Grad School Thesis becomes PS3 Game

Author: Brett Thomas
Published: 29th November 2006
Comments (20) Stumble
Grad School Thesis becomes PS3 Game

Graduate student Jenova Chen published "flOw" on the USC website - and ended up catching a big fish

Special thanks to forumite Buzzons for pointing us to this!

Graduate school is a daunting proposition for many people. Long hours of study, generally low pay, and little more than a footnote of credit at the bottom of someone else's research is rarely what one would consider a "good time." Every once in a while, though, something truly unexpected happens...much like Jenova Chen, the designer of flOw is finding out right now.

flOw is a simple concept - you start out as a small sea creature in shallow water, eating smaller creatures to grow. As you grow, you can eat bigger and bigger things and survive at deeper and deeper depths. The addictive little flash game was posted in March of this year on the USC website as part of his graduate thesis in the Interactive Media division. Within two weeks, it had over 100,000 hits - with no intentional promotion.

Chen ended up hooking a lot bigger fish than he ever expected, though. First there was a phone call, then a deal...and now he and a partner are managing a small games company with a big customer - Sony. The game is now going to be upgraded a little from its Flash roots, and be sold on the new PlayStation Network.

The game was inspired by Chen's concept of the Flow Theory - the point where a person becomes so engrossed in a single task that conscious thought is shirked and instinct takes over. The "flow" sits between the point where you become bored and where you become genuinely anxious. His game, he feels, is a symbol of that - a singular task that immerses you.

By the number of hits and the interest he's generating, it doesn't look like he's far off the mark.

What are your thoughts on this little masterpiece? Have you played it yet? Tell us your thoughts on the theory or the game in our forums.
Quote monkeyville 29th November 2006, 20:00
Can't find a working version of this game anywhere
Quote LoneArchon 29th November 2006, 20:03
Search google and use the cache version then use one of the mirrors to download it
Quote DougEdey 29th November 2006, 20:16
Thats because this isn't news, it's olds, its been floating round the net for ages.
Quote geek1017 29th November 2006, 20:48
Damn you for giving me yet another excuse to shirk doing work.

can't believe I haven't seen this little time waster before.
Quote DreamTheEndless 29th November 2006, 21:34
http://intihuatani.usc.edu/cloud/flowing/
here
Quote DXR_13KE 29th November 2006, 22:03
that is a really addictive game.... and fun..... o hope these guys make some cool games in the future...... :D
Quote webbyman 29th November 2006, 23:39
i must have just wasted a mindless hour, addicted to that game :O
it's sooo simple yet, you want to grow and see how you evolve and your opponents change... amaaazing....
Quote Stwongbad 30th November 2006, 03:02
Wonder how much money he's getting for this though.
Quote Lucidity 30th November 2006, 04:44
He is going to get a lawsuit on top of the deal. This game ,with less visuals, has been made before in flash. Well actually add a rejection of his diploma or credits to that to....Fishy was on a flash games site 2 years ago it features the same core gameplay minus the visuals and your movement ability. Man, this guy is lame. Found the game.....

WARNING SOME CONTENT ON THE WEBSITE ATTATCHED TO THE LINK IS NOT CONSIDERED "WORK SAFE"
http://www.ebaumsworld.com/fishy.html
Quote monkeyville 30th November 2006, 04:52
It plays completely different. For a start that game sucks and flOw was addictive. True there are similarity's but only in so far as your a fish and you eat things
Quote Lucidity 30th November 2006, 05:01
Quote:
Originally Posted by monkeyville
It plays completely different. For a start that game sucks and flOw was addictive. True there are similarity's but only in so far as your a fish and you eat things

Funny if the game sucks so bad, how come it is on pretty much every flash website I have ever been to? So you are saying that they copied the whole way the other game played, but that doesn't mean anything? If the makers of Fishy have any brains at all, they would slap this guy with a lawsuit. The similarities between gameplay are immense, flOw just makes things look pretty, and gives the the illusion of having full 360 degree movement.
Quote monkeyville 30th November 2006, 05:09
Gran Turismo plays in the same way as Project Gotham (you both go round a track) but i don't see them slapping each other with lawsuits. The implementation of these games are totally different and although i can see where your coming from i dont think they have a right to sue.
Quote Lucidity 30th November 2006, 05:19
Your talking about genre, if you look at how the games play they are totally different. Because flash games have no real depth, the gameplay is the core. And the gameplay minus a small change in control is exactly the same. Even if it isnt enough to sue for, it should be enough to be considered plagiarism.
Quote DreamTheEndless 30th November 2006, 06:37
Doode - you're not getting it. There've been several little fish eating other fish games - in fact, the one on yahoo games is much better than your little "fishy" link that you posted - the fact that you are eating other underwater critters isn't what makes this game unique -

what is different about this game than any other hungry fish game is:
* control
* top down as opposed to side view
* stunning visuals
* enchanting music
* level changes (Very creative)
* the way you "grow" (new segments that evolve instead of just getting larger - in fact, the shape you end up with depends on what you eat.)
* the interaction of you and the larger monsters

it goes back to different racing games, different FPS games, mortal kombat vs. streetfighter vs. XXXXXXXXX

Basing a game off the simple concept of swimming around and eating stuff isn't stealing - it's just a starting point. It's what you do with it from there that matters. This guy came up with something that no one else did and it is absolutely stunning with great gameplay.
Quote Da_Rude_Baboon 30th November 2006, 10:09
Probably the most addicitve flash game i have played in a long time.
Quote DarkReaper 30th November 2006, 10:21
I spent a good few nights playing around with the original flow. I also tried fishy but beat it after about half an hour and left it. Flow is addictive, beautiful and engaging, and good on yer man for getting noticed.
Quote Lucidity 4th December 2006, 04:20
Quote:
Originally Posted by DreamTheEndless
Doode - you're not getting it. There've been several little fish eating other fish games - in fact, the one on yahoo games is much better than your little "fishy" link that you posted - the fact that you are eating other underwater critters isn't what makes this game unique -

what is different about this game than any other hungry fish game is:
* control
* top down as opposed to side view
* stunning visuals
* enchanting music
* level changes (Very creative)
* the way you "grow" (new segments that evolve instead of just getting larger - in fact, the shape you end up with depends on what you eat.)
* the interaction of you and the larger monsters

it goes back to different racing games, different FPS games, mortal kombat vs. streetfighter vs. XXXXXXXXX

Basing a game off the simple concept of swimming around and eating stuff isn't stealing - it's just a starting point. It's what you do with it from there that matters. This guy came up with something that no one else did and it is absolutely stunning with great gameplay.

If I stick an Aston Martin badge on my Ford it does not become an Aston Martin. It is a dressed up version of the original game, with a small tweak on the control. It would be one thing if it was just a project, but it was his thesis, and he is profiting from it.
Quote DarkReaper 4th December 2006, 15:18
Quote:
Originally Posted by Lucidity
If I stick an Aston Martin badge on my Ford it does not become an Aston Martin. It is a dressed up version of the original game, with a small tweak on the control. It would be one thing if it was just a project, but it was his thesis, and he is profiting from it.
DId you actually read DreamTheEndless' post? They're both games where you have to eat aquatic creatures to grow, but that's pretty much the only similarity. By that rationale Photoshop is a rip-off of MS Paint and Age of Empires III is just another tired Dune 2 clone. Flow is an order of magnitude above Fishy in terms of originality and enjoyment - it's got levels, boss creatures etc whilst fishy has different sized and coloured renditions of the same image.

Using the AoE example above, they are both games where you mine resources and build armies but AoE offers more versatility, better graphics, more features and variety etc etc. Flow isn't a rebadged Ford, it's a better engineered, better build and more enjoyable Aston Martin
Quote DreamTheEndless 4th December 2006, 20:39
Quote:
Originally Posted by Lucidity
If I stick an Aston Martin badge on my Ford it does not become an Aston Martin. It is a dressed up version of the original game, with a small tweak on the control. It would be one thing if it was just a project, but it was his thesis, and he is profiting from it.

Your car analogy is flawed. What you're saying is more like saying that all carmakers "stole" the idea from steam locomotives and should pay royalties. Sure there are differences like a gasoline explosion pushing a piston VS. steam pressure pushing a piston; iron wheels on rails VS. rubber tires on concrete - but it's the same thing right? No - it's different. Doode.
Quote DreamTheEndless 4th December 2006, 20:41
Oh - and maybe fishy "stole" the idea from pacman - I mean it's the same thing right?
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