Jenova Chen
: Jenova Chen (born 1981) is a Chinese video game designer, co-founder and creative director of Thatgamecompany. His work—flOw, Flower, Journey, Sky—focuses on emotional and aesthetic experiences in interactive media.
Introduction
Jenova Chen (Chinese name Xinghan Chen, ???), born October 8, 1981 in Shanghai, is a pioneering Chinese video game designer. Thatgamecompany, and for designing a series of influential independent games: Cloud, flOw, Flower, Journey, and Sky: Children of the Light.
Early Life and Background
Chen was born and raised in Shanghai, China, in a middle class family.
During his school years, he entered programming contests (influenced by his father) and also cultivated his skills in digital art, animation, and design.
Chen studied Computer Science & Engineering at Shanghai Jiao Tong University, with a minor in digital art & design (including work at Donghua University) during 2001–2003. Master of Fine Arts in Interactive Media from the University of Southern California (USC), completing it around 2006.
Career and Major Works
Early Projects: Cloud & flOw
During his time at USC, Chen collaborated with fellow students (notably Kellee Santiago) to develop Cloud, which portrays a hospital-confined protagonist soaring in imagination. Cloud won recognition at student showcases and became a stepping stone for Chen’s design philosophy.
His master’s thesis explored the concept of dynamic difficulty adjustment, and he prototyped elements of that in flOw. flOw (2006) is a minimalistic, ambient, evolution-style game where a player controls a microorganism navigating through deeper levels, consuming or merging with others.
Founding Thatgamecompany & Flower
After a brief stint at Maxis (working on Spore), Chen left to fully devote himself to his vision of emotionally driven games. Thatgamecompany in 2006 in Los Angeles.
Their next major game, Flower (2009), was conceived to provoke positive emotions and act as “emotional shelter.”
Journey and Beyond
Following Flower, Chen and his studio released Journey (2012). The design goal was to create connection between players without direct communication (no chat or voice), letting them meet, assist, or part ways solely through actions and shared presence. Journey was widely praised, celebrated as an artistic and emotional experience, and often cited as a landmark in games as art.
In more recent years, Thatgamecompany developed Sky: Children of the Light, a social/adventure game with persistent online environments. Chen plays a key role in its creative direction.
Chen also acts in advisory and publishing roles (e.g. with Annapurna Interactive).
Philosophical Vision & Design Approach
Jenova Chen is known for viewing video games as a medium for emotional and artistic expression rather than purely entertainment or competition.
Because he was born in one culture (China) but works heavily in the U.S., Chen often feels culturally between worlds. universal human emotions that transcend cultural boundaries.
He has described himself as a “digital monk,” aiming to cultivate compassion, introspection, and personal growth through interactive media.
In interviews, Chen emphasizes that games should expand the emotional palette of interactive media—beyond fear, excitement, and competition into gentler, more contemplative feelings.
Legacy and Influence
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Chen’s works are often used as reference points in academic, artistic, and design circles when discussing games as art and emotional design.
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His approach has influenced other indie studios to explore non-violent, meditative, or emotionally focused games.
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The success and acclaim of Journey and Flower have broadened industry thinking about what commercial games can do.
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Thatgamecompany’s games have been exhibited in museums and galleries, blurring the line between games and fine art.
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Chen continues to mentor and support interactive media projects and serves as an advocate for more emotional depth in game design.
Personality and Strengths
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Creative vision: Chen holds a clear and consistent aesthetic ambition—to push emotional boundaries in games.
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Cross-disciplinary fluency: He combines engineering, digital art, design, and philosophy.
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Courage & conviction: He left a stable job to take financial risk for more authentic, less commercial work.
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Sensitivity & empathy: His design is rooted in deep awareness of human emotion, vulnerability, and shared experience.
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Leadership & coherence: As creative director, he maintains narrative, emotional, and aesthetic consistency across a project.
Memorable Reflections & Ideas
While Chen is not known for many short aphoristic quotes, some of his notable reflections and philosophies include:
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He chose the name “Jenova” from a character in Final Fantasy VII, in part to pick a unique name rather than being one among many “Jason Chens.”
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He says that games should be a medium that can “emotionally touch someone, intellectually reveal a new perspective, or provide a social space for shared experience.”
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He has expressed that many commercial games overemphasize external conflict, whereas he wants games to explore inner conflict, connection, and emotional nuance.
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He describes his goal of creating “universal experiences” that resonate across cultures rather than catering to one market.
Lessons from Jenova Chen
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Design with empathy and emotional intent
Prioritize how someone feels when interacting with your creation, not just how they play. -
Balance art & interactivity
Chen shows that games can combine aesthetic depth and interactive engagement, not one at the cost of the other. -
Take creative risks
He left more stable opportunities to build something more meaningful and novel—risking failure for vision. -
Pursue universality, not conformity
Even rooted in multiple cultures, he sought emotions and experiences everyone can relate to. -
Honor coherence & consistency
His projects show disciplined design: every element supports the emotional arc and theme.
Conclusion
Jenova Chen is one of the most influential contemporary voices in game design. Through flOw, Flower, Journey, and Sky, he has pushed the boundaries of what games can express—moving them closer to emotional art. His insistence on universal human feeling, creative courage, and philosophical clarity has shaped how many designers think about games’ potential.