thatgamecompany co-founder Jenova Chen is intensely passionate about his upcoming PlayStation Network release "Flower" and the impression he hopes it leaves on the people who interact with it, even going so far as to say "Flower" should inspire them to feel better about themselves.
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Can a video game be therapeutic?
Sometimes I feel relieved and happy after taking out a few ghouls in "Gears of War 2," but video games are largely stress-based affairs. Not "Flower," though. "Flower" intends to be the opposite.
thatgamecompany co-founder Jenova Chen recently sat down with me in San Francisco to talk about "Flower" before it's released on the PlayStation Network later this month, and he professed a unique desire for his game.
"When I designed 'Flower' I was thinking about making it a positive, almost like a self-healing experience," said Chen. "It's like therapy. I wanted to people to really relax and feel warm and welcome in that space, so they can enjoy it [and] at the same time feel like they are doing something positive to the space."
There's definitely something to games like "Flower" and "Prince of Persia" where players have a direct effect on the environmental dynamic. In both games, the moment where the player transforms the landscape from black death into something beautiful creates a feeling of elation exclusive to games.
"Hopefully, by practicing these positive these things, after they play the game, they can feel like they somehow healed themselves a little," he explained.
The problem for Chen has been determining if he's been successful.
"I don't know if it's going to work because I made it and I can't experience it anymore," he said with a bit of a chuckle and a sigh.
How do you think "Flower" will affect you?
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