everyday gamer

My first memory of Fl0w was that of a free flash game developed as a part of a college thesis that on the surface seemed to be a variant on the classic game of Snake.   A year later that same flash game would make its way to the Playstation Network, becoming one of the marquee downloadable titles on the Playstation Network and placing developer Jenova Chen and thatgamecompany on the game dev map.  While Fl0w didn’t exactly appeal to me (it seemed more like a tech demo than a game), I did appreciate the fact it was a different sort of ‘emotional’ gaming experience that paved the way for more artsy, bite-sized game experiences on both XBox Live Arcade as well as Playstation Network.

thatgamecompany looks to build on its goal of creating emotional gaming experiences with its next project Flower, a unique game in which the player rocks and tilts the Sixaxis to control the wind and carry petals to unbloomed flowers in the lush landscapes.  While Flower‘s gameplay appears similar to that of a flight simulator, Sony is labeling it as the first in the ‘Zen Gaming’ genre – a calm, low impact, highly relaxing gaming experience that is in stark contrast to the high-impact, intense multimedia experiences that have characterized this console generation thus far.

Flower‘s “chilled-out” almost casual gaming experience might seem a bit too targeted toward hipsters and peace activists.  After all, a game whose entire premise is to fly around collecting petals and make flowers bloom does not a hardcore gaming experience make.  Even so, this sort of emotional experience isn’t readily available in the interactive entertainment medium.  And if Flower succeeds in delivering that emotional experience, then it just may be the closest thing this generation to finally quieting naysayers about video games as a legitimate artform.

Next time:  Sexy Librarian-Goddess of War?  Librarian May Cry?  Hideki Kamiya’s next evolution of the action genre.