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| 11s | hello hello hello and welcome sky kids |
|---|---|
| 14s | wait wait wait I I messed it up I messed |
| 15s | it up hwk hwk sky kids this is to to |
| 20s | have a talk with a very special guest |
| 23s | you guys this person is that game |
| 26s | company's CEO and creative director for |
| 30s | Sky Children of the light janova Chen |
| 32s | welcome janova how are you thank you for |
| 36s | having me here uh very very excited and |
| 39s | also nervous usually I don't do live |
| 41s | stream that's not my |
| 42s | specialty thank you for finding time uh |
| 45s | to do this with us I'm sure that |
| 47s | everybody at the studio is super busy |
| 48s | with the PC |
| 50s | launcher yeah it it's uh you know sky |
| 53s | has been a game we've developed since |
| 56s | 2012 so it's been 12 years in the making |
| 59s | and by finally we're on the PC platform |
| 63s | and I can tell you that everybody who |
| 66s | worked on the PC Port are really really |
| 68s | excited and pay attention to everything |
| 70s | that's going on right now and that's why |
| 72s | I really appreciate you being here with |
| 74s | us uh janova it's it's not very common |
| 78s | to have you know the CEO of the studio |
| 80s | to come in and have this time of |
| 82s | connection uh with with fans alike Sky |
| 86s | children alike and I'm sure that's |
| 88s | really important a lot of these people |
| 90s | have been really uh expecting a moment |
| 93s | to to have a a live moment with you so |
| 97s | my appreciations to you in their name |
| 100s | and there you go Bunches of Hearts we |
| 102s | seeing all of those hearts thank thank |
| 104s | you so much and uh you know I I |
| 106s | mentioned this before but the company |
| 109s | that game company started back in 2006 |
| 112s | because of uh you guys The Gamers who |
| 116s | played our game and write the letter to |
| 118s | encourage us to find the company and |
| 122s | ever since we've been making games for |
| 125s | you and uh thank you for your support |
| 127s | thank you for the hearts uh we survived |
| 130s | for 18 years and uh we're going strong |
| 134s | that's a a great segu NOA for us to get |
| 137s | started uh so it's been oh while 2006 uh |
| 142s | of TGC as a as a gaming studio right and |
| 145s | so how has sky as a game and PGC as a |
| 149s | studio |
| 151s | evolved within this time uh especially |
| 154s | from your original Vision right like |
| 156s | when when you uh started this company |
| 159s | and and when you started creating this |
| 161s | game to what it has become now uh how |
| 164s | how does it feel and how has both of |
| 167s | these evolved throughout this |
| 169s | time um you know we when I was um just a |
| 175s | student um kind of studying in the The |
| 179s | Graduate School School uh that was |
| 182s | 2003 there's a Coline shooting where two |
| 185s | high school students uh bringed machine |
| 188s | gun and and grenades into the school and |
| 190s | caused you know many people uh dive |
| 194s | parish and at the time yeah video game |
| 198s | was considered as the cause of such |
| 201s | violence and uh when we were working in |
| 204s | the school um and the school had a |
| 207s | program to uh you know reward student |
| 210s | student to innovate uh on new ways to |
| 213s | tell the stories um and we have this uh |
| 217s | game uh Innovation Grant which ask us to |
| 220s | pitch for ideas that could show you know |
| 224s | games can be made in different ways um |
| 227s | and so starting from that project we |
| 229s | worked on this game that's not violent |
| 233s | you know the the the reverse of violence |
| 235s | um not addictive um and we focus on |
| 239s | making making the player feel a positive |
| 242s | feeling rather than you know destroying |
| 245s | things we actually uh healing uh the |
| 248s | world somehow um and that was an |
| 252s | experiment project but many people who |
| 255s | played our game told us that they cried |
| 258s | for the game uh we were we were all very |
| 261s | shocked because at that in 2004 2005 |
| 265s | people don't associate video game as |
| 267s | something that would make people cry for |
| 268s | a good reason |
| 270s | and uh it was those player who's touched |
| 273s | by our game uh they they wrote very |
| 275s | heartfelt letter to us uh telling us |
| 278s | sharing a little bit about their life |
| 282s | and how our game is changing their |
| 284s | well-being and how we should really you |
| 288s | know start a a business uh to show as |
| 291s | through through like commercial games to |
| 293s | show the world that games doesn't have |
| 295s | to be always about fighting and |
| 297s | competition that it could be a force of |
| 300s | good and it could be considered as |
| 303s | literate liberal arts um and make |
| 306s | people's life better um that that was |
| 310s | just very inspiring and you know we we |
| 314s | pretty much dropped everything just to |
| 317s | follow the P you know the the request |
| 319s | from the players and try to start a |
| 322s | company before we even graduate and |
| 324s | that's how that company started and till |
| 328s | this day I still feel we are you know |
| 330s | working hard on achieving what our |
| 333s | players asked us 18 years |
| 335s | ago yeah and and how about sky right uh |
| 340s | almost 5 years old across all major |
| 343s | gaming platforms right like has your |
| 347s | vision for Sky come to fruition how how |
| 351s | has that Vision evolved to what it is |
| 352s | now yeah so so honestly I you know I |
| 357s | grew up playing games um see it's very |
| 359s | young young age and you know as a gamer |
| 363s | I'm also introverted person game is |
| 366s | pretty much the medium that create make |
| 369s | me feel not alone I made many friends |
| 372s | through video games uh I find my career |
| 375s | with video games and I've learned most |
| 379s | of my English and my you know uh geology |
| 383s | and history through playing video games |
| 386s | and so to me game is like a child good |
| 390s | friend you know and it's it's like |
| 393s | family um but as I grow up I start to |
| 397s | see um you know games are somewhat |
| 401s | despised by the rest of the society as |
| 403s | particularly by my parents generation |
| 405s | and you know a big portion of my friends |
| 409s | who don't play games also see this as a |
| 413s | a waste of time um a |
| 416s | distraction um and so I wanted to |
| 419s | legitimize this medium you know I love |
| 421s | this medium I want this medium to be |
| 423s | loved by more people and so what is the |
| 426s | best way to you know make more people |
| 428s | love games uh by making another game |
| 432s | that you already love to play probably |
| 434s | it wouldn't change the status call right |
| 437s | and so the only way I can see to make |
| 439s | the way to make more people love games |
| 441s | is by innovate the games and creating |
| 444s | new types of experience particularly new |
| 447s | type of emotional experience so so it |
| 450s | will attract the people who don't see |
| 453s | game as their entertainment medium or |
| 456s | artistic medium to consider you know uh |
| 459s | come to try games or you know consider |
| 462s | using game as a as a canvas to to paint |
| 465s | their own art um and so starting from |
| 469s | you know Cloud to flow to flower to |
| 472s | Journey what we are trying to prove is |
| 474s | that games can be an art piece you know |
| 478s | games can make you |
| 480s | think about life and think about you |
| 483s | know |
| 484s | humanity and it and it's not just like |
| 488s | make you feel differently it also need |
| 489s | to make you feel very strong emotions so |
| 493s | that you would remember and so from from |
| 496s | flower we start to experiment with you |
| 499s | know uh three act storytelling that we |
| 501s | learned from the film school but |
| 504s | reinterpret with game plays to use the |
| 506s | game play to touch you uh and it was |
| 509s | quite successful uccessful and so when |
| 511s | we move from flower to Journey we focus |
| 515s | on whether we can do the same emotional |
| 518s | impact but happening among multiple |
| 521s | players um and at the Time video game |
| 524s | has a bad reputation for playing games |
| 527s | online like nobody wants to turn on |
| 529s | their microphone or listen to toxic you |
| 533s | know Communications and so we were |
| 536s | thinking can we potentially you know not |
| 539s | only touch the the players and let them |
| 541s | have an |
| 542s | emotional |
| 543s | uh experience shared together but also |
| 547s | you know create a positive connection |
| 549s | between people rather than a toxic |
| 551s | connection um yeah and U so so that's |
| 556s | like the first half of the company we |
| 558s | spend the first six year just experiment |
| 561s | with how games can make you feel and |
| 563s | then prove that on a commercial um uh |
| 566s | platform like |
| 568s | PlayStation um |
| 570s | yeah and and then what happened after |
| 572s | Journey till Sky there's a huge gap of |
| 575s | the rest of 12 Years A lot of people |
| 577s | thought we just disappeared or maybe the |
| 580s | company has go this you know bankrupt or |
| 583s | something right uh what happened is it |
| 585s | took us seven years to develop Sky just |
| 589s | to get it out onto the market and we |
| 592s | only made this version to be on iOS and |
| 596s | then you know 8y year game we we we |
| 598s | shipped on the Andro Android then N9 |
| 601s | years we shipped on the switch 10 years |
| 603s | in we Shi on the PlayStation and now 12 |
| 606s | years we on the PC final um it's a it's |
| 610s | a very long process um but I'll probably |
| 614s | you know jump into Sky a bit later yeah |
| 617s | that's that's where we are and that's |
| 620s | that's fascinating has has the |
| 622s | vision changed like is it more than you |
| 626s | thought it could have been from the |
| 627s | original sketching on your books how how |
| 630s | did that progress for |
| 633s | Skype so one of my biggest heroes in |
| 637s | gaming is humito wer who created um uh |
| 641s | IO and Shadow of the closet right and uh |
| 645s | so I'm you know I'm certainly if I'm a |
| 649s | fan of somebody I would just try to |
| 650s | study as much as how they make their |
| 652s | things so so with uh with a he he talked |
| 656s | about how uh when he start a project he |
| 661s | would look for that Cent um how to say |
| 664s | the the most important image uh like he |
| 667s | would do the concept art a sketch to |
| 669s | create an image that represent the |
| 672s | emotion he's going |
| 673s | for uh and then the game kind of evolve |
| 676s | around this image uh and that's why most |
| 679s | of his his Works have this very well |
| 683s | thought up world with culture and with |
| 686s | stories because he's a he's a visual |
| 689s | thinker |
| 690s | um and so when when we approach our |
| 692s | games uh I also try to start a game with |
| 695s | image uh with a sketch and a feeling uh |
| 699s | and then I would work with a composer to |
| 702s | come up a music uh like a |
| 705s | theme um so so the combination of the |
| 710s | music emotion and the visual emotion you |
| 713s | you you get the you know the central |
| 716s | seed of the look and feel and then you |
| 719s | evolve mechanics and the story around it |
| 722s | um yeah that that's how I usually start |
| 724s | a |
| 727s | project and here we are uh to PC |
| 730s | millions and millions of downloads it |
| 733s | did you have that in mind when when you |
| 735s | were uh working with the team and you |
| 737s | guys were still small 12 years ago uh to |
| 741s | to where we are right now for Sky it |
| 743s | does it blow your mind is my question |
| 744s | does it blow your mind that so many |
| 746s | people uh feel attached and feel |
| 749s | connected |
| 750s | to the game and to one another through |
| 751s | the |
| 752s | game yeah when we worked on the sky game |
| 757s | initially we thought we would just |
| 759s | simply Port Journey we take what we |
| 761s | learned from storytelling journey and |
| 763s | make a premium game on the phone uh and |
| 767s | so hopefully it would reach more people |
| 769s | like one of the lesson we learned from |
| 771s | Journey is that a lot of the players who |
| 774s | play Journey would write letters to us I |
| 776s | think we have about 1,600 emails from |
| 779s | players just want to reach out to us to |
| 781s | tell us their stories and uh many of |
| 785s | them said this is the first game they |
| 787s | shared with their wife and daughter uh |
| 790s | most of the owners of PlayStation like I |
| 792s | would say what what a 90% of PlayStation |
| 795s | owners are men so they said this is the |
| 797s | first game they daughter finished uh you |
| 801s | know people don't finish game these days |
| 804s | um and I I and also heard from a friend |
| 807s | who went to Japan uh uh and did a meet |
| 811s | up with journey fans and uh he told me |
| 814s | like more than 60% of the fan are women |
| 817s | uh so that was very shocking to me |
| 820s | because I I you know I thought gamers |
| 822s | are mostly dudes like myself um but to |
| 827s | realize that you know when you make a |
| 830s | fighting games it probably will turn off |
| 832s | a lot of a lot of female players but |
| 835s | when you make a game about emotions and |
| 837s | you know the beauties of the world and |
| 839s | in life that that is very U how to say |
| 842s | like emotionally |
| 844s | accessible um and so when we decide to |
| 847s | leave PlayStation and work on sky on a |
| 850s | mobile platform we really believe that |
| 852s | the games are meant to be played by |
| 854s | everybody not just hardcore Gamers but |
| 857s | you know people of all ages um and |
| 861s | particularly with the success of Journey |
| 863s | we know women would play our game and so |
| 866s | how can we essentially uh create a game |
| 870s | that would appeal to more than just |
| 872s | traditional games uh we know we can |
| 874s | attract more players than how many |
| 876s | player who play Journey we just didn't |
| 878s | expect to attract you know almost uh 50 |
| 882s | times more right that that's the |
| 883s | surprise |