Archive for the ‘thatgamecompany’ Category
Chatting About Journey with Thatgamecompany
Posted by James Gallagher in journey, PlayStation Games, PS3, thatgamecompany on February 4th, 2011
Thankfully, we weren’t discussing soft American rock; we were talking about the upcoming PlayStation Network title from the people that brought you flOw and Flower.
I’ve been trying to avoid hearing too much about Journey as I want to enjoy it without any presumptions – not the easiest to do when you work at PlayStation and not ideal preparation for an interview with the developers, you might argue. Regardless, here is my spoiler-free conversation with Robin Hunicke, Journey’s producer and Jenova Chen, co-founder of thatgamecompany.
I’ll be posting a few more video interviews from the PlayStation Experience event in London next week; check out yesterday’s chat with Insomniac Games about Resistance 3, if it slipped you by.
Jenova Chen Explains Journey: Social Relevance and Artistic Inspirations
Posted by Sid Shuman in Developer Corner, Featured Post, journey, PlayStation Games, PS3, PSN, thatgamecompany on January 11th, 2011
I recently had the pleasure of meeting with Jenova Chen, the creative director of thatgamecompany and designer of flOw and Flower. Chen’s latest project, the upcoming PSN exclusive Journey, may be his most enigmatic project yet. In talking with Chen, I was most interested in learning what drove his unique, minimalistic vision, as well as the challenges in creating a drop-in, drop-out online multiplayer game without the use of industry-standard matchmaking lobbies and voice chat.
Sid Shuman: Journey’s got a certain mystique. Who are you in Journey? Where are you?
Jenova Chen: I want the player to find it out, it’s part of the fun. This is a world where there are no plants, no animals, and not even a single water drop to be found. The only things that are moving are these things, these characters, made out of cloth.
SS: Journey’s a multiplayer game, but there’s no matchmaking or online lobbies. Would you say it redefines multiplayer? Is it a co-op game?
JC: We’re not really redefining. We make games for PS3 owners, but we also make games for their relatives or children. I don’t think your grandma is going to know what a [multiplayer] “lobby” means. I don’t think most children will understand what [internet] “latency” means. So after we eliminated the lobby concept, we had very few choices — other players have to be able to connect at any time, not just the beginning of the game, and a player has to be able to finish the game by himself he can’t find someone. All these technical issues came in with that one decision to get rid of the online lobby.
A lot of games design co-op for co-op play only. The best game I’ve played this year was Lara Croft and the Guardian of Light. It’s very well designed, like a designer’s jewelry box. But it wouldn’t work for Journey. What if the other player wasn’t there? So we have to come up with other ways to make co-op more meaningful. We wanted something very primal, which forced us to make innovations.
We didn’t try to redefine multiplayer, we just wanted to create a more intuitive experience. If your grandma asked, “what’s Journey?” I’d tell her “Journey is just like hiking. You go to hike a mountain, and there are other hikers you might meet and if you like them you can hike with them.” And that’s it.
SS: What’s the core gameplay goal in Journey? What activities will I be engaging in?
JC: You will be…Journey-ing. Moving from point A to point B. [laughter] The problem is, moving is very boring. In World of Warcraft, you’re always moving…and waiting. So in Journey, we have things to spice up the moving. You can surf the sand dunes, collect cloth to fly over larger distances, cooperate with another player to get faster travel…sometimes you can ride things.
SS: It also looks like you’re collecting cloth patches, which seem to open up bridges or paths to other areas…
JC: Usually, players think about collecting as a “level up” experience. But we wanted to make the player feel small and weak. So initially, we did have a level up experience — if you collected 20 patches, you would jump higher or fly further. But that felt too empowering, which is the opposite of what we wanted. So instead of acquiring power, we made this metaphor for borrowing power. There are patches in the world, and when they hear your call, they come to help you out. Once you use them, they return to where they were. It’s not an ownership situation.
It also has to do with multiplayer. People would say, “I don’t want to play with you, I don’t want you to take my precious resources!” We tried various ways to eliminate that, but in the end, we decided to not give you [permanent] possession of them.
SS: Surfing on waves of sand looks like an interesting way to get around this very dynamic, shifting environment. It’s such a simple pleasure — a bit like Flower, actually.
JC: We had problems with walking. It’s frustrating, but there’s no easy way to make walking fun. So we tried surfing, because as a gameplay mechanic it’s fun — you know, SSX. But you could surf on the slopes but not on the flat surfaces, and most of the game is flat. So we had to come up with a reason why you could surf, so we made the sand have waves.
SS: Does Journey use any buttons?
JC: There are two buttons right now. “Calling” lets you collect patches and communicate with another player, a very primal form of communication. And then there’s a “Fly” button.
SS: I noticed that the camera is controlled by the DualShock 3’s Sixaxis motion sensor, not the analog stick.
JC: I have seen various non-hardcore players try a first-person shooter, and they couldn’t even aim. The two-stick camera system, using them at the same time, is just very difficult. It takes time to train. And every time I see a player struggle with that, he just puts the game down. So I wanted to think about a more intuitive form of camera control. The other problem with a stick camera, particularly in a third-person game, is that people tend to adjust the camera very often and very rapidly. When I watch them play, I get dizzy. And I want people to be able to watch others play Journey.
SS: Why does jumping not require a button press?
JC: We used to have a jump button, but we wanted to simplify the game. When you can jump, during the boring walk [laughs] people would keep jumping. And that’s not what we wanted to see! After we removed the jump button, people said “we want to jump!” So we added an automatic jump, and it’s working pretty well. I do miss pressing the X button sometimes when I’m walking, though!
SS: Are there enemies in Journey?
JC: There is something like an enemy, there is. [laughter] Nature is your enemy. If there is an enemy, you can’t do anything about it. You’re small and weak. You can’t slay the Shadow of the Colossus!
SS: Did an artist inspire the visual style of Journey?
JC: Do you know Chirico? If you see the original Japanese cover art of Ico, it’s an homage to Chirico. At an early stage, that was an inspiration.
SS: Journey is a very different kind of multiplayer game. Is it important for developers to challenge preconceived notions about what makes a multiplayer game?
JC: It’s important because your brain can be stimulated intellectually, emotionally, and socially. When people design online games, they often do lazy work. They bring an existing single-player game — an RPG, an RTS, a fighting game, a shooter — and duct tape on some online technology. They say, “okay, there’s multiple players, now do something cool. Here, play a kid’s game like Capture the Flag.” That’s the level of design. “Why don’t you kill each other until the last guy is left standing.”
If you really wanted to stimulate a social activity, you need to re-think it from the ground up. What is the skill they’re supposed to acquire? Accuracy? Or is it the ability to convince others? If the skill is social, it’ll be very relevant and useful. People still play poker. Why? Because the skill of deception is useful for real life. Look at online games. How many skills are based on social elements? Most games are based on grinding, accuracy, physical dexterity. They are not social games. They’re just old games with online features.
SS: Now, you’re saying this as a Call of Duty player, aren’t you? You like shooters.
JC: Yeah. I like fighting games too.They’re fun. But as I get older, what’s the point in pulling off another infinite combo? What does that do for your life? It’s not useful. People still play chess because strategic thinking is useful. Brain training games, fitness games…these have relevance. People don’t have much time to waste, so they want relevance. Whether it’s emotional relevance, like experiencing joy or sadness, or intellectual relevance, or social relevance.
SS: What other developers do you think are challenging gaming, perhaps in other areas?
JC: Quantic Dream. Team Ico — everything they make is very rich and deep emotionally. I think LittleBigPlanet is also very interesting. It’s not so much emotional as it is a different frontier. I also really appreciate whoever makes the best first-person shooter. Blizzard is always great, they have a lot of craft. We need those things too, because the game industry has to cover all sides. It’s not that I’m against fighting games or shooters — they need to be there, and they need to be good.
SS: Are you looking forward to BioShock Infinite?
JC: I liked BioShock but I didn’t finish it. I think I didn’t appreciate it as much as the fans, but I totally get the philosophies. I will try [Ken Levine’s] new game…it’s relevant. It’s not just about being strong and killing enemies. I appreciate that.
Jenova Chen Explains Journey: Social Relevance and Artistic Inspirations
Posted by Sid Shuman in Developer Corner, journey, PlayStation Games, PS3, PSN, thatgamecompany on January 11th, 2011
I recently had the pleasure of meeting with Jenova Chen, the creative director of thatgamecompany and designer of flOw and Flower. Chen’s latest project, the upcoming PSN exclusive Journey, may be his most enigmatic project yet. In talking with Chen, I was most interested in learning what drove his unique, minimalistic vision, as well as the challenges in creating a drop-in, drop-out online multiplayer game without the use of industry-standard matchmaking lobbies and voice chat.
Sid Shuman: Journey’s got a certain mystique. Who are you in Journey? Where are you?
Jenova Chen: I want the player to find it out, it’s part of the fun. This is a world where there are no plants, no animals, and not even a single water drop to be found. The only things that are moving are these things, these characters, made out of cloth.
SS: Journey’s a multiplayer game, but there’s no matchmaking or online lobbies. Would you say it redefines multiplayer? Is it a co-op game?
JC: We’re not really redefining. We make games for PS3 owners, but we also make games for their relatives or children. I don’t think your grandma is going to know what a [multiplayer] “lobby” means. I don’t think most children will understand what [internet] “latency” means. So after we eliminated the lobby concept, we had very few choices — other players have to be able to connect at any time, not just the beginning of the game, and a player has to be able to finish the game by himself he can’t find someone. All these technical issues came in with that one decision to get rid of the online lobby.
A lot of games design co-op for co-op play only. The best game I’ve played this year was Lara Croft and the Guardian of Light. It’s very well designed, like a designer’s jewelry box. But it wouldn’t work for Journey. What if the other player wasn’t there? So we have to come up with other ways to make co-op more meaningful. We wanted something very primal, which forced us to make innovations.
We didn’t try to redefine multiplayer, we just wanted to create a more intuitive experience. If your grandma asked, “what’s Journey?” I’d tell her “Journey is just like hiking. You go to hike a mountain, and there are other hikers you might meet and if you like them you can hike with them.” And that’s it.
SS: What’s the core gameplay goal in Journey? What activities will I be engaging in?
JC: You will be…Journey-ing. Moving from point A to point B. [laughter] The problem is, moving is very boring. In World of Warcraft, you’re always moving…and waiting. So in Journey, we have things to spice up the moving. You can surf the sand dunes, collect cloth to fly over larger distances, cooperate with another player to get faster travel…sometimes you can ride things.
SS: It also looks like you’re collecting cloth patches, which seem to open up bridges or paths to other areas…
JC: Usually, players think about collecting as a “level up” experience. But we wanted to make the player feel small and weak. So initially, we did have a level up experience — if you collected 20 patches, you would jump higher or fly further. But that felt too empowering, which is the opposite of what we wanted. So instead of acquiring power, we made this metaphor for borrowing power. There are patches in the world, and when they hear your call, they come to help you out. Once you use them, they return to where they were. It’s not an ownership situation.
It also has to do with multiplayer. People would say, “I don’t want to play with you, I don’t want you to take my precious resources!” We tried various ways to eliminate that, but in the end, we decided to not give you [permanent] possession of them.
SS: Surfing on waves of sand looks like an interesting way to get around this very dynamic, shifting environment. It’s such a simple pleasure — a bit like Flower, actually.
JC: We had problems with walking. It’s frustrating, but there’s no easy way to make walking fun. So we tried surfing, because as a gameplay mechanic it’s fun — you know, SSX. But you could surf on the slopes but not on the flat surfaces, and most of the game is flat. So we had to come up with a reason why you could surf, so we made the sand have waves.
SS: Does Journey use any buttons?
JC: There are two buttons right now. “Calling” lets you collect patches and communicate with another player, a very primal form of communication. And then there’s a “Fly” button.
SS: I noticed that the camera is controlled by the DualShock 3’s Sixaxis motion sensor, not the analog stick.
JC: I have seen various non-hardcore players try a first-person shooter, and they couldn’t even aim. The two-stick camera system, using them at the same time, is just very difficult. It takes time to train. And every time I see a player struggle with that, he just puts the game down. So I wanted to think about a more intuitive form of camera control. The other problem with a stick camera, particularly in a third-person game, is that people tend to adjust the camera very often and very rapidly. When I watch them play, I get dizzy. And I want people to be able to watch others play Journey.
SS: Why does jumping not require a button press?
JC: We used to have a jump button, but we wanted to simplify the game. When you can jump, during the boring walk [laughs] people would keep jumping. And that’s not what we wanted to see! After we removed the jump button, people said “we want to jump!” So we added an automatic jump, and it’s working pretty well. I do miss pressing the X button sometimes when I’m walking, though!
SS: Are there enemies in Journey?
JC: There is something like an enemy, there is. [laughter] Nature is your enemy. If there is an enemy, you can’t do anything about it. You’re small and weak. You can’t slay the Shadow of the Colossus!
SS: Did any particular artist inspire the visual style of Journey?
JC: Do you know Chirico? If you see the original Japanese cover art of Ico, it’s an homage to Chirico. At an early stage, that was an inspiration.
SS: Journey is a very different kind of multiplayer game. Is it important for developers to challenge preconceived notions about what makes a multiplayer game?
JC: It’s important because your brain can be stimulated intellectually, emotionally, and socially. When people design online games, they often do lazy work. They bring an existing single-player game — an RPG, an RTS, a fighting game, a shooter — and duct tape on some online technology. They say, “okay, there’s multiple players, now do something cool. Here, play a kid’s game like Capture the Flag.” That’s the level of design. “Why don’t you kill each other until the last guy is left standing.”
If you really wanted to stimulate a social activity, you need to re-think it from the ground up. What is the skill they’re supposed to acquire? Accuracy? Or is it the ability to convince others? If the skill is social, it’ll be very relevant and useful. People still play poker. Why? Because the skill of deception is useful for real life. Look at online games. How many skills are based on social elements? Most games are based on grinding, accuracy, physical dexterity. They are not social games. They’re just old games with online features.
SS: Now, you’re saying this as a Call of Duty player, aren’t you? You like shooters.
JC: Yeah. I like fighting games too.They’re fun. But as I get older, what’s the point in pulling off another infinite combo? What does that do for your life? It’s not useful. People still play chess because strategic thinking is useful. Brain training games, fitness games…these have relevance. People don’t have much time to waste, so they want relevance. Whether it’s emotional relevance, like experiencing joy or sadness, or intellectual relevance, or social relevance.
SS: What other developers do you think are challenging gaming, perhaps in other areas?
JC: Quantic Dream. Team Ico — everything they make is very rich and deep emotionally. I think LittleBigPlanet is also very interesting. It’s not so much emotional as it is a different frontier. I also really appreciate whoever makes the best first-person shooter. Blizzard is always great, they have a lot of craft. We need those things too, because the game industry has to cover all sides. It’s not that I’m against fighting games or shooters — they need to be there, and they need to be good.
SS: Are you looking forward to BioShock Infinite?
JC: I liked BioShock but I didn’t finish it. I think I didn’t appreciate it as much as the fans, but I totally get the philosophies. I will try [Ken Levine’s] new game…it’s relevant. It’s not just about being strong and killing enemies. I appreciate that.
thatgamecompany Shares Journey’s First Trailer
Posted by Kellee Santiago in journey, PlayStation Games, PS3, PSN, thatgamecompany, Trailers on December 10th, 2010
Hello hello hello! This is Kellee Santiago, and I am honored to fulfill thatgamecompany‘s final wish for 2010 – to show you more Journey. Most of you probably watched Jenova and I on SPIKE’s special pre-VGA show last night – well, I have more for you. Below is our very first trailer to showcase some of the great things to come.
I’m in NYC right now, where we’ve been talking more about the game, and specifically about our approach to creating a unique, intuitive, and accessible online experience. So keep a look out for more info to come!
Playtest thatgamecompany’s Journey Next Week in L.A.
Posted by Kellee Santiago in journey, PlayStation Games, PS3, PSN, thatgamecompany on November 12th, 2010
Since popping our heads out of the sand to announce Journey at E3 this year, we have been deep in the throes of development. But now I’m peeking up again to see if any of you might be interested in giving us feedback on the game here in Los Angeles!
As you might already know, we have an extremely iterative development process, which means that although we are still building out the game, we like to get feedback from players early so we can incorporate it into the final version. This is a great opportunity to see the game as it progresses, and get a look behind the curtain of game development. Also, we’d love to have folks from this community help us! Here’s the info:
Evening of November 19th, 2010
Requirements to participate are:
- Be between the ages of 18 and 35.
- Be an active PSN game player. We want people who are familiar with PSN games, visit the Store, and download games as a part of their PlayStation life.
- Live in Los Angeles, and have reliable transportation to the playtest in Santa Monica.
In case you missed our E3 announcement, Journey is our latest game we’re working on with SCEA’s Santa Monica Studio, following flOw and Flower for PS3. With Journey we are taking a departure from our previous two games, introducing a human-like playable character, and a narrative that is much more like an adventure. All the while we are aiming to keep the emotion and beauty that our previous projects have become known for.
If you are interested and qualified, please send an email with your name, age, address, PSN ID, and contact number to journeyplaytest@gmail.com. If you are selected, you will receive an email with confirmation and the specific details.
Flower Power: Art Contest Winners, New Demo
Posted by Randall Lowe in contests, Demos, flower, PlayStation Games, PSN, thatgamecompany on August 6th, 2010
Hi everyone! I just wanted to take a moment to thank everyone who spun their creative gears and submitted entries to the Flower fan art contest. We here at the Santa Monica Studio and the team at thatgamecompany really enjoyed seeing all the great pieces you submitted. TGC has chosen the five best pieces, which you can check out below. Nice work everyone, and congratulations to the winners! The winners will be receiving their $20 PSN cards soon.
Chris B.
Great contrasting colors! The sky gives off a very cool feeling, and I dig the moon in the background.
Edward L.
Very clean and elegant! It captures a lot of iconic elements in a single piece.
Katherine M.
This looks like it was a ton of work! The piece has a great mood to it, and really shows the flowing nature of the game.
Lydia H.
Great close-up work and detail, there is a lot of great tonal range within the pink. Really an outstanding job with this piece.
Wilmaris S.
A true fan — takes a picture WITH the painting. Great job capturing the freedom that the wind gives the petals and the sway of the grass.
Oh yeah, there’s also this other REALLY cool tid-bit of news. The Flower demo was released on PSN last week! TGC put in the time and effort to really bring a nice demo to you few hold-outs who have yet to get this award-winning game! So don’t wait any further, rush over to the PlayStation Store and pick-up the Flower Demo to see what everyone is talking about. The other great thing is, since this is a trial, all you have to do is purchase the unlock key at the end of the demo, and the whole game is yours for just $9.99!
So thanks again to everyone who contributed , we really appreciate the effort, and congratulations to TGC’s five top picks!
Introducing thatgamecompany’s Journey
Posted by Kellee Santiago in Featured Post, journey, PlayStation Games, PS3, thatgamecompany on June 17th, 2010
We are really excited to officially announce our current thatgamecompany project, Journey.
The inspiration for Journey came from Jenova Chen’s feeling that in the modern world where man has so much power, we have lost an integral aspect of the human experience – awe towards the unknown. And we can see this in our video games as well. But don’t take it from me! Here’s Jenova to talk about it more:
In today’s society, man is powerful – We can travel at 60 mph; we can fly; we can connect with just about anyone, anywhere, at anytime. But on the street, people pass by each other ignoring the wonderful existence of other beings. We are overwhelmed by the attention needed to gain and execute our own power – just like we are in most video games. While we are doing that, we can become isolated and insecure deep inside our mind.
On the contrary, when we are hiking in the wild, we become tiny and weak again. These feelings make every other person we encounter much more important and enjoyable. We greet them, giving them genuine and useful help. We might travel together for a period, learn from and rely on each other. Struggling against the dangerous nature together, somehow, makes us warm and powerful inside. (This doesn’t make any rational sense, but somehow that’s how I feel. And I’m sure many of us do.) While most video games offer the sense of empowerment in the online gaming experience, we felt the player will pay more attention to the other players if they are less distracted by the power, and the online gaming experience will be quite unique if it carries the feeling of awe towards the unknown.
In a world where the majority of the players are distracted by technology, evoking a sense of awe and mystery could be very refreshing and powerful.
To realize these goals, we aimed to create a world that feels vast and somewhat unfamiliar. And so the game begins with a character waking up in a desert, with no clues as to what might have happened before or what will happen later. There’s only a tall mountain in the distance, beckoning the player to set out and explore.
As you travel through the world, you may encounter a stranger who is on his or her own journey. But we don’t want to talk too much about the online experience right now. In part, because we really don’t want to inform your own experience of it; also, because we really enjoy seeing what happens when experiences come without explanation. But there’s plenty of time left for us to talk about it in the future…
One thing is for certain: we love getting to talk about a new project! It means that we can’t just navel-gaze about our own work anymore. It’s out there. You’re responding to it! And it also means we’re that much closer to getting the game into your hands. So we’d like to extend a HUGE thanks to everyone who has already expressed words of encouragement – they really do help!
New Flower Contest: Artists Wanted!
Posted by Randall Lowe in contests, flower, PlayStation Games, PSN, thatgamecompany on May 12th, 2010
When Jenova Chen and thatgamecompany came to us here in the Santa Monica Studio with the idea for Flower, it was fueled by his appreciation for nature’s beauty, his experiences of coming from China to California, and how the contrasting cities, landscapes, and coastline touched his emotions and creativity. Seeing his passion for the subject, we did everything we could to make sure he and the rest of TGC had what they needed to deliver the most compelling experience possible, and the end result is the award-winning game Flower. With our last contest, it was clear that Flower touched many of you in ways we could not have imagined.
Now, for this second contest, we want to see how Flower impacted you. Create a piece of art that was either inspired by Flower, or has to do with the emotions and/or nature that you think Flower depicts.
You can flex your skills in Photoshop, Illustrator, 3D software, or any other imaging software. You can even make something physical, like a painting, mixed media, or sculpture, and snap a photo of it as your submission. This is your opportunity to be a part of the Flower community. If you didn’t have a story to submit in the previous contest, then take this chance to participate. Express yourself in a way that reflects thatgamecompany’s expression through Flower.
The only requirements are that the submission be 1920 pixels wide by 1080 pixels tall, that it be your original creation, and that it be related to Flower as described above.
To help inspire you, check out some of the amazing concept art thatgamecompany created in the development of the game.
You have plenty of time to be creative and enter your submission because this contest will run from today, May 12th through May 26th, 2010. Thatgamecompany will judge the submissions and choose five winners, each of who will receive a $20 PSN card.
The official rules are below. We can’t wait to see what creations you all come up with. Good luck!
The following promotion is intended for viewing in the 50 United States and the District of Columbia only and will be construed and evaluated according to United States law. Do not enter this contest if you are not a legal resident of, and located in, the 50 United States or the District of Columbia at the time of entry.
OFFICIAL RULES & RELEASE
Flower Fan Art Contest
NO PURCHASE NECESSARY TO ENTER OR WIN
Void outside the 50 United States and District of Columbia and where prohibited.
1. Eligibility. The Flower Fan Art Contest (“Promotion”) is open to only legal residents of the 50 United States and the District of Columbia, who are at least 13 or older at the time of entry. Employees of the Sponsor and its parent, subsidiaries and affiliated companies and their immediate families are not eligible to participate in this Promotion.
2. Sponsor. Sony Computer Entertainment America LLC, 919 E. Hillsdale Blvd, Foster City, CA 94404 (“Sponsor”).
3. Timing. The Promotion begins on May 12, 2010 at 9:00 a.m. Pacific Standard Time (“PST”) and ends on May 26, 2010 at 6:00 p.m. PST (the “Promotion Period”).
4. How to Enter. To enter send an email with your name, date of birth and email address along with a digital image as an attachment to myflowerart@thatgamecompany.com (hereinafter the “Submission”). Entrant must have played the game Flower. The concept of the digital image should be “inspired by the game Flower”.
5. Entry Conditions and Release. Limit one entry per person for the duration of the Promotion Period. Subsequent entries will be disqualified. The Submission must be a digital image which is the original and unpublished creation of the Entrant. Entrant must be the sole owner of the work. The Submission must be a digital image (jpg, png, or bmp format) at 1920 x 1080 resolution. The image can be digitally created with 3D software, painted using imaging or painting software, or created with physical media and then photographed and scanned to fit the 1920 x 1080 resolution requirement. Entrant waives any claims against Sponsor, and its affiliates concerning his/her rights in the Submission submitted under this Agreement. Sponsor reserves the right to reject any entries that it deems, in its sole discretion, to be inappropriate including, but not limited to, foul language, gratuitous depiction of violence or sexual behavior, positive depictions of alcohol or tobacco or any other illegal activity. Entry cannot defame or invade the rights or privacy of any person, living or deceased, or otherwise infringe upon any third party personal or proprietary rights. Sponsor is not responsible for technical, hardware or software failures, malfunctions, lost or unavailable network connections or failed, incomplete, garbled or delayed computer transmissions or unforeseen schedule changes that may limit an Entrant’s ability to participate in the Promotion, even if caused by Sponsor’s negligence. Sponsor has the sole and absolute discretion to modify, cancel or suspend this Promotion should virus, bugs, unauthorized human intervention or other causes beyond Sponsor’s control affect the administration, security or proper play of the Promotion or Sponsor otherwise becomes incapable of running the Promotion as planned. Sponsor is not responsible for changes to Entrant’s contact information. Sponsor has the sole and absolute discretion to disqualify Entrants who violate these Official Rules, tamper with the operation of the Promotion or engage in any conduct that is detrimental or unfair to Sponsor, the Promotion or any other Entrant.
6. Winner Selection. Winners will be selected from all eligible entries received during the Promotion Period. Sponsor’s decisions will be final and binding. Winners will be notified by email no later than May 31, 2010. Return of any prize/prize notification as undeliverable will result in disqualification and an alternate winner will be selected based on the stated Judging Criteria. Chosen winners must respond to the prize notification within seventy two (72) hours from when Sponsor sent notification. In the event that a winner does not respond to Sponsor’s notification within the specified time, a new winning entry will be chosen from the remaining entries based on the stated Judging Criteria. Alternate winners will be contacted via email and will have 48 hours to respond from when Sponsor sent the notification, this process will continue until all prize notifications have been responded to. Winners will be announced on or around June 3, 2010.
7. Judging Criteria. All Submissions received will be judged based 90% on creativity and quality and 10% on its relevance to Flower by a panel of judges composed of members of the thatgamecompany development team and SCEA’s Marketing and Product Development staff.
8. Prizes. Five (5) First Prize winners will each receive a PlayStation®Network card worth $20.00 for a combined total of ARV $100.00. Prize fulfillment is based on availability. Sponsor has the sole and absolute discretion to substitute a prize of equal or greater value if a prize is unavailable. If a prize is returned to Sponsor as undeliverable, Sponsor has the sole and absolute discretion to disqualify a winning Entrant and select an alternate winner based on the stated Judging Criteria. Prizes are non-transferable, and Sponsor need not substitute a prize based on winner’s request. Please allow 6-8 weeks for delivery of the prize.
9. Release and Grant of Rights. Entrants are solely responsible for their Submission and the consequences of posting or publishing it. In connection with the Submission, Entrant affirms, represents, and warrants that: (i) Entrant owns or has the necessary licenses, rights, consents and permissions to use the Submission in the manner contemplated by the Sponsor; and (ii) Entrant has the written consent, release and permission of each and every identifiable individual person in the Submission to use the name of those persons to enable inclusion and use of the Submission in the manner contemplated by the Sponsor. By submitting the Submission to Sponsor, Entrant hereby grants to Sponsor a perpetual, fully paid, irrevocable, non-exclusive license to reproduce, prepare derivative works of, distribute, display, transmit, and permit others to use and perform throughout the universe the Submission, his/her likeness and performance and every identifiable individual person’s likeness and performance in the Submission in any media. Entrant hereby releases Sponsor and its parent and sister companies, and their officers, directors, employees and agents from any and all claims, demands, actions or causes of action of any kind, nature or description, which you or any of your successors, or, assigns, may now, or at any time, have or claim to have any reason of, arising out of, relating to or in any way connected with the rights granted above.
10. General Conditions and Releases. Potential winners are subject to Sponsor’s verification. Sponsor’s decisions are final and binding in all matters related to the Promotion. Potential winners must comply with the Official Rules’ terms and conditions, and receipt of prizes is contingent upon fulfilling all requirements. Sponsor is under no obligation to use the winning submission in any media. Winners agree to the use of their name and/or likenesses for purposes of advertising, trade, or promotion without further compensation, unless prohibited by law. Additionally, winner agrees to release Sponsor and their respective parents, subsidiaries, agencies, divisions, and affiliates from any and all liability, for loss, harm, damage, injury, cost or expense whatsoever including without limitation, property damage, personal injury and/or death which may occur in connection with, preparation for, travel to, or participation in the Promotion, or possession, acceptance and/or use or misuse of prize or participation in any Promotion-related activity and claims based on publicity rights, copyright/trademark infringement, defamation or invasion of privacy and merchandise delivery.
11. Odds of Winning. Odds of winning are determined by the number of eligible entries received.
12. Publicity. By accepting a prize, a winning Entrant agrees to the use of his or her name and likeness for purposes of advertising, trade or promotion without further compensation, unless prohibited by law, and agrees, if required, to sign and return a notarized Affidavit of Eligibility and Release of Liability (the “Affidavit”) within a period that Sponsor specifies.
13. Promotion Results. To obtain a winners’ list by mail, send a stamped, self-addressed envelope to “Flower Fan Art Contest”, Attn: Sony Computer Entertainment America Marketing, 919 E. Hillsdale Blvd. 2nd Floor, Foster City, CA 94404. Sponsor will send requested winners’ lists within 4-6 weeks after it awards prizes. Requests for the winner’s list must be received by June 30, 2010.
14. Collection of Information. The information necessary to operate the Promotion was collected by Sponsor at the time of entry, and without limiting Sponsor’s rights under its privacy policies with regards to its use of the information, will be used to contact you specifically for operation of the Promotion. Information collected in connection with the Promotion will otherwise be collected in accordance with Sponsor’s privacy policy, available at http://www.us.playstation.com/Support/PrivacyPolicy. By agreeing to these Official Rules, you are also agreeing to the terms of Sponsor’s privacy policy.
15. Restrictions. Void where prohibited or restricted by law.
Announcing the Flower Essay Contest Winners
Posted by Randall Lowe in contests, flower, PlayStation Games, PSN, thatgamecompany on May 7th, 2010
Hello Everyone,
I wanted to start off by taking a moment to thank everyone for their contributions to the Flower “Experience” contest we kicked off three weeks ago. During that time, a lot of really great stories were submitted, and we even had a few that raised some eyebrows, but were entertaining to read nonetheless. Here in the Santa Monica Studio, we have enjoyed seeing the amount of support the community has shown for Flower, and we are also very proud and happy to continue supporting the community by providing things like the Flower soundtrack and the Dynamic Theme. It’s also great to see that our enthusiasm for the indie developer community is mirrored by so many gamers!
Kellee Santiago and the busy crew over at thatgamecompany spent several evenings reading through all of the entries, and were able to select the 5 stories they felt were the best of the best. Each of the five authors is going to receive a $20 PSN card. And, to show our appreciation, we decided to throw in a little extra surprise for each of the winners including Flower posters autographed by the team members of thatgamecompany. Congratulations to each of you, and thanks to all those that submitted your stories.
So, without any further delay, below are each of the five stories chosen by thatgamecompany, and the reasoning behind them, as told by Kellee. We hope you enjoy them as much as we did!
Hi, Kellee from thatgamecompany here. Man, when we asked for stories about playing “Flower“, we really didn’t know what to expect. The responses were so touching, moving, and inspired, it’s truly been one of the most rewarding experiences that any game developer could ever hope to have. We’re all really thankful to everyone that took the time to jot down their experiences, whether they were long, short, funny, sad, or everything rolled into one!
These five were chosen because I think they best represented the collection of experiences that players were describing. Whether it was life altering, or just a really fun tryst, Flower seemed to really touch you, so much so that one of you even created a video inspired by it.
From the team here at thatgamecompany, thanks to everyone for playing “Flower,” and again to everyone who took the time to write in. We hope we can continue to entertain you.
In no particular order, here are the entries from the five winners.
We have a little bundle of love in my family named Lacey, she is my younger sister and she was born with autism. Lacey tries to play video games, but because of her condition she has trouble enjoying them and gets frustrated and throws tantrums. It’s just so heartbreaking for her to not be able to enjoy gaming – that was until the game of Flower came along.
Right from the start Lacey sat near the screen and used her finger to trace the fascinating petals as they moved across the TVs digital landscape. But what really gave my baby sister the most joy was she was actually able to play the game, because there were no boundaries and no complicated button sequences, just the tilt of the PS3 controller and she was on her way. Ask Lacey what her favorite game is? She will say flower, ask her what she wants for her birthday, she will say Flower part 2. This summer my mother and I are going to give her a big surprise for her birthday, we are going to redecorate her room by painting murals of your beautiful game on her walls.
Words alone can’t thank you enough for making this wonderful game. God Bess you all.
–Nivi
In the month of February, after playing “Flower” endlessly, I felt a stirring in my spirit that this game, and from a spiritual standpoint, caused to help express an emotion that I have had buried deep inside me for almost 8 months at the time. The game posed as more a blessing to me and I couldn’t help but think that it came at the right time when I needed something to help me express the way I felt. So, on my YouTube channel that I used to vlog on, I decided to surprise everyone with a video that I had been wanting to do since the death of Michael Jackson. I wanted to express how much I truly loved him and how big a blessing he was in my life. Here is the video my story, “Michael: Soaring In My Emotion.”
Since his death, I had a very hard time finding ways to express what this man meant to me. I have never mentioned my love for Michael Jackson in my videos, only because I didn’t think you all wanted to know about it. But, his death was very hard for me and it wasn’t until this very weekend when I finally found a way to express what Michael and his music meant to me. A month or year never went by when I didn’t listen to or watch a video of Michael. He was very special to me and I thank God every day for putting Michael into my life.
Michael, singing one of his many masterpieces, “Music and Me”, and the help of an extraordinary game called “Flower” developed by thatgamecompany, and the use of my PlayStation 3. This video was also noticed by the very creator of “Flower”, Jenova Chen. He commented and spoke highly of the video and even favorite it as well on his channel.
-Whitney
My best memory of Flower has to be the time I first showed it to my neighbor/soon-to-be girlfriend/now wife.
The game had come out right around the time I met her, actually. We had been living in the same apartment complex for months without our paths ever crossing until April of last year. I had invited her over to my place to watch a movie and hang out. As we sat around talking after the movie was over I was constantly trying to bring up new topics of discussion. My thought process was, as long as we still have things to talk about, she’ll stick around.
Before long I asked, “Have you heard of a new game called Flower?” knowing full well she probably hadn’t – earlier I had learned she hadn’t really touched video games since the 8-bit Nintendo days. She of course hadn’t heard of it and I jumped up and powered on my PS3. The game completely blew her away. She couldn’t stop talking about how beautiful the game was and that she didn’t know video games had progressed so far visually. Then I put the controller in her hands and she drifted off into the dreamscape that is Flower.
We sat there on the couch as she flew around the open fields and grassy knolls for probably two hours or so. Despite the fact that she had work in the morning, there we were enjoying this incredible game together. I wouldn’t go so far as to say that Flower is the reason we’re now happily married, but it is certainly one of the sweeter memories we share. A few months later I had to leave for deployment to the Middle East and during that time I asked her to marry me. I returned home in December of 2009 and we got married and one of the first things we did in the few weeks after my return was play Flower! We took turns getting through the levels trying to get all the trophies. I’ll never forget that first night I introduced the game to her, though. If that game hasn’t gotten her to stay with me so long, maybe we wouldn’t be where we are today. For that, I’m eternally grateful. That’s My (or our) Flower Story.
–David
I remember buying Flower basically on a lark. I supported the differentness of the idea, and loved the visuals. I figured I’d play it for a bit and move on. I certainly wasn’t impressed by the fact that it had six-axis controls, which had been implemented so poorly in past games. And then I played it. Instantly, I was able to control the pedal so effortlessly that I simply *became* the pedal. After getting through the first level, I was greatly looking forward to several more. I figured they would be different variations on the same basic gameplay, like the different levels in an old-school platforming game–skinned differently but ultimately the same. Again, I was proven wrong by this gem of a game. Instead of replaying the same level with different skins, I was given one of the most moving story arcs I’d experienced in ages. When I beat the game the first time, and that final rush of color engulfed the screen, I really felt like not only had I won, but I had overcome the darkness of the mechanized world!
I’m a full time college student at Los Angeles City College. I live very far from the school and have to take a myriad of busses and trains to get there. Every day the world that flower is against, is what I have to travel through. And it gets to me. You have no idea how much it gets to me. I get so stressed out in Los Angeles. It’s such a dirty, desolate place. But flower has helped me cope with it, because while I’m playing it, I have the power to change it–to add beauty back into the world.
I keep telling people: flower is the cheapest and most effective therapy you could ever purchase. It’s probably added years back to my life :)
–Ernest
There are many memories for me when coming to playing Flower. My fondest is when a friend had a “video game party,” if you will. There were about 15 of us all over in his basement with a nice 52 inch, 1080p television. Some friends brought their PS2s for music rhythm games and other casual games, but I brought the mother of all systems, the PS3 for our entertainment. I had shooters, fighters, sport games, and more. I was showing off my collection and someone asked what Flower was. I explained and my friend, Nate, said “Oh my god, we are so playing that tonight!”
We had the PS3 hooked up to the nice HDTV and PS2s were on smaller TVs. After playing music and shooter games since about 5:00pm, we were sick of the games. That was at 12:00am. For a few more hours, we popped in a Blu-ray into the PS3 to watch, but after the movie we were clueless on what to do. Too late to go outside and do things, we looked through my games since I had the only variety. At about 2:00am we stumbled upon Flower once again.
Instead of using that TV, we wanted to up the ante before watching/playing this game, so we set up my friend’s projector in his garage which made the screen a good 15×10 feet. Now we started to play Flower, all 15 of us arguing over the controller because we all wanted a crack at this unusually, but fun game. Being about 3:00am, we started to be more amazed by this pretty game with just a flower and petals floating around on the screen. Such a beautiful game and a relaxing one too. We kept playing through the game determined to finish it. The lightning scared us being so late when we got that far into the game. But the best part was when we finally completed the game. Flower got all colorful and even more beautiful and just as that was happening with the credits, the sun started to rise outside the garage windows. That is my most memorable time playing Flower; it was amazing to see 15 guys fighting over the controller to play this game.
–Jacob
Thanks again to everyone who participated, and congratulations to those that won!
Be sure to keep your eyes peeled on the PlayStation.Blog for some more Flower goodies coming in the very near future!
Hmm… I wonder what that could mean? :)
Stop and Smell the Flowers: Tell Us Your Flower Story
Posted by Randall Lowe in contests, flower, PlayStation Games, PSN, thatgamecompany on April 15th, 2010
Hello, PS Blog readers. If you follow the blog much, you already know that Flower had its 1-year anniversary a few months ago, and we just released a Flower dynamic theme, plus the soundtrack from the game, to help commemorate it.
Flower is widely recognized by fans and critics alike for being a game unlike any other game we’ve played before. People experience and enjoy the game in different ways. Some people ponder about the deeper message behind Flower’s “story,” while others might use it as a way to relax and unwind, or even share the unique gaming experience with their non-gaming friends and loved ones. We each experience and react to Flower in a different way, and that’s part of what makes Flower so great and so unique. And that was part of the goal thatgamecompany set out to achieve with Flower.
And we want to hear about your story, your experience with Flower. Send us your most touching, most personal, or most memorable story about your experience with Flower. We’ll be working with the developers at thatgamecompany to sort through all of the entries and pick our favorite five to receive a $20 PSN card each, and to be featured in a future blog post.
Here’s what you do: type up your essay about your Flower experience in 2000 words or less, and email it to myflowerstory@thatgamecompany.com before 9 AM (PST) on April 28. You just have to be 13 years old or older, and a legal resident of the United States or District of Columbia. In your email, be sure to include your name and date of birth.
We can’t wait to read your entries! Good luck!
Rules:
The following promotion is intended for viewing in the 50 United States and the District of Columbia only and will be construed and evaluated according to United States law. Do not enter this contest if you are not a legal resident of, and located in, the 50 United States or the District of Columbia at the time of entry.
OFFICIAL RULES & RELEASE
Flower Experience Contest
NO PURCHASE NECESSARY TO ENTER OR WIN
Void outside the 50 United States and District of Columbia and where prohibited.
1. Eligibility. The Flower Experience Contest (“Promotion”) is open to only legal residents of the 50 United States and the District of Columbia, who are at least 13 or older at the time of entry. Employees of the Sponsor and its parent, subsidiaries and affiliated companies and their immediate families are not eligible to participate in this Promotion.
2. Sponsor. Sony Computer Entertainment America LLC, 919 E. Hillsdale Blvd, Foster City, CA 94404 (“Sponsor”).
3. Timing. The Promotion begins on April 15, 2010 at 9:00 a.m. Pacific Standard Time (“PST”) and ends on April 28, 2010 at 9:00 a.m. PST (the “Promotion Period”).
4. How to Enter. To enter send an email to myflowerstory@thatgamecompany.com and include the essay entry in the body of the email or attach a text document. Be sure to provide your name, date of birth and email address (hereinafter the “Submission”). Entrant must have played the game Flower. The Submission must describe the Entrant’s most memorable experience with the game Flower.
5. Entry Conditions and Release. Limit one entry per person for the duration of the Promotion Period. Subsequent entries will be disqualified. The Submission must be text only and the original and unpublished creation of the Entrant. Entrant must be the sole owner of the work. The Submission must be no longer than 2000 words in length. Entrant waives any claims against Sponsor, and its affiliates concerning his/her rights in the Submission submitted under this Agreement. Sponsor reserves the right to reject any entries that it deems, in its sole discretion, to be inappropriate including, but not limited to, foul language, gratuitous depiction of violence or sexual behavior, positive depictions of alcohol or tobacco or any other illegal activity. Entry cannot defame or invade the rights or privacy of any person, living or deceased, or otherwise infringe upon any third party personal or proprietary rights. Sponsor is not responsible for technical, hardware or software failures, malfunctions, lost or unavailable network connections or failed, incomplete, garbled or delayed computer transmissions or unforeseen schedule changes that may limit an Entrant’s ability to participate in the Promotion, even if caused by Sponsor’s negligence. Sponsor has the sole and absolute discretion to modify, cancel or suspend this Promotion should virus, bugs, unauthorized human intervention or other causes beyond Sponsor’s control affect the administration, security or proper play of the Promotion or Sponsor otherwise becomes incapable of running the Promotion as planned. Sponsor is not responsible for changes to Entrant’s contact information. Sponsor has the sole and absolute discretion to disqualify Entrants who violate these Official Rules, tamper with the operation of the Promotion or engage in any conduct that is detrimental or unfair to Sponsor, the Promotion or any other Entrant.
6. Winner Selection. Winners will be selected from all eligible entries received during the Promotion Period. Sponsor’s decisions will be final and binding. Winners will be notified by email no later than May 12, 2010. Return of any prize/prize notification as undeliverable will result in disqualification and an alternate winner will be selected based on the stated Judging Criteria. Chosen winners must respond to the prize notification within seventy two (72) hours from when Sponsor sent notification. In the event that a winner does not respond to Sponsor’s notification within the specified time, a new winning entry will be chosen from the remaining entries based on the stated Judging Criteria. Alternate winners will be contacted via email and will have 48 hours to respond from when Sponsor sent the notification, this process will continue until all prize notifications have been responded to. Winners will be announced on or around May 3, 2010.
7. Judging Criteria. All entries received will be judged based 50% on how inspirational the story is and 50% on how touching the story is by a panel of judges composed of members of the thatgamecompany development team and SCEA’s Marketing and Product Development staff.
8. Prizes. Five (5) First Prize winners will each receive a PlayStation®Network card worth $20.00 for a combined total of ARV $100.00. Prize fulfillment is based on availability. Sponsor has the sole and absolute discretion to substitute a prize of equal or greater value if a prize is unavailable. If a prize is returned to Sponsor as undeliverable, Sponsor has the sole and absolute discretion to disqualify a winning Entrant and select an alternate winner based on the stated Judging Criteria. Prizes are non-transferable, and Sponsor need not substitute a prize based on winner’s request. Please allow 6-8 weeks for delivery of the prize.
9. Release and Grant of Rights. Entrants are solely responsible for their Submission and the consequences of posting or publishing it. In connection with the Submission, Entrant affirms, represents, and warrants that: (i) Entrant owns or has the necessary licenses, rights, consents and permissions to use the Submission in the manner contemplated by the Sponsor; and (ii) Entrant has the written consent, release and permission of each and every identifiable individual person in the Submission to use the name of those persons to enable inclusion and use of the Submission in the manner contemplated by the Sponsor. By submitting the Submission to Sponsor, Entrant hereby grants to Sponsor a perpetual, fully paid, irrevocable, non-exclusive license to reproduce, prepare derivative works of, distribute, display, transmit, and permit others to use and perform throughout the universe the Submission, his/her likeness and performance and every identifiable individual person’s likeness and performance in the Submission in any media. Entrant hereby releases Sponsor and its parent and sister companies, and their officers, directors, employees and agents from any and all claims, demands, actions or causes of action of any kind, nature or description, which you or any of your successors, or, assigns, may now, or at any time, have or claim to have any reason of, arising out of, relating to or in any way connected with the rights granted above.
10. General Conditions and Releases. Potential winners are subject to Sponsor’s verification. Sponsor’s decisions are final and binding in all matters related to the Promotion. Potential winners must comply with the Official Rules’ terms and conditions, and receipt of prizes is contingent upon fulfilling all requirements. Sponsor is under no obligation to use the winning submission in any media. Winners agree to the use of their name and/or likenesses for purposes of advertising, trade, or promotion without further compensation, unless prohibited by law. Additionally, winner agrees to release Sponsor and their respective parents, subsidiaries, agencies, divisions, and affiliates from any and all liability, for loss, harm, damage, injury, cost or expense whatsoever including without limitation, property damage, personal injury and/or death which may occur in connection with, preparation for, travel to, or participation in the Promotion, or possession, acceptance and/or use or misuse of prize or participation in any Promotion-related activity and claims based on publicity rights, copyright/trademark infringement, defamation or invasion of privacy and merchandise delivery.
11. Odds of Winning. Odds of winning are determined by the number of eligible entries received.
12. Publicity. By accepting a prize, a winning Entrant agrees to the use of his or her name and likeness for purposes of advertising, trade or promotion without further compensation, unless prohibited by law, and agrees, if required, to sign and return a notarized Affidavit of Eligibility and Release of Liability (the “Affidavit”) within a period that Sponsor specifies.
13. Promotion Results. To obtain a winners’ list by mail, send a stamped, self- addressed envelope to “Flower Experience Contest,” Attn: Sony Computer Entertainment America Marketing, 919 E. Hillsdale Blvd. 2nd Floor, Foster City, CA 94404. Sponsor will send requested winners’ lists within 4-6 weeks after it awards prizes. Requests for the winner’s list must be received by May 31, 2010.
14. Collection of Information. The information necessary to operate the Promotion was collected by Sponsor at the time of entry, and without limiting Sponsor’s rights under its privacy policies with regards to its use of the information, will be used to contact you specifically for operation of the Promotion. Information collected in connection with the Promotion will otherwise be collected in accordance with Sponsor’s privacy policy, available at http://www.us.playstation.com/Support/PrivacyPolicy. By agreeing to these Official Rules, you are also agreeing to the terms of Sponsor’s privacy policy.
15. Restrictions. Void where prohibited or restricted by law.