Jenova Chen’s thatgamecompany has become the go-to studio for unique almost poetic video games. PlayStation 3 commissioned them to develop games, and Chen is attracting massive media attention. What makes their games so strangely appealing?
Digital Journal — If indie game developers needed a role model, they should look no further than Jenova Chen. At 26, the graduate of University of Southern California’s interactive media program has helped create a gaming company already inking deals with Sony. His first game “Cloud” was downloaded more than 500,000 times and the follow-up “flOw” won the attention of Sony, and it became the first best-selling game on PlayStation 3’s digital storefront.
Chen and colleague Kellee Santiago founded thatgamecompany in 2006 in order to develop games for Sony. What was once an effort to perfect their programming skills has morphed into a successful career attracting the attention of the major players. “We never thought about success when we first started,” says Chen in an interview with DigitalJournal.com. “We just wanted to create Cloud to see how people would respond.” That first foray was indicative of Chen’s gaming philosophy — a sick child dreams of corralling clouds, and there is no definitive goal or villain to vanquish. Chen says the game’s inspiration came from just staring up at the sky and imagining the clouds as various shapes.
It didn’t take long for Chen and company to dream up another unique game. “flOw” is based on the psychological idea known as “flow theory,” which Chen explained in an interview with the Wall Street Journal: “It’s a mental state where a human being is totally engaged in an activity he is doing, where he is so involved that he loses track of time and space.”
How does that translate into a video game? “flOw”’s Flash-based interface follows a sea creature traversing through primordial ooze, evolving as it moves through the water and eats other organisms. As it evolves, the creature swims faster and withstands damage from other deep-sea rivals. The control are simple, and the ambient sound is almost hypnotic.
“When I made the game, I didn’t want it to only appeal to hardcore gamers,” Chen says. “And making it a small download at 33K gives people the chance to play it instantly.”
The simple but intriguing game attracted 100,000 hits in its first two weeks off Chen’s site, and Sony soon commissioned a version that sold through its PlayStation Network. Sony contracted thatgamecompany for another two games.
The next game is due in 2009, and there is already big buzz surrounding “Flower.” Available to check out at Wired NextFest in Chicago in late September, this game looks at the tension between cities and nature as players blow petals in dreamy landscapes. Players pick up petals and cause the environment to change. “It’s almost like poetry,” Chen notes. “And you win when the journey ends.” Once again, Chen steers clear of save-the-princess style endings, preferring to let the process become the game’s motivation.
thatgamecompany wants to change what a video game can be, Chen says. “The gaming market is maturing and we want to create something geared towards that mature audience.”
Industry watchers are impressed by what’s been pouring out of the company’s Santa Monica studio. Scott Steinberg, founder of game consulting firm Embassy Multimedia, told Forbes: “They’re making interactive art experiences that anyone can come to and instantly be struck by… Thatgamecompany is almost like the art house production studio of games. It’s blazing a trail for other indie game developers.”
