Flower (2009)
Jenova chen
Flower is completely motion controlled,
and this mechanic ties in cleverly with the idea that you are
harnessing the wind to breathe life back into the game’s sprawling pastures.
- Adam Weinberg, journalist
Flower is a poem, where you as the player participate in the dreams of flowers confined to the ever-changing landscape of a colorless city.
- Ryan Clements, journalist
and this mechanic ties in cleverly with the idea that you are
harnessing the wind to breathe life back into the game’s sprawling pastures.
- Adam Weinberg, journalist
Flower is a poem, where you as the player participate in the dreams of flowers confined to the ever-changing landscape of a colorless city.
- Ryan Clements, journalist
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In Flower, the player controls the wind as they guide flower petals around the natural landscape. The music is gentle and orchestrated to fit with the playing style and to immerse the viewer in the game experience.
The game touches on themes such as the contrast between the city and country, sustainability of our environment and beauty. The main aim of the game is to collect the flower petals and return the vibrancy of colours and its state back to normal. For the first 22 years of his life, Jenova Chen didn't leave Shanghai. His childhood was defined by boundaries: physical, social and parental. The city's over-crowding confined his family to a small apartment and China's one-child policy ensured he had no siblings (Parkin, 2012). Chen was driving when he first noticed the grass fields. Arriving in America from the modernist steel-and-glass landscape of Shanghai, he’d never seen anything like the verdant landscape beside the interstate highway in California. He stopped his car, grabbed his camera and started clicking. “Green grass fields stretching to infinity. I saw a windmill farm – something I’d never seen before in my life. It was like someone seeing the ocean for the first time.” Not a game in its traditional sense, Flower creates more of an experience for the user. The experience is brought together by the vibrant, high resolution visuals, ambient soundtrack and smooth game play. The experience of controlling the wind is heightened by the way the game is controlled: through tilting the controller left right, up and down. Suggested Questions - Identify and discuss 2 dominant art elements or principles in Flower - Research and discuss Chen's ideas and inspiration behind Flower - Brainstorm 10 ways that you could create another artwork expressing the themes or experience of the game Suggested Activity - Look at Athena Tacha's public sculpture work "Green Acres" (1986) and compare it with Flower. Consider the interaction between the human body and the art piece for both artworks. Further reading: IGN Game Review http://au.ign.com/articles/2009/02/09/flower-review Gamespot.com Game Review http://au.gamespot.com/flower/reviews/flower-review-6204461/ Edge Online Magazine http://www.edge-online.com/features/making-flower/ |