get some food and drink, we held a raffle for a handful of Irrational Games goodies, including posters, EVE Hypos, and of course, five of our limited Murder of Crows bottles. Here’s an image of our first winner of a Murder of Crows bottle – we think her expression says it all…

Image courtesy Erin Rudy Photograpy.

That wasn’t even the best part. That came when we announced to those who stopped by the NYCC meet and greet that they were getting an extra, unexpected gift, and the reaction to the announcement was what we were hoping for.

Image courtesy Erin Rudy Photograpy.

Everyone who came to the Irrational Games  M&G is getting a copy of BioShock Infinite! There’s no catch – all folks had to do was show up, and we’ll be giving them a free copy of BioShock Infinite for the platform of their choice when the game launches. We wanted to do something special to thank our fans for all their support, so we figured a surprise was in order. Not too shabby, right?

Image courtesy Erin Rudy Photograpy.

Thanks to all who joined us in New York! We had an evening filled with so many great introductions and conversations, making it something that we’ll be remembering for a good, long while. We hope to see more of you soon at the next convention!

UPDATE: The Irrational Games Halloween 2011 Costume Contest is now over. Thanks to everyone who entered!

It’s that time of year again. The time when we all decide to turn pumpkins into art, collect candy from complete strangers, and don various, exotic costumes, all in the name of fun. We’re talking about the time honored tradition of Halloween, of course, and Irrational Games is pleased to announce its first ever Halloween costume contest for our fans! We’ve got some delightful treats in store for our costume contest winners through our two contest categories: Costumes from the original BioShock and costumes from BioShock Infinite. Each category will have 1st and 2nd place, for four winning contestants in total.

To enter e-mail a picture (.jpeg format under 8MB) of yourself in your costume to costumecontest@irrationalgames.com. Please include the following in your e-mail:

• Your name
• E-mail address
• Date of birth
• Phone number
• Which Category you are entering (BioShock 1 or BioShock Infinite)
• Name or title of character you are portraying

All entrants must read the OFFICIAL RULES (click here for rules) and agree to them by entering a submission in the contest.

We will be accepting contest submissions until November 8, 2011 at 12:00pm ET.

Entries will be judged by Irrational Games staff on Costume Execution and Incorporation of BioShock themes.

We will notify winners on November 9, 2011 via e-mail (winners have 5 days to respond) and will be announcing the official winners on November 14,2011.

Here’s what you could win!

• 1st place winners will receive a signed Murder of Crows Vigor bottle.

• 2nd place winners will receive a signed lithograph.

Please read these rules before entering the “Irrational Games Halloween Costume Contest (the “Contest”). Participation in the Contest constitutes  your full and unconditional agreement to and acceptance of these Official Rules and Regulations (“Official Rules”) and represents that you satisfy all of the eligibility requirements set forth below.

NO PURCHASE NECESSARY TO ENTER OR WIN.

Sponsor

The sponsor of the Contest (“Sponsor”) is Irrational Games, a wholly owned subsidiary of the United States company Take-Two Interactive Software, Inc. The Sponsor’s address is Irrational Games, P.O. Box 690412 Quincy, MA 02269

Eligibility & Entry

To enter the Contest follow the instructions to enter. There will be two entry categories for this Contest (each a “Category”): The original Bioshock and BioShock Infinite. A First and Second Place winner will be chosen from each Category. During the Contest Period (defined below), e-mail a photograph (“Photo”) of yourself in a costume from the original BioShock or BioShock Infinite created by you, to costumecontest@irrationalgames.com and be sure to specify which Category your are entering ( The original BioShock or BioShock Infinite) and which character you are portraying in the Photo. The Photo must be in .jpeg format and be under 8MB.  Entrants must also include in the email their name, date of birth, e-mail address and phone number.   All entrants must have read and agreed to these Official Rules. All Photos uploaded will be viewable by the general public and may be used by Sponsor or its partners for any purpose, in any and all media, in perpetuity.  By entering, you warrant and represent that you are the individual depicted in the Photo. No other persons may be depicted in your Photo. You further warrant and represent that you own the Photo or are authorized to grant Sponsor the rights and permission to use the Photo, including your first name and likeness included therein. By uploading a Photo, you further confirm that no permission of any kind is required from any party other than you in order for Sponsor or its partners to make such use, and consent to the foregoing, and that the Photo will not infringe on the rights of any third parties.  If your Photo was shot by a person other than you, you must obtain a written transfer of ownership from the photographer who shot the Photo transferring all rights in the Photo to you, and must provide a copy of the written transfer agreement to Sponsor upon request or the Photo may not be considered. All entry information and Photo shall be collectively referred to herein as the “Submissions” or each as a “Submission.”

Entrants must be legal residents of the fifty (50) United States or the District of Columbia who are at least 18 years of age on the date of entry. If over 18 years of age but still a minor in your state of residence, you must have permission from your parent or legal guardian in order to participate. Directors, officers and employees of Sponsor, its parent, and any of their respective affiliate companies, subsidiaries, agents, professional advisors, advertising and promotional agencies, and immediate families (i.e., parents, children, siblings, spouse) or members of the same household (whether related or not) of each are not eligible to participate or win any prizes. All applicable federal, state and local laws and regulations apply. CONTEST VOID OUTSIDE OF THE FIFTY UNITED STATES AND THE DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA AND WHERE PROHIBITED.

Limit one (1) Submission per person/email address throughout the Contest Period. No automated entry devices and/or programs permitted.  All Submissions become the sole and exclusive property of the Sponsor and receipt of entries will not be acknowledged or returned. Sponsor is not responsible for lost, late, illegible, stolen, incomplete, invalid, unintelligible, misdirected, technically corrupted or garbled Submissions, which will be disqualified, or for problems of any kind whether mechanical, human or electronic.  Only fully completed Submissions are eligible.  Proof of submission will not be deemed to be proof of receipt by Sponsor.

Contest Period

The Contest Period starts on October 18, 2011 at 5:00pm Eastern Time (“ET”) and ends on November 8, 2011 at 12:00pm ET (“Contest Period”).

Judging

Judges reserve the right, in their sole and absolute discretion, to disqualify any Submissions that are inappropriate for any reason, including without limitation, for depicting or mentioning sex, violence, drugs, alcohol and/or inappropriate language. Submissions will be judged on or about November 9, 2011 based on the following judging criteria (“Judging Criteria”): Costume Execution 50%; and Incorporation of BioShock themes 50%.

One (1) First Place winner and one (1) Second Place winner will be selected in each Category (Bioshock 1 and BioShock Infinite) at the conclusion of judging.  The Winners shall be the entrants whose Submissions received the highest score from the judges in each Category based on the Judging Criteria above.  Potential First Place winners and Second Place winners in each Category will be contacted by email on or about November 9, 2011.

All judging will be in Sponsor’s sole and absolute discretion and Sponsor’s decisions are final and binding on all matters relating to the Contest. Sponsor reserves the right in its sole discretion to disqualify any entrant that it believes to be tampering with the voting process or engaging in fraud or cheating, as determined by Sponsor in its sole discretion.

Prizes:

Each First Place winner (for a total of two First Place winners in the Contest – one in each Category) will receive a signed Murder of Crows Vigor bottle (Approximate Retail Value (“ARV”) of each First Place prize: $500).  Each Second Place winner (for a total of two Second Place winners in the Contest – one in each Category) will receive a signed songbird lithograph (ARV of each Second Place prize:  $50. ARV of all prizes combined: $1100.

Prizes are not transferable. No substitutions or exchanges (including for cash or credit) of any prizes will be permitted, except that Sponsor reserves the right to substitute a prize of equal or greater value for any prize. All unspecified expenses are the responsibility of winners.

If any prize or prize notification message is returned as undeliverable, or potential winner does not respond within five (5) days of notification, or refuses to execute the applicable documents, the prize will be forfeited. Winners may be required to complete and submit documents including an affidavit/declaration  of eligibility, publicity release, and/or appropriate tax forms to receive a prize. Sponsor will not replace any lost or stolen prize. If an eligible potential winner is considered a minor in his/her jurisdiction of residence, his/her parent or legal guardian will have to execute the appropriate documents and such prize will be delivered to minor’s parent/legal guardian and awarded in the name of parent/legal guardian.

All prizes are awarded “AS IS” and WITHOUT WARRANTY OF ANY KIND, express or implied (including, without limitation, any implied warranty of merchantability or fitness for a particular purpose). FEDERAL, STATE, AND LOCAL TAXES WHICH ARE ASSOCIATED WITH THE RECEIPT OR USE OF ANY PRIZES ARE THE SOLE RESPONSIBILITY OF THE WINNER.

In case of dispute, entries will be declared made by the authorized account holder of the account used at the time of entry or registration. “Authorized account holder” is defined as the natural person who is assigned to an e-mail address or account by an Internet Access Provider, on-line service provider, or other organization (e.g., business, educational institution, etc.) that is responsible for assigning e-mail addresses for the domain associated with the submitted e-mail address.

Collection of Information

The information necessary to conduct the Contest will be collected by Sponsor in accordance with Sponsor’s Privacy Policy available at www.take2games.com/privacy(the “Privacy Policy”). By entering the Contest, you give your consent to the collection, use and processing, as set forth in the Privacy Policy, by the Sponsor of your personal information provided at registration as well as any further information provided or collected during your participation. Upon request, you will be provided with access to your personal data. To exercise such right, you may write to the address provided in the privacy policy. You may also withdraw your personal data upon request, however you will be disqualified as an entrant in the Contest if you withdraw your personal data prior to the determination and fulfillment of the prizes.

Conditions/General Release

Submissions may be cut, edited, reformatted, rearranged, combined with other materials and/or otherwise modified, in Sponsor’s sole and absolute discretion.  Participation in Contest and acceptance of prize constitutes each winner’s permission for Sponsor to use his/her name, address (city and state), likeness, photograph, picture, portrait, voice, biographical information, Submission and/or any statements made by each winner regarding the Contest or Sponsor for advertising and promotional purposes without notice or additional compensation, except where prohibited by law. By entering the Contest, you agree to indemnify, release and hold harmless Sponsor, and any of their respective parent companies, subsidiaries, affiliates, directors, officers, partners, employees and agencies (collectively, the “Released Parties”) from any liability whatsoever, and agree not to make any claims against the Released Parties in respect of any costs, injuries, losses, or damages of any kind arising out of or in connection with the Contest (including, without limitation, participation in the Contest and use of your entry) or delivery, misdelivery, acceptance, possession, use of or inability to use any prize (including, without limitation, claims, costs, injuries, losses and damages related to personal injuries, death, damage to or destruction of property, rights of publicity or privacy, defamation or portrayal in a false light, whether intentional or unintentional), whether under a theory of contract, tort (including negligence), warranty or other theory. Sponsor reserves the right, in its sole discretion, to cancel, terminate, modify, extend or suspend this Contest should (in its sole discretion) virus, bugs, non-authorized human intervention, fraud or other causes beyond its control corrupt or affect the administration, security, fairness or proper conduct of the Contest. In such case, Sponsor may select the winners from all eligible entries received prior to and/or after (if appropriate) the action taken by Sponsor. Sponsor reserves the right, at its sole discretion, to disqualify any individual it finds, in its sole discretion, to be tampering with the entry process or the operation of the Contest or web site.  Sponsor may prohibit an entrant from participating in the Contest or winning a prize if, in its sole discretion, it determines that said entrant is attempting to undermine the legitimate operation of the Contest by cheating, hacking, deception, or other unfair playing practices (including the use of automated quick entry programs) or intending to annoy, abuse, threaten or harass any other entrants or Sponsor representatives.

CAUTION: ANY ATTEMPT BY AN ENTRANT TO DELIBERATELY DAMAGE ANY WEB SITE, APPLICATION OR UNDERMINE THE LEGITIMATE OPERATION OF THE CONTEST MAY BE A VIOLATION OF CRIMINAL AND CIVIL LAWS AND SHOULD SUCH AN ATTEMPT BE MADE, THE SPONSOR RESERVES THE RIGHT TO SEEK DAMAGES FROM ANY SUCH PERSON TO THE FULLEST EXTENT PERMITTED BY LAW.

Affidavit/Declaration & Release

As a condition of being awarded any prize, winners may be required to execute and deliver to Sponsor a signed affidavit/declaration of eligibility and acceptance of these Official Rules and release of liability, as permitted by applicable law. Failure to return a signed affidavit/declaration within five (5) days may result in forfeiture of prize. Potential winners are responsible for ensuring return of all required materials; proof of sending will not be considered proof of receipt by Sponsor.

Winners’ List: Rules Request

A list of winners will be posted at http://www.irrationalgames.com/insider/costume-contest-winners/ on or about November 14, 2011 and until December 14, 2011. For a copy of the winners’ list, send a stamped, self-addressed, business-size envelope after December 10, 2011 and before January 10, 2012 to Sponsor at the address listed above, Attn: IRRATIONAL GAMES HALLOWEEN CONTEST Winners List. To obtain a copy of these rules, visit http://www.irrationalgames.com/insider/costume-contest-rules/

Disputes
As a condition of participating in this Contest, entrant agrees that: (a) any and all disputes which cannot be resolved between the parties, claims and causes of action arising out of or connected with this Contest, or any prizes awarded, or the determination of winners shall be resolved individually, without resort to any form of class action exclusively by arbitration pursuant to the commercial arbitration rules of the American Arbitration Association, then effective; (b) Further, in any such dispute, under no circumstances will entrant be permitted to obtain awards for, and hereby waives all rights to claim punitive, incidental or consequential damages, or any other damages, including attorneys’ fees, other than entrant’s actual out-of-pocket expenses (e.g., costs associated with entering this Contest), and entrant further waives all rights to have damages multiplied or increased; and (c) The arbitration shall be conducted in the State of New York, in the City of New York, County of New York, and judgment on the arbitration award may be entered into any court having jurisdiction thereof.

Governing Law and Jurisdiction
This promotion is governed by US law and is subject to all applicable federal, state and local laws and regulations. Void where prohibited by law. All issues and questions concerning the construction, validity, interpretation and enforceability of these Official Rules, or the rights and obligations of entrant and Sponsor in connection with this Contest, shall be governed by, and construed in accordance with, the laws of the State of New York, U.S.A., without giving effect to the conflict of laws rules thereof, and any matters or proceedings which are not subject to arbitration as set forth in Arbitration Section of these Official Rules and/or for entering any judgment on an arbitration award, shall take place in the State of New York, in the City of New York, County of New York.

Miscellaneous
The invalidity or unenforceability of any provision herein shall not affect in any way the validity and enforceability of any other provision in these Official Rules.

In this “Making Of” feature, the Irrational Games team chats about nearly everything you’d like to know about what’s shown off in the demo. Have you wondered what it’s like to write these scenes? Are you curious what the characters are up to? Do you simply have questions about some of the gameplay elements like the “tear” system or how the Sky-Lines work? The IG crew covers all that and more. All you have to do to get the answers is head over to GameSpot.com and watch the video. Enjoy!

Amanda’s a tinkerer – she just likes to make things (she is a level designer, after all), so when she invested in a 3D printer, a whole new avenue of creation opened up to her. Since then, a few of her creations include a light-up TARDIS miniature replica, Minecraft-inspired fudge cubes, and of course, the delightful Murder of Cookies.

When asked why she was inspired to make these BioShock Infinite cookies, she says she was simply curious why nobody has made them yet, and decided it was a baking project worth pursuing. “To make the cutter, I took the Murder of Crows image and used that as a stencil,” Jeffrey explains. “Once in the 3D printer, it takes about 15 minutes to produce, and it costs about $.15 in materials.”

Better yet, once these treats are finished, Amanda brings them into the office to share with the team. She’d keep them for herself, but if she does, she says she runs the risk of eating them all. We’re more than happy to help her out of that jam.