Issue 14.07 - July 2006
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Check Out My Flow 

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In the late 1960s, precocious autuers like George Lucas and Martin Scorsese went from film programs at USC and NYU to fomenting a revolution in Hollywood. Almost four decades later, it’s the videogame industry’s turn. USC’s Interactive Media Division opened its doors in 2002, and now gamer grads are leveling up to the job market. One promising prospect is Xinghan Chen, aka Jenova (a villain from Final Fantasy VII, natch). His beguiling student projects – play for free at jenovachen.com – are a universe away from the usual commercial fare. Wired tried out the future mogul’s games.

1. FLOW
GAMEPLAY: Control an aquatic organism with mouse­clicks. As your avatar gobbles up other organisms, it changes and grows into a unique form.
BUDGET: None required. Hooray for volunteer labor!
PROJECT GOAL: To illustrate the principles laid out in Chen’s heady MFA thesis, “A Theory of Flow in Games.” He says, “Most videogames are very static. I developed a methodology to create self-adaptable videogames that allow different types of gamers to enjoy them in their own way.”
RESPONSE: flOw has scored 650,000 downloads since March.

2. CLOUD
GAMEPLAY: Fly around making pretty contrails and creating storms to purify the air.
BUDGET: $12,000 for development and $8,000 for promotion (USC provided grant money)
PROJECT GOAL: “I wanted to create a game experience that resonates with everybody’s memories of childhood, looking at the sky and being overwhelmed with infinite imaginations and daydreams,” Chen says. “It is a videogame that is not violent, stressful, sexual, or comedic.”
RESPONSE: Won awards at the Slamdance Guerilla Gamemaker Competition and the Independent Games Festival; showcased on Spike TV, G4TV, and CBS Sunday Morning.

- Evan Shamoon