We are all born alone and die alone. The loneliness is definitely part of the journey of life.
Jenova Chen
The focus of 'Flower' is emotion and to make you feel peaceful.
Creativity is not talent but attitude.
When I read a good story, I often start thinking, 'Should I live my life according to what this character chooses and values?' It makes me think. I feel like I grew up to be a more mature person while thinking about character development in these fictional situations.
When humans are hungry, they look for food. But they are also hungry for certain feelings. They go out to look for entertainment - from music to movies to novels to games - to satisfy their emotions.
Our goal is always to make games that can move people, that are designed for everybody so the whole family should be able to play it together, and that bring people together and really move them in a way.
'Cloud' and 'Flower' are very much egocentric about my own expression. 'Flow' is more utilitarian, and 'Journey' is more about collaboration between various creative voices in the team.
What I find the most interesting about games is the feeling of accomplishment. I think this is an emotion that cinema can't do and books can't do. You feel like you've personally accomplished something. You feel you get better at something.
I really like 'ICO' and 'Shadow of the Colossus.'
If you can imagine the delight of visiting a theme park where lasting memories are made, we envision 'Sky' will sometimes feel like that.
We try really hard to avoid those conventional experiences, these adrenaline rush, anger, competition, violence. We intentionally avoid that. We try to create a game that's serene and tranquil and filled with love.
I always thought if I was born 2000 years earlier, I would be a monk, probably carving a monastery or some giant pantheon buildings.
A lot of people asked us why 'Journey' didn't let them play with friends or family, and obviously we had a reason - because that would have defeated the purpose of the game. But for a game to be truly be accessible to both children and adults and to men and women, it has to allow people to play with the ones they love.
I just feel like I'm on a quest to fail if I try to even compete with myself.
I always played games with my friends, but as I got older, my friends stopped playing.
Thatgamecompany was founded with the philosophy that games are a form of entertainment, and entertainment is the food for emotion.
When I was a teenager, I felt my life was constrained by rules, school, my parents. I wanted to feel like I was empowered and different; that's why superheroes, comics, manga, and video games filled my needs. When I got older, I realized power is not free; it comes with responsibility.
I'm a game designer, so I care about the whole experience.
Our vision is for games to offer a wide variety of different experiences and attract all kinds of gamers and nongamers.
I like technology, but the blockbuster games use it for the same thing over and over again.
I was very impressed with the scope and scale and impact that came from originally one person making 'Minecraft.' It's inspiring for me to think how our team can do more with less.
Even in film, books, and music, there's always action - there's always rock and roll. Young people appreciate that kind of experience.
When I designed 'Flower' I was thinking about making it a positive, almost like a self-healing experience. It's like therapy.
'Journey' is a way for us to explore the crossing, the intersection of our lives between each other.
I grew up with games. It changed my life. It changed my social relationships with my friends. It defined my childhood. It's something I really cherished.
Language is very deceiving. In certain languages, there is certain vocabulary that doesn't exist in other languages. It totally changes how people feel about things.
Any established media, such as literature, music, or film, offers a wide variety of experiences touching emotions from the very primal to the deeply complex. No matter who the audience are or what kind of mood they are in, there will always be something right for them. Video games, as a fast-growing new medium, is on its way to catching up.
'Flower' is about the sublime.
If our games can help people, that's the best reward we can get.
A teenager can find lots of games, but that's not necessarily true for adults over 30. As you get older, you desire more intellectual, emotional experiences. If you look at film, there's many different genres. No matter how old you are, you can find the type of movie you like. That's a sign of a mature medium.
Every artist wants his or her work to connect with someone. I think that's why people make art.
We founded thatgamecompany to push the boundary of video games as an interactive medium.
Humans are lazy but not stupid.
I studied Computer Science when I was in my undergrad and minored in Digital Art & Design.
I don't believe in a particular god, but I believe in the unknown. I believe that there's something bigger than us.
Each game we make, we like to introduce an emotion that is rarely experienced by gamers in the console game industry.
I always have a problem playing text-heavy games. I'm a slow reader. I don't speak English well. As a kid in China, trying to play these games, I just wanted the text to go away.
Look at the genres women like: a romantic comedy game doesn't exist. Few examples of a documentary game exist. What is the equivalent of a real drama game? They don't exist. Emotion with that complexity for a more mature, older audience are necessary to make medium-like video games healthy so it can be highly respected like the film industry.
I would rather see a game where you play to feel happier and to make other people like you and to make the people you care about happy.
I feel like that nature has this great power.
The struggle we went through in the last year of 'Journey' was pretty insane, and I think that is also why, when I was working on the struggle level, I was able to channel my own struggle into the game.
I think that our language, culture, age, fortune, property, and our fame is all a facade. In the end, we're all the same.
A strong story can move me to tears, and it doesn't matter whether it's a science-fiction or fantasy world. It's about what happens to a person, the choices they make. That's what's interesting.
For 'Journey' to create a sense of smallness and a sense of awe will encourage the players to be together and exchange emotions. When you put the two players together online and put them in a difficult environment, they will create a bond.
I would say 'Flower' had a story. It is told through the environment.
Nothing truly bad happens. There's always good and bad in any changes.
It's stressful when you run a company.
I'm a perfectionist.
If a game is meant to be played by everybody, it deserves to be on multiple platforms so everybody can play it.
If we can make great games for PS3 players... how many PS3 players are out there? If we can make great games for everybody, that's a much bigger service. There's no reason I shouldn't do that.
