Epic Games design director and game industry celebrity Cliff Bleszinski joins us for an Irrational Interviews discussion about his unique role in games, outside perceptions of the medium, and the collaborative nature of development.

Creative people have no shortage of media through which to express their ideas, and they often move from one to another before they find the one that most speaks to them. Kieron Gillen had a long and successful career as a game journalist, including founding the popular PC game blog Rock, Paper, Shotgun. Now, he has largely put journalism behind him and has signed an agreement to write comic books exclusively for Marvel, following his respected work on Marvel’s Thor and the Image-published Phonogram.

In the third episode of Irrational Interviews, Gillen joins Irrational’s Ken Levine and Chris Remo to talk about how creative works can convey the fears, preoccupations, and passions of their makers. They discuss the similarities (and differences) between comics and games, and how it becomes more difficult for creators to perceive their works in the same way consumers see them. Also, learn what horse-faced hammer-wielding space aliens have to do with musings on humanity and divinity.

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

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• Produced by James Bonney, Chris Remo, and Alan Bise
• Music provided by The Happy Hollows

“The city is an equal lead character to whoever your leads are,” says noted comics writer Brian Michael Bendis, author of successful independent series Powers as well as numerous Marvel lines including Ultimate Spider-Man. That philosophy makes Bendis the perfect interview subject for Ken Levine, whose contributions to BioShock’s city of Rapture helped make the game’s setting its most defining element.

Both creators made their biggest impact on fiction after exploring other forms. Bendis cut his teeth on crime fiction, while Levine began his writing career as a screenwriter. Those experiences helped them develop their ideas about writing, as well as an appreciation for what makes their chosen forms unique.

In the second episode of Irrational Interviews–recorded prior to the announcement of BioShock Infinite–Levine, Bendis, and Shawn Elliott discuss lessons learned in writing, the challenges of character permanence in games and comics, and much more.

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

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• Produced by James Bonney, Shawn Elliott and Alan Bise
• Music provided by The Happy Hollows
• Spider-Woman Motion Comic clips courtesy of Marvel Comics

Since launching IrrationalGames.com we’ve been thrilled by the public’s reaction to our monthly features From the Vault and Irrational Behavior. Today we are excited to announce the pilot episode of Irrational Interviews. Irrational Interviews features Ken Levine and Shawn Elliott sitting down with members of the entertainment industry and having a frank and open discussion on a wide variety of topics.

For the pilot episode we are happy to have Todd Howard, Executive Producer and Game Director from Bethesda Softworks.  Howard has been at Bethesda since 1994, with countless classics under his belt including The Elder Scrolls III: Morrowind, The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion, and most recently Fallout 3. Howard is well known for his sense of humor and his drive to make great games.

Head over to the forums for the usual lively discussion.

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• Produced by James Bonney, Shawn Elliott and Alan Bise
• Music Provided by The Happy Hallows