Ken Levine: Games As Important As Riverdance

BioShock creator and 2K Boston head Ken Levine doesn't think games are as important as food, but they are important as 90s Irish step dancing sensation Riverdance.

Fielding a series of questions from the Academy of Interactive Arts & Sciences, BioShock main man Ken Levine tackled a variety of issues about game development, from the success of World of Warcraft to what he sees as the biggest trends in development today.

Asked whether he believes that games can be considered "important," Levine acknowledged that games might not be as vital as food, but "compared to other Media? Why the hell not? Important is a relative term...there's no reason we can't be as important as a poem, a song, a movie, a River Dance [sic]." Okay, well what about Michael Flatley's Lord of the Dance? Are games as important as that?

Levine also commented on what game he's most jealous of (World of Warcraft for its neverending development cycle and "the zillions and zillions of dollars") and his own habits as a gamer. "If you don't play games you're not a developer," Levine said. "I play everything - great games from start to finish - crap, one-to-five minutes."

So what's Ken Levine been playing lately, then? "The last six months has cracked open the real potential of co-op a tiny bit," Levine said, remarking on what he thought was the biggest recent trend in games. "I've been playing a ton of Left 4 Dead, Resistance 2, Warhammer Online and I'm not someone who is big on multiplayer except for endless bouts of pathetic WoW solo grinding."

Left 4 Dead? As important as Riverdance? As if.

[Via Fidgit]