Jenova Chen Complains About Games, “Not Good Enough for Adults”

According to famed game developer Jenova Chen, video games just aren’t cutting for the adult audience.

The thatgamecompany co-founder went so far as to say that his “biggest complaint for computer games so far is they are not good enough for adults.” Chen’s latest title Journey has received a lot of acclaim from critics since its release, serving up an experience that many would deem to be the best example of how video games can be art.

Speaking to Gamasutra, Chen went on to provide some reasoning behind his complaints, explaining that adults crave “intellectual stimulation,” something that this sorely lacking in the majority of games today.

For adults to enjoy something, they need to have intellectual stimulation, something that’s related to real life. Playing poker teaches you how to deceive people, and that’s relevant to real life. A headshot with a sniper rifle is not relevant to real life. Games have to be relevant intellectually.

You also need depth. You have the adventure – the thrill of the adventure – but you want the goosebumps too.

It is clear that Chen is aiming to break this trend with the games that he creates. As such, we can’t wait to see the next big thing to come out of thatgamecompany.

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