Editing BioShock (section)

==Development==

===Game design===
Lead developer Ken Levine had created Irrational Games in 1997 out of former members from [[Looking Glass Studios]].<ref>{{cite web|url=http://pc.gamespy.com/pc/bioshock/707256p1.html |title=GameSpy: ''BioShock'' Preview |date=May 10, 2006 |access-date=November 4, 2007 |publisher=Gamespy |first=Li C. |last=Kuo |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071030124504/http://pc.gamespy.com/pc/bioshock/707256p1.html |archive-date=October 30, 2007 }}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=http://au.pc.ign.com/articles/556/556421p1.html |title=IGN ''BioShock'' Interview |publisher=IGN |date=October 4, 2004 |access-date=October 7, 2007 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090315134513/http://au.pc.ign.com/articles/556/556421p1.html |archive-date=March 15, 2009 }}</ref> Their first game was ''[[System Shock 2]]'', a sequel to Looking Glass's ''[[System Shock]]'', and was met with critical success, though it did not prove a financial one. Levine had attempted to pitch a sequel to ''System Shock 2'' to [[Electronic Arts]], but the publisher rejected the idea based on the poor performance of the earlier game.<ref name="eurogamer truestory"/> Irrational developed other games, including ''[[Freedom Force (2002 video game)|Freedom Force]]'', ''[[Tribes: Vengeance]]'', the canceled title ''Deep Cover'', and the completed ''[[The Lost (video game)|The Lost]]'' which was never released due to legal complications. At this point, Levine wanted to return to a game in the same style as ''System Shock 2'', a more free-form game with strong narrative.<ref name="eurogamer truestory">{{cite web|url=http://www.eurogamer.net/articles/2014-04-17-the-true-story-of-bioshock |title=Rapture leaked: The true story behind the making of BioShock |publisher=[[Eurogamer]] |date=April 17, 2014 |access-date=April 22, 2014 |first=Simon |last=Parkin |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140421234418/http://www.eurogamer.net/articles/2014-04-17-the-true-story-of-bioshock |archive-date=April 21, 2014 }}</ref><ref name="edge history">{{Cite magazine | url = http://www.edge-online.com/features/making-bioshock/ | title = The Making Of: BioShock | date = July 23, 2012 | access-date = November 1, 2016 | magazine = [[Edge (magazine)|Edge]] | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130531030452/http://www.edge-online.com/features/making-bioshock/ | archive-date=May 31, 2013 }}</ref>

In 2002, the team had come up with a core gameplay mechanic idea based on three groups of forces: drones that would carry a desirable resource, protectors that would guard the drones, and harvesters that would attempt to take the resource from the drones; these would eventually bear out as the Little Sisters, Big Daddies, and Splicers in the final game, but at the time of the concept, there was no set theme.<ref name="edge history"/> They began working on creating a setting as to be able to pitch the idea to publishers.<ref name="edge history"/> A 2002 demonstration version was based on the [[Unreal Engine 2]] for the [[Xbox (console)|Xbox]].<ref name="eurogamer truestory"/> This demonstration was primarily set aboard a space station overtaken with genetically mutated monsters; the main character was Carlos Cuello, a "cult [[Deprogramming|deprogrammer]]"—a person charged with rescuing someone from a [[cult]], and mentally and psychologically readjusting that person to a normal life.<ref name="eurogamer truestory"/><ref name="shacknews original story">{{cite web|url=http://www.shacknews.com/onearticle.x/48731 |title=Levine: ''BioShock'' Originally About Cult Deprogrammer (Updated) |date=August 30, 2007 |access-date=August 31, 2007 |first=Chris |last=Remo |publisher=Shacknews |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070926235653/http://www.shacknews.com/onearticle.x/48731 |archive-date=September 26, 2007 }}</ref> Ken Levine cites an example of what a cult deprogrammer does: "[There are] people who hired people to [for example] deprogram their daughter who had been in a lesbian relationship. They kidnap her and reprogram her, and it was a really dark person, and that was the [kind of] character that you were."<ref name="shacknews spoiler interview">{{cite web|title=Ken Levine on ''BioShock'': The Spoiler Interview |url=http://www.shacknews.com/featuredarticle.x?id=539 |date=August 20, 2007 |access-date=August 31, 2007 |first=Chris |last=Remo |publisher=Shacknews |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20091016213627/http://www.shacknews.com/featuredarticle.x?id=539 |archive-date=October 16, 2009  }}</ref> This story would have been more political in nature, with the character hired by a [[United States Senate|Senator]].<ref name="shacknews spoiler interview"/> The team collectively agreed that this game was not what they had set out to make, and were having trouble finding a publisher.<ref name="eurogamer truestory"/> Levine found that publishers were wary of [[immersive sim]]s as they did not sell well.<ref name="pcgamer edge 400"/> They considered ending development, but as news about their efforts to create a [[spiritual successor]] to ''System Shock 2'' began to appear in gaming magazines and websites, the team opted to continue development, performing a full revamp.<ref name="eurogamer truestory"/>

By 2004, 2K Games, a subsidiary of Take-Two Interactive, offered to publish the game primarily based on the drone/protector/harvester concept, giving Irrational the freedom to develop the story and setting.<ref name="edge history"/><ref>{{cite web|url=https://ign.com/articles/2008/10/29/13-scariest-games-of-this-generation?page=4 |title=13 Scariest Games of this Generation |date=October 29, 2008 |publisher=[[IGN]] |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140808052223/http://www.ign.com/articles/2008/10/29/13-scariest-games-of-this-generation?page=4 |archive-date=August 8, 2014 }}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://gameinformer.com/b/news/archive/2010/01/08/the-return-of-irrational-games.aspx |title=The Return Of Irrational Games |date=January 8, 2010 |publisher=[[Game Informer]] |access-date=January 20, 2010 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100111215144/http://gameinformer.com/b/news/archive/2010/01/08/the-return-of-irrational-games.aspx |archive-date=January 11, 2010 }}</ref> By this point, the story and setting had changed significantly, taking place in an abandoned World War II-era Nazi laboratory that had been recently unearthed by 21st-century scientists. Over the decades, the genetic experiments within the labs had gradually formed themselves into an ecosystem centered on the three groups.<ref>{{cite web | title = BioShock First Look – Exclusive First Impressions | url = https://www.gamespot.com/articles/bioshock-first-look-exclusive-first-impressions/1100-6110044/ | date = October 10, 2004 | access-date = August 2, 2008 | first = Andrew | last = Park | publisher = Gamespot | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20141106120001/http://www.gamespot.com/articles/bioshock-first-look-exclusive-first-impressions/1100-6110044/ | archive-date = November 6, 2014 | url-status=live | df = mdy-all }}</ref> This version included many of the gameplay elements that would remain in the final ''BioShock'', themselves influenced by concepts from ''System Shock 2''. These elements included the use of plasmids and EVE, the need to use stealth or other options to deal with automated security systems, direction through the environment from a non-player character relayed over a radio, and story elements delivered through audio recordings and "ghosts" of deceased characters.<ref name="multiple">{{cite web | url=http://www.gamespot.com/pc/action/bioshock/news.html?page=1&sid=6150533&tag=result;title;0 | title=E3 06: ''BioShock'' Gameplay Demo Impressions | publisher=Gamespot | date=May 10, 2006 | access-date=November 4, 2007 | author=Brad Shoemaker and Andrew Park | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120127063056/http://www.gamespot.com/bioshock/previews/e3-06-bioshock-gameplay-demo-impressions-6150533/ | archive-date=January 27, 2012 | url-status=live | df=mdy-all }}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.bit-tech.net/gaming/2007/08/21/bioshock_gameplay_review/6 |title=''BioShock'' Gameplay Review&nbsp;– Overlooked details |access-date=November 4, 2007 |date=August 21, 2007 |first=Joe |last=Martin |publisher=Bit-Tech |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071011122106/http://www.bit-tech.net/gaming/2007/08/21/bioshock_gameplay_review/6 |archive-date=October 11, 2007 }}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.gamebanshee.com/interviews/bioshock1.php |title=''BioShock'' Interview |publisher=Gamebanshee |date=June 13, 2007 |access-date=November 4, 2007 |first=Jon |last=Birnbaum |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071011195300/http://gamebanshee.com/interviews/bioshock1.php |archive-date=October 11, 2007  }}</ref> The funding provided by 2K Games in 2004 was a "modest budget", according to Levine, and when Irrational was acquired by 2K in 2006, the publisher put in a much larger set of funds to complete the game.<ref name="pcgamer edge 400">{{cite web|last=Stanton|first=Rich|date=July 15, 2024|url=https://www.pcgamer.com/games/fps/ken-levine-says-bioshock-was-almost-cancelled-after-going-over-time-and-over-budget-while-all-publishers-cared-about-was-that-these-games-dont-make-any-money|title=Ken Levine says Bioshock was 'almost cancelled' after going over time and over budget, while all publishers cared about was that these games 'don't make any money'|website=[[PC Gamer]]|access-date=July 15, 2024|archive-date=July 15, 2024|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240715181942/https://www.pcgamer.com/games/fps/ken-levine-says-bioshock-was-almost-cancelled-after-going-over-time-and-over-budget-while-all-publishers-cared-about-was-that-these-games-dont-make-any-money/|url-status=live}}</ref>

While the gameplay with the 2004 reveal was similar to what resulted in the released version of ''BioShock'', both design and story changed, consistent with what Levine says was then-Irrational Games' guiding principle of putting game design first.<ref name = "shacknews original story"/> These areas were also issued due to some internal strife and lack of communication between the various teams within Irrational, part of the result of having to expand the team from six to sixty members for the scope of the project.<ref name="eurogamer truestory"/> The environment was considered bland, and there were difficulties by the team's artists to come up with a consistent vision to meet the level designer's goals.<ref name="eurogamer truestory"/> A critical junction was a short experiment performed by level designer Jean Paul LeBreton and artist Hoagy de la Plante, setting themselves aside to co-develop a level that became part of the "Tea Garden" area in the released game, which Levine used as a prime example of a "great ''BioShock'' space", emphasizing the need for departments to work together.<ref name="eurogamer truestory"/> Levine found that the cyberpunk theme had been overplayed considering their initial reject from Electronic Arts for ''System Shock 3'', leading towards the underwater setting of Rapture.<ref name="eurogamer truestory"/>

The game's lead level designer was Bill Gardner.<ref name="gamasutra">{{cite web |last1=Francis |first1=Bryant |title=Would you kindly join us and BioShock designer Bill Gardner today at 3PM EST? |url=https://www.gamedeveloper.com/design/would-you-kindly-join-us-and-i-bioshock-i-designer-bill-gardner-today-at-3pm-est- |website=[[Gamasutra]] |date=September 16, 2016 |access-date=May 30, 2019 |archive-date=November 21, 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201121120245/https://www.gamasutra.com/view/news/281521/Would_you_kindly_join_us_and_BioShock_designer_Bill_Gardner_today_at_3PM_EST.php |url-status=live }}</ref> He cited [[Capcom]]'s [[survival horror]] series ''[[Resident Evil]]'' as a significant influence on ''BioShock'', stating there are "all these nods and all these little elements that I think you can see where ''Resident Evil'' inspired us". The team were particularly influenced by ''[[Resident Evil 4]]'', including its approach to the environments, combat, and tools, its game design and tactical elements, its "gameplay fuelled storytelling" and inventory system, and its opening village level in terms of how it "handled the sandbox nature of the combat" and in terms of "the environment".<ref>{{cite web |title=How Resident Evil 4 Influenced BioShock |url=https://www.denofgeek.com/us/games/bioshock/268610/how-resident-evil-4-influenced-bioshock |website=[[Den of Geek]] |access-date=May 30, 2019 |date=October 29, 2018 |archive-date=November 21, 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201121120245/https://www.denofgeek.com/games/how-resident-evil-4-influenced-bioshock/ |url-status=live }}</ref>

===Story and theme development===
[[File:Atlas Statue 630 Fifth Ave (1).jpg|thumb|right|upright|A visit to the [[GE Building]] and its [[Atlas (statue)|statue of Atlas]] in New York City was the principal idea that led to the art deco stylings of ''BioShock''.]]
The thematic core of ''BioShock'' was born when Levine was walking at [[Rockefeller Center]] near the [[GE Building]] in New York City. He saw the uniqueness of the [[art deco]] styling of the building along with imagery around the building such as the [[Atlas (statue)|statue of Atlas]] near it, and recognized that these were spaces that had not been experienced in the first-person shooter genre.<ref name="edge history"/> The history of the Rockefeller Center also fed into the story concept; Levine noted how the center had started construction prior to the [[Great Depression]]; when the primary financiers had pulled out, [[John D. Rockefeller Jr.]] backed the remaining construction to complete the project himself, as stated by ''Edge'' magazine "a great man building an architectural triumph against all the odds".<ref name="edge history"/> The history of Rapture and the character of Andrew Ryan is loosely based on Rockefeller's story.<ref name="edge history"/> He also considered that many of the characters of Rapture were all people who were oppressed once before in their lives and now free of that oppression, have turned around and become the oppressors, a fact he felt resonated throughout human history.<ref name="glixel sept2016"/>

At this point in the development, the backdrop of Rapture had been fleshed out, but they had yet to come on how to represent the drones, protectors, and harvesters from their original game idea. The Big Daddy concept as the protector class was developed early in the process, but the team had yet to reach a satisfying design for the drones, having used several possible designs including bugs and dogs in wheelchairs.<ref name="edge history"/> The team wanted to have the player care for the drones in some way and create pathos for these characters. The idea of using little girls came out of brainstorming, but was controversial and shocking within the team at first, recognizing that they could easily be killed and make the game more horrific in the style of ''[[Night Trap]]''.<ref name="edge history"/> However, as Levine worked on the story, he started to incorporate the ideas of dystopian and utopian thinkers from the 20th century, including [[Ayn Rand]], [[Aldous Huxley]], and [[George Orwell]], and considered their ideas "fascinating".<ref name="ign myths">{{cite web |url=http://au.xbox360.ign.com/articles/704/704806p1.html |title=The Influence of Literature and Myth in Videogames |first=Douglass C. |last=Perry |publisher=IGN |date=May 26, 2006 |access-date=October 7, 2007 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090104025910/http://au.xbox360.ign.com/articles/704/704806p1.html |archive-date=January 4, 2009 }}</ref> He brought in the ideas of [[Objectivism]] that Rand primarily outlined in the book ''[[Atlas Shrugged]]'', that man should be driven by selfishness and not altruism, and used this to inform the philosophy behind the city of Rapture and Andrew Ryan's work, viewing them as quite ludicrous, and primed to be applied to an antagonist, tied in with his previous observations on Rockefeller and his writings.<ref name="edge history"/> This was extended to the use of the little girls as drones (now Little Sisters), particularly the question whether the player should try to save the girls or harvest the ADAM for their benefit.<ref name="edge history"/> 2K Games expressed concern about the initial mechanic of the Little Sisters, where the player would actively prey on the Little Sister, which would have alerted a Big Daddy and set up the fight with the player. This approach did not sit well with Levine, and 2K Games asserted that they would not ship a game "where the player gets punished for doing the right thing".<ref name="eurogamer truestory"/> They altered this approach where the Little Sisters would be invulnerable until the player had dealt with their Big Daddy, though LeBreton considered this "a massive kludge" into the game's fiction.<ref name="eurogamer truestory"/><ref name="edge history"/> The idea of creating the Little Sisters and presenting the player with this choice became a critical part of the game's appeal to the broader gaming market, although it was met with criticism from some outlets.<ref name="edge history"/> Levine desired only to have one ending to the game, something that would have left the fate of the characters "much more ambiguous", but publisher pressure directed them to craft multiple endings depending on the choice of harvesting Little Sisters.<ref name="glixel sept2016"/> Levine also noted that "it was never my intention to do two endings for the game. It sort of came very late and it was something that was requested by somebody up the food chain from me."<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.gamespot.com/articles/qanda-diving-deeper-into-bioshocks-story/1100-6179423/ |title=Q&A: Diving deeper into ''BioShock''s story |date=September 20, 2007 |access-date=September 20, 2007 |publisher=Gamespot |first=Brendan |last=Sinclair |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141011144853/http://www.gamespot.com/articles/qanda-diving-deeper-into-bioshocks-story/1100-6179423/ |archive-date=October 11, 2014 }}</ref>

Other elements came into the story design. Levine had an interest in "stem cell research and the moral issues that go around <nowiki>[it]</nowiki>".<ref name="ign myths"/> Regarding artistic influences, Levine cited the books ''[[Nineteen Eighty-Four]]'' and ''[[Logan's Run]]'', representing societies that have "really interesting ideas screwed up by the fact that we're people".<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.eurogamer.net/article.php?article_id=77456 |title=Big Daddy speaks |publisher=[[Eurogamer]] |first=Johnny |last=Minkley |date=June 8, 2007 |access-date=June 21, 2008 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070821030637/http://www.eurogamer.net/article.php?article_id=77456 |archive-date=August 21, 2007 }}</ref> The idea of the mind control used on Jack was offered by LeBreton, inspired by films like ''[[The Manchurian Candidate (1962 film)|The Manchurian Candidate]]'', as a means to provide a better reason to limit the player's actions as opposed to the traditional use of locked doors to prevent them exploring areas they should not. The team had agreed that Jack's actions would be controlled by a key phrase but struggled with coming up with one that would not reveal Atlas' true nature. Levine happened upon "Would you kindly" after working on marketing materials for the game that asked the reader hypothetical questions such as "Would you kill people, even innocent people, to survive?", later working that phrase into the first script for the game.<ref name="eurogamer truestory"/>

Numerous tensions within the team and from publisher 2K Games continued during the development process. According to LeBreton, Levine was distrustful of some of the more egotistical newer hires and was often arguing with them to enforce his vision of ''BioShock''.<ref name="eurogamer truestory"/> 2K Games was concerned with the growing budget for the title, and told Levine to market the title more as a first-person shooter rather than the first-person shooter/role playing game hybrid they set out for.<ref name="eurogamer truestory"/> Near the targeted release date, Levine ordered the team into round-the-clock development, creating more strife in the team.<ref name="eurogamer truestory"/> Paul Hellquist, the game's lead designer, was often omitted from key design meetings, which he later recounted was due to his contrary nature to Levine, questioning several of his choices; he used his frustration to put into the design efforts for the Medical Pavilion level that he was in charge of at that time.<ref name="eurogamer truestory"/> Near the anticipated completion date, 2K decided to give Irrational another three months to polish up the game, extending the current crunch time the studio was already under.<ref name="eurogamer truestory"/> This left some hard-to-discover bugs and issues in the game undiscovered. One such case was an apparent [[Easter egg (media)|Easter egg]] found in the remastered version in 2018, where under certain conditions, the player can end up looking at an object with the description "Paul Hellquist did not do his Job". Both Levine and Chris Kline, the game's lead programmer confirmed the message was a cheeky jab at Hellquist left as a debugging message; Kline and Hellquist were developing the systems to show descriptions of objects to players when looked at, and Hellquist offered to complete all the necessary descriptions in-game; to jokingly help prod Hellquist along, Kline put "Paul Hellquist did not do his Job" as the default message within the executable code. While the code message was changed for the original release, the remastered version likely used a pre-final version of the ''BioShock'' code, according to Kline.<ref>{{cite web | url = http://www.pcgamer.com/bioshock-developer-confirms-that-obscure-easter-egg-debug-message-is-real/ | title = BioShock developer confirms that obscure Easter egg debug message is real | first = Andy | last = Chalk | date = January 9, 2018 | access-date = January 9, 2018 | work = [[PC Gamer]] | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20180109235001/http://www.pcgamer.com/bioshock-developer-confirms-that-obscure-easter-egg-debug-message-is-real/ | archive-date = January 9, 2018 | url-status=live | df = mdy-all }}</ref> Hellquist took the revelation in good humor and tweeted that other Easter eggs should have been added to the game to display: "If you are enjoying this, Paul Hellquist did his job."<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.kotaku.com.au/2018/01/obscure-hidden-message-in-bioshock-re-surfaces-a-decade-after-release/ |title=Obscure Hidden Message In BioShock Re-Surfaces A Decade After Release |date=January 9, 2018 |publisher=[[Kotaku]] |access-date=January 9, 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180110044506/https://www.kotaku.com.au/2018/01/obscure-hidden-message-in-bioshock-re-surfaces-a-decade-after-release/ |archive-date=January 10, 2018 |url-status=dead  }}</ref>

A critical [[playtest]] of the game occurred in January 2007, where initial feedback from the players was mostly negative, including issues of the setting being too dark, having no idea where to go, and distrusting Atlas, who at the time was voiced in a southern drawl, described as a "lecherous Colonel Sanders".<ref name="eurogamer truestory"/> The team took this criticism to heart, revamping several elements during those extra months such as improving the lighting, implementing a quest marker, and using an Irish voice for Atlas to make him sound more trustworthy.<ref name="eurogamer truestory"/> During another late-stage playtest with the title "ninety-nine percent" complete according to Levine, the playtesters did not like the game at all as they felt no connection to the player-character Jack, and the person overseeing the tests told Levine that the game was likely to be a failure. At this point, ''BioShock'' did not have many cutscenes, as Levine was ideologically opposed to them. However, the following day, Levine and the lead group came up with a "cheap" way to correct this, by adding the initial cut scene within the plane and the subsequent plane crash, as this helped to set the time frame, place the player in the role of the character, and alluded to the "would you kindly" line later in the game.<ref name="glixel sept2016">{{cite magazine |url=https://www.rollingstone.com/culture/news/we-were-all-miserable-inside-bioshock-video-game-franchise-w439921 |title=Inside the Making of 'BioShock' Series With Creator Ken Levine |first=Chris |last=Suellentrop |date=September 14, 2016 |access-date=September 15, 2016 |magazine=[[Rolling Stone]] |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160916112859/http://www.rollingstone.com/culture/news/we-were-all-miserable-inside-bioshock-video-game-franchise-w439921 |archive-date=September 16, 2016 }}</ref> Levine likened this approach to the initial aircraft crash at the onset of the television show ''[[Lost (2004 TV series)|Lost]]'' to quickly establish character and setting.<ref name="edge history"/>

The game was successfully released in August 2007 with a final budget of about $25 million.<ref name="eurogamer truestory"/> In a 2016 interview, Levine felt that the game could have used about six more months of development to improve the gun combat system and fix lagging issues that occurred during the final boss fight.<ref name="glixel sept2016"/> Despite the critical success of the title, many of those on the team would leave Irrational to pursue other projects due to late development strife that occurred.<ref name="eurogamer truestory"/>

In an interview in 2018, Levine had come to recognize that ''BioShock'' reflected several [[Jews|Jewish]] themes, though this was not intentional. Levine, who considers himself culturally Jewish but [[Jewish secularism|does not follow]] [[Judaism]], had grown up in New Jersey but spent much of his childhood time with his father who worked in Manhattan's [[Diamond District, Manhattan|Diamond District]] and visiting his grandparents in [[Queens]], a neighborhood with a large proportion of Eastern European immigrants. Thus, Levine was exposed to much of the Jewish culture that flourished in the area following [[World War II]] and understood some of the anxiety Jewish people faced.<ref name="kotaku jewish">{{cite web | url = https://kotaku.com/bioshocks-jewish-roots-run-deep-1827482206 | title = BioShock's Jewish Roots Run Deep | first = Cody | last = Mello-Klein | date = July 10, 2018 | access-date = July 10, 2018 | work = [[Kotaku]] | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20180711021704/https://kotaku.com/bioshocks-jewish-roots-run-deep-1827482206 | archive-date = July 11, 2018 | url-status=live | df = mdy-all }}</ref> In the 2018 interview, Levine recognized several of the characters, including Andrew Ryan (who was inspired by Ayn Rand who was also Jewish), Sander Cohen, and Brigid Tenenbaum, were written all as Jewish, and all seeking to escape a world they felt they did not fit into by going to Rapture; Levine said: {{"'}}There's literal displacement and then there's a feeling of not fitting in, of 'I don't really belong here'. I think Jews are always going to feel a little bit like they don't belong wherever they are. There's always that 'what if we have to flee' mentality."<ref name="kotaku jewish"/>

===Game engine===
''BioShock'' uses a heavily modified [[Unreal Engine 2|Unreal Engine 2.5]] with some of the advanced technologies from [[Unreal Engine 3]].<ref name=engine /> Irrational had previous experience with modifying and expanding on the Unreal Engine in ''[[SWAT 4]]'', and continued this advancement of the engine within ''BioShock''. One significant improvement they added was improved water effects, given the nature of the game's setting, hiring a programmer and artist to focus on the water effects.<ref>{{cite web | url=http://360.advancedmn.com/article.php?artid=7461&pg=3 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071011171901/http://360.advancedmn.com/article.php?artid=7461&pg=3 | archive-date=October 11, 2007| title=E3 06: ''BioShock'' Interview Transcript | date=May 18, 2006|access-date = May 18, 2007 | publisher = Advanced Media Network | first = Eric | last = Topf}}</ref> This graphical enhancement has been lauded by critics, with [[GameSpot]] saying: "Whether it's standing water on the floor or sea water rushing in after an explosion, it will blow you away every time you see it."<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.gamespot.com/xbox360/action/bioshock/review.html |title=''Bioshock'' |date=August 21, 2007 |access-date=August 21, 2007 |first=Jeff |last=Gerstmann |publisher=Gamespot |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071011093628/http://www.gamespot.com/xbox360/action/bioshock/review.html |archive-date=October 11, 2007 }}</ref> ''BioShock'' also uses the [[Havok Physics]] engine that allows for an enhancement of in-game [[physics]], the integration of [[ragdoll physics]], and allows for more lifelike movement by elements of the environment.<ref name="BioFAQs 2">{{cite web|url=http://www.bioshock-online.com/faq/#engine |title=''BioShock'' FAQs&nbsp;– What engine is ''BioShock'' using? |access-date=October 7, 2007 |date=December 30, 2006 |publisher=Through the Looking Glass |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071011150416/http://bioshock-online.com/faq/ |archive-date=October 11, 2007 }}</ref> The Windows version was built to work in both [[Direct3D|Direct3D 10 (DirectX 10)]] and DirectX 9, with the DirectX 10 version supporting additional water and particle effects.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://au.gamespot.com/features/6177688/index.html |title=BioShock Hardware Performance Guide |first=Sarju |last=Shah |date=August 26, 2007 |access-date=March 3, 2008 |publisher=Gamespot AU |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071026023845/http://au.gamespot.com/features/6177688/index.html |archive-date=October 26, 2007 }}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.bit-tech.net/gaming/2007/08/30/bioshock_gameplay_graphics_and_performance/1 |title=BioShock: Graphics & Performance |date=August 30, 2007 |access-date=March 3, 2008 |first=Tim |last=Smalley |publisher=Bit-Tech |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080216102314/http://www.bit-tech.net/gaming/2007/08/30/bioshock_gameplay_graphics_and_performance/1 |archive-date=February 16, 2008 }}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.extremetech.com/computing/77486-bioshock-image-quality-dx9-vs-dx10 |title=''BioShock Image Quality: DX9 Vs. DX10'' |date=August 23, 2007 |publisher=ExtremeTech |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160308211124/http://www.extremetech.com/computing/77486-bioshock-image-quality-dx9-vs-dx10 |archive-date=March 8, 2016 }}</ref>

===Soundtrack===
{{Main|Music of the BioShock series}}

''BioShock'' contains both licensed music and an original score. The licensed music from the 1930s, 1940s, and 1950s can be heard playing on [[phonograph]] throughout Rapture. In total, 30 licensed songs can be heard throughout the game.<ref name="Hyrb">{{cite web | url = http://www.majornelson.com/archive/2007/10/11/bioshock-music-list.aspx | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20090604094249/http://majornelson.com/archive/2007/10/11/bioshock-music-list.aspx | archive-date = June 4, 2009 | title = ''BioShock'' Music list | date = October 11, 2007 | access-date = October 12, 2007 | publisher = Major Nelson's Blog | first = Larry | last = Hyrb }}</ref> The original score was composed by [[Garry Schyman]]. He composed his pieces to blend with the chosen licensed music as to keep the same feel, while also trying to bring out something that was "eerie, frightening and at times beautiful" to mesh well with Rapture's environments.<ref>{{Cite book | title = Soundtrack Nation: Interviews with Today's Top Professionals in Film, Videogame, and Television Scoring, 1st Ed. | isbn = 978-1435457621 | publisher = Cengage Learning | year = 2010 | first = Tom | last =Hoover | section = Chapter 1: Gerry Schyman }}</ref>

2K Games released an orchestral score soundtrack on their official homepage on August 24, 2007. Available in [[MP3]] format, the score—composed by Garry Schyman—contains 12 of the 22 tracks from the game.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.2kgames.com/cultofrapture/article/orchestralscore |title=Introducing the BioShock Orchestral Score |publisher=[[2K Games]] |access-date=November 4, 2007 |date=August 24, 2007 |first=Elizabeth |last=Tobey |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110928132152/http://www.2kgames.com/cultofrapture/article/orchestralscore |archive-date=September 28, 2011 }}</ref> The Limited Edition version of the game came with ''The Rapture EP'' remixes by [[Moby]] and Oscar The Punk.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://kotaku.com/gaming/its-free/a-bioshockep-with-period-remixes-290859.php |title=Limited Edition Rapture EP |publisher=Kotaku |access-date=September 24, 2011 |date=August 17, 2007 |first=Luke |last=Plunkett |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071112063230/http://kotaku.com/gaming/its-free/a-bioshockep-with-period-remixes-290859.php |archive-date=November 12, 2007 }}</ref> The three remixed tracks on the CD include "[[Beyond the Sea (song)|Beyond the Sea]]", "[[God Bless the Child (Billie Holiday song)|God Bless the Child]]" and "Wild Little Sisters"; the original recordings of these songs are in the game.<ref>{{cite magazine|url=https://www.wired.com/gamelife/2007/08/a-tale-of-two-c/ |title=A Tale of Two Covers: BioShock |first=Susan |last=Ardant |date=August 21, 2007 |access-date=September 24, 2011 |magazine=[[Wired (magazine)|Wired]] |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121108072438/http://www.wired.com/gamelife/2007/08/a-tale-of-two-c/ |archive-date=November 8, 2012 }}</ref> ''BioShock''{{'s}} score was released on a vinyl LP with the ''BioShock 2'' Special Edition.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.2kgames.com/cultofrapture/article/bioshock2se |title=The BioShock 2 Special Edition |first=Elizabeth |last=Tobey |date=November 19, 2009 |access-date=January 28, 2010 |publisher=[[2k Games]] |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120228211429/http://www.2kgames.com/cultofrapture/article/bioshock2se |archive-date=February 28, 2012 }}</ref>