Interview: Jenova Chen on Journey

Today, I had the honor of sitting down to a conference with both one of the most influental game designers of the era and one of the friendliest people you’ll meet in the PR scene. Hit the jump for some very interesting back and forth with Jenova Chen, Creative Director of thatgamecompany and Alan Danzis of Ketchum PR as well as an exclusive question from me to the great Jenova.

Alan: Would you say that Journey is one of the more accessible versus the other title [Flow, Flower]?

Jenova: It is my own philosophy that good games should be designed for everyone, rather than a particular group. I designed the controls and control elements after World of Warcraft, because everyone plays that. Even a lot of people in their 40s and 50s will find the game easy to control because the controls are synchronized and intuitive.

Alan: Was there any time where you guys considered incorpoprating PlayStation Move support into Journey?

Jenova: The PlayStation Move wasn’t created until about a year after Journey’s development time began. Unfortunately, by that time Journey was completely designed for the Sixaxis controller.

Alan: What was your inspiration for the character design to set things apart from the norm?

Jenova: From the start we knew that we wanted to create a multiplayer game, one that generated a bond between strangers. Looking around multiplayer titles, I noticed that the only usual bond was people killing each other or killing something together. For Journey, we wanted to create an environment in which you are happy to just see a normal human being rather than kill or be killed.

Alan: Do you feel that to get the best experience out of Journey, you should play it multiplayer? Or is there enough content for a single player to be happy?

Jenova: I think Journey is designed to be mimicking life. In life, we are all going to a similar place. We are going to die [laughs]. We meet various people in different stages of life, maybe we will depart, maybe we will meet one another in another stage. So, if you have a Journey experience where you played alone from beginning to end, it will be a very enjoyable, self-reflecting experience. But if you meet anyone, it will change the game to a completely different experience.

Alan: It’s known that people can’t communicate or talk during multiplayer. Was this the plan from the beginning?

Jenova: Well, Journey is designed to be an emotional experience from the beginning. If you put two people in an emotional struggle together, a bond will be formed. Just putting people through simple challenges isn’t enough. Putting people in an emotional rollercoaster ride together makes an even stronger connection. In the end, things like text chat and voice chat became distractions from the true experience of the game.

 Alan: Is there an example you can share from someone, such as from your team, about the experiences Journey’s multiplayer brings to the emotional package?

Jenova: Most everyone thought playing with a stranger online really appreciates the chance to be in another person’s company. Just to know that the person beside you is not a man, woman, child, or elderly, but a human.

Alan: How did you guys come up with simple but elegant features in the game, such as the cloth?

Jenova: I would love to tell you more about the features and how we came up with them, but it would spoil the experience for new players.

Alan: Most people are saying your game is too short. What is your thought process when it comes to people who challenge a game for the length and not the quality?

Jenova: Honestly, I don’t care. We are making games for everyone; we are not just making games for kids. Sure, if you spend money, and you want kids to be entertained for that money as long as possible. But we want to touch and move people with our titles. We come from a very artistic perspective in the most creative ways possible, no matter the length. People want to “level up”, and to me that just adds unnecessary hours to a title and I just can’t add levels for the sake of increasing the play time.

Alan: Were there any inspirations from film or art that helped with the inspiration of Journey?

Jenova: The whole philosophy behind our studio is based on the film industry. To us, gaming is an expansion [of medium-enhancing technology]. In this day and age, people are making very visceral or primal experiences. The same is being reflected in the game industry. Even today, you can see Hollywood action games or Scary movie games. What you don’t see, are games based on nuanced-emotions, and I think games really can do that.

Alan: Why do you think there aren’t more games that incorporate softer emotions like romance?

Jenova: Well, it’s a vicious cycle. During the console era, because boys are more visually reactive than the girls. People realize, boys like to play certain games. Because more games are made for males, males are more interested. Over time, the vicious cycle continues and we lose the female touch in the games industry. Biologically, males are more tolerable in visceral experiences. It’s not like in Japan, where there’s an art form for everyone.

Alan: Journey is one of those titles where you see a small but extremely vocal fan base. What makes them so excited for your games?

Jenova: I’m not really a person who pays attention to fanbases. People are looking for things that offer more relevance to their life. What is learning how to score headshots going to add to your life if you’re not going to join the military? When I make games, I’m thinking “What games would be relevant for an adult to play?” It really has to be something that you can justify devoting time in your life to play, you just don’t have the free time that you had in childhood.

Alan: Do you think the world created in Journey can be expanded in the future? If not, what future projects do you have in mind?

Jenova: Umm, the world of Journey is pretty much complete. What is left in the game is what we make the most important. At this time, we’re really focusing on Journey, and in the future we can talk at a later time.

Caleb: Flower and Fl0w incorporated unique elements that caused them to be not just a game, but completely unique experiences. What element of Journey would you say really drives it to a level that propels it above being just a ‘game’?

Jenova: I have received emails from people telling me the stories telling them about what they think the game’s story is about, or how it reminds me of integral, emotional moments in their lives. It’s as if people play the game and the game inspires both unique and old memories in the hearts of many.