Jenova Chen on flOw, Game Design, and Sony

flOw is one of those interesting little games that keeps on kicking (it's certainly made the rounds at this point) — it's spawned a lot of interest and discussion since its first appearance. Brandon Sheffield sat down with Jenova Chen (flOw designer and co-founder of thatgamecompany) at this year's GDC to talk about Sony's strengths, game design, and why making traditional games is 'too easy':

I think it's just too easy for us. And, also, if I just want to make violent games or fun games... It's not to say that fun games are bad, but I could just go to work for Blizzard, or go to work for Maxis. And they make fun games, they make creative games. I could get a lot higher pay, and a much more stable job. Why not?

Why would I start a company just to make the same kind of game which I can get a much better life in another company? You know, the reason we started this company is because nobody is making this kind of game, and to expand that emotional spectrum of video games — having more people be able to enjoy video games. The only way to do it is to just do it yourself.

The interview touches on a lot of issues — from Sony to Passage to Spore — and worth a read through.

Finding A New Way: Jenova Chen And Thatgamecompany [Gamasutra]

Spore To Use Online Authentication

Will Wright's Design Philosophy

Kieron Gillen has a new interview with Will Wright up over at The Guardian, discussing Wright's game design philosophy (more or less):

"What I want to do is craft this landscape of experiences where the player has a huge degree of control over what they encounter," he says. "I think that's what games have as an advantage over any other form of media; that the player is half the author of the experience if the game is done well - or even more so. I think this is the first form of medium which has really achieved that and it allows us access to emotional regions that are inaccessible to linear narrative."

Is Spore going to be the success many think it will be, or will it confound the average user (unlike The Sims) as Ian Bogost suspects? Or will people lose interest together before the thing is finally released? I guess we'll find out ... eventually.

Unlocking the power of parallel play [The Guardian via Rock, Paper, Shotgun]

"We are thrilled to finally be putting the creative tools of Spore into the hands of players around the world," said Will Wright, chief designer, Maxis. "The amazing creations players design this summer will help populate the game universe we all enter when Spore ships this September, so in a sense, the Spore Creature Creator is the birth of Spore."

Spore Creature Creator Gets Scaled, Webbed, Dated

Maxis has finally come forward with a few more details about Spore Creature Creator. Coming out this June, Creature Creator will be available for download as well as bundled with the collection SimCity Box. These will be free trials with about 25% of the creator's full anatomy. A full version of the creator will be available as well (our money is by registering the trial version).

The software itself will allow you to create unlimited models, share these models and export wallpapers and videos of said models. Creature animations can also be tested in a dull, lifeless environment. It's a neat idea from Maxis, but just give the full version away free with pre-orders or something. The more I hear about this tiny piece of Spore, the more I see it getting set up to disappoint people who pay for it.

More Spore Creature Creator Details [IGN via Joystiq]

Will Wright is speaking at NASA's upcoming Yuri's Night Celebration in the Bay Area this Saturday.

Yuri's Night is an annual celebration of space exploration. On April 12th, 1961, Yuri Gagarin became the first human being in space, orbiting around the Earth once during a 108-minute flight. Exactly twenty years later, on April 12th, 1981, the United States launched their first Space Shuttle into space.

Wright will be joined at the public event by a variety of scientific speakers, artists and musicians. The developers talk will focus on astrobiology, the history of the Russian space program and Spore. The game will also be on display.

Back when I was at the Palm Beach Post I was actually one of three reporters who helped cover shuttle launches. Watching a shuttle literally push itself away from the Earth and rip through gravity's pull is probably one of the most amazing things I've seen in my life.... and there was swag. No lie, NASA actually had a little kiosk set up at every launch selling shit. I think it was because all of the visiting general and dignitaries always wanted shirts and hats to give to their kids. So funny.

Yuri's Night

Ian Bogost on Spore's Universal (?) Appeal

After taking Spore's creature editor for a spin at the ICE 2008 conference and watching the average, non-gaming public's response to the editor, Ian Bogost has some opinions on the universal appeal of Spore (or lack thereof). Unlike The Sims, Bogost says, Spore is facing a significant challenge in getting to the general public:

... The observation that surprised me the most was how people totally unfamiliar with Spore reacted to the very idea of a creature editor. From my perspective, it's a brilliantly engineered, elegantly constructed content authoring tool. But from theirs, it's an unfamiliar interface to an almost deviant act.

... Among the newbies, there was a significant amount of uncertainty and performance anxiety. People weren't sure they would be able to build something, even with encouragement and example. One even said, over my shoulder, "I'm not sure I'm creative in that way." I found this reaction fascinating.

Is Spore 'For Everyone'? [GameSetWatch]

Games Can Sell Forever, Says EA

Analyst: iPhone Not A Viable Gaming Platform

EA Sponsors SCI-FI-LONDON

Electronic Arts today said they will be the official games sponsor for this year's SCI-FI-LONDON, "the UK's only dedicated science fiction and fantastic film festival."

EA will have a bevy of titles on hand as part of their sponsorship including Mass Effect, Command & Conquer 3: Kane's Wrath, Spore and BOOM BLOX. They will also be showing a sneak preview of Dead Space, their upcoming space horror game.

The event runs from April 30 through May 4 at the Apollo West End theater in London. Hit the jump for the full release.

Fresh from Apple's SDK presentation last week, here's footage of Spore running, in real-time, on the iPhone. Appropriate use of accelerometer, restrained employment of touch-screen technology, nice graphics...yes, yes, this all appears to be in order.

GameSetWatch notes that Will Wright has signed on as one of several co-curators for an upcoming museum exhibition in Vancouver that mashes up the worlds of anima, comics and video games.

KRAZY! The Delirious World of Anime + Comics + Video Games + Art will be on show at the the Vancouver Art Gallery from May 17 through Sept. 7 and will feature original sketches, notes, concept drawings, animation cells, 3D models, published work and last, but certainly not least, a "sneak preview" of Spore.

The show will travel to New York next year.

KRAZY! The Delirious World of Anime + Comics + Video Games + Art [Canadian Architect, via GSW]

EA Confirms iPhone Spore, Other Games Coming

Probably my utter fascination with Care Bears. I could tell you more than you want to know about Care Bears. Oh, you want to know about Care Bears? ...Yeah, 'cause they live in Care-a-Lot, which is above the Forest of Feelings where the Care Bear Cousins live, which is above Earth... But the Care Bear Cousins aren't even Bears. They're like lions and monkeys and things, but they call them Care Bear Cousins. Yeah... They have these particle beam weapons in their stomachs, and when they get really upset, they fire this Star Wars thing. Yeah, they're cool.

Will Wright Gets all Brainy on Drunk Audience

Penis Cars, Vagina Houses Welcomed!

Spore Impressions Six Months Ago