2K Boston's Kline: Appetite For BioShock-like Experience On Wii

Author: by Brandon Sheffield, Staff

Talking to Gamasutra as part of a wide-ranging interview, 2K Boston tech director Chris Kline says there's no reason why the Wii can't have a complex game like BioShock -- provided newer audiences can be properly introduced to that brand of content. Console audiences are diversifying, and when it comes to complex content on accessible consoles like Wii, he says, "I think there is an appetite out there; it's just a matter of finding the right way to bring it to them." "It seems like, on the Wii, there's some education necessary for a large part of that demographic, in terms of, 'Here's why you should want to play this game, instead of Wii Fit.'" And yet, Kline doesn't feel Wii Fit or others of Nintendo's user-friendly activity games "aren't real games." Even being himself a gamer, he says he sometimes finds that new controller mappings and constantly-evolving experiences sometimes pose a barrier to entry. "Every time I pick up a new game, I'm like, 'Oh my god, they've changed the controller mappings again,' and now I've got to, you know, reconfigure my head, just so I can start to enjoy this game," Kline says. But accessibility needn't limit complexity. "With something like the Wii, You just pick it up, and it's natural," he says. "I don't think there's anything preventing the game complexity of BioShock from being on the Wii.""