Journey was a massive hit with critics and fans when it released in 2012. The game centers around the pilgrimage of a lone wanderer, and its an emotional journey about discovery.
Sony has debuted the first episode in their Makers & Gamers documentary video series. This first episode shows how Journey helped a young girl named Sophia deal with her fathers death when she was 15. She wanted to tell the people who made the game how much of an impact it had on her life.
Creator Jenova Chen from thatgamecompany was touched by a letter he received from Sophia and invited her to visit team’s studio in LA. Chen comments on Sophia’s letter in the video,
“You’re working on this art for such a long time, you put it out there and you don’t hear anything back. I felt that all the hard work in the game was heard by someone.”
Chen talks about how he wanted Journey to be an emotional experience and not a physical one, where players have a meaningful emotional exchange within the game. That intent clearly made its way to Sophia and her father as she says,
“This journey within the game reflected the journey I was going through with my Dad. It’s this beautiful example of the end and how it doesn’t have to be a bad thing,”
Makers & Gamers was directed by Jesse Moss, the acclaimed documentary filmmaker behind The Overnighters. Other games that have impacted people’s lives will be focused on in subsequent videos. Take a look at the first one on Journey down below.
What games have made an impact on you? Are there any that will always be special for you? Let us know down in the comments.
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