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Chen: "It's our games that make us assholes"

Journey developer Jenova Chen has told Eurogamer he believes it's game content itself that turns people into multiplayer idiots.

Chen's Journey features multiplayer in which you never know who you're playing with an no one can talk to each other.

"None of us was born to be an asshole," he said. "I believe that very often it's not really the player that's an asshole. It's the game designer that made them an asshole. If you spend every day killing one another how are you going to be a nice guy? All console games are about killing each other, or killing one another together. Don't you see? It's our games that make us assholes."

He added: "So what we try to do is spearhead emotional content. If the entire game industry is focusing on excitement and adrenaline rushes, well, then I will look at peace, or love. That way we can expand the perception of what games can be and can accomplish. That's why I make games. That's why I am on this journey."

Journey's multiplayer was completely non-competitive, and involved players appearing in each others' worlds to play together with no communication.

There's a ton more through there.

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Patrick Garratt avatar
Patrick Garratt is a games media legend - and not just by reputation. He was named as such in the UK's 'Games Media Awards', the equivalent of a lifetime achievement award. After garnering experience on countless gaming magazines, he joined Eurogamer and later split from that brand to create VG247, putting the site on the map with fast, 24-hour a day coverage, and assembling the site's earliest editorial teams. He retired from VG247, and the games industry, in 2017.
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Journey

PS4, PS3, PC

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