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In a sprawling conversation, Brandon Sanderson and esports gaming legend Travis Gafford dove into their top five video game worlds, and one in particular emerged as an exceptional pick from Sanderson. The Five Favorites segment is a series of YouTube interviews that Sanderson hosts, where he sits down with industry leaders and discusses their top five picks in various categories.
In this particular segment, Sanderson divulges his top pick for incredible world-building in a video game, and one of his most interesting picks is BioShock, the future of which has recently been the subject of troubling news around the franchise’s future. BioShock 4 recently underwent some significant changes related to the game’s writing, so don’t be surprised if Sanderson speaks up before the game’s release.
Sanderson Thinks BioShock Has Unmatched World-Building
He Thinks BioShock Is A No-Brainer That Would Make #1 On Anyone’s List
Brandon Sanderson doesn’t mince words when it comes to his favorite games, and BioShock is no exception. Sanderson says that when it comes to the best video game worlds of all time, “there is only one possible number one,” and that is BioShock. He argues that there is no game that does it quite like BioShock, and that it’s a shoo-in for the “best world-building in a video game.“
“I just assume this would be the same on everyone’s list,” Sanderson says of BioShock, pointing to the game’s “objectivism as a philosophy.” He argues that “you don’t see a lot of video games pick a philosophy and build worlds around that.” This approach to world-building “is just genius” in Sanderson’s view, and it extends across the entire franchise.
He notes how BioShock Infinite used the same philosophy-based concept and applied it to “Jingoism and American exceptionalism,” also focusing on how every game in the series was able to introduce multiple “twists” that didn’t feel forced.
Sanderson Might Have A Lot To Say About BioShock 4
After some recent turmoil over the future of BioShock 4, which involved the main story developers being replaced on the project, it’s certainly interesting to look at these comments by Sanderson in hindsight. The next step in the project needs to encapsulate this philosophy-focused approach in a way that matches the previous games’ success.
Hopefully, the shakeup of BioShock‘s writers means that 2K Games is pushing the game in a better direction that captures some of those same beloved features that Sanderson highlights.
It’s also interesting to consider how Brandon Sanderson might react to the news about BioShock 4′s writing and whether he might have some insight or ideas about what direction the franchise should take to be as successful as the previous installments.
