But today, the experiences give Chen pause. Years ago, Chen was a guest at an art museum in Qatar, where the World Cup is currently being played. During the visit, Chen was asked by Qatar’s royal family if he was interested in being commissioned to produce a piece.“That was the moment I was like, ‘What am I doing here?” said Chen. “Because I'm trying to get into the fine art realm, and trying to use games to show fine art, but is fine art the way to change society's view of games? Because I bring my parents and my families to the galleries to see our games displayed next to other contemporary installation arts. Everybody likes our pieces because it's more commercial, it's more designed [for] easy access. But what happened is I started to realize that fine art is a world—it's really only affecting the people who go to the museum or the people who trade art. It does not change the masses. Yes, so Journey is shown in one of the most prestigious museums. How many people care? How many people know? I showed the world it's possible, but that doesn't change the world. So that is the moment I realized that I can keep making fine art, but you'll never change the public's opinion on games. That was the sad realization I had.”“Am I going to stay focused on first trying to be a fine artist, or should I change my approach and do it in a way that could actually convince more people that games are art?”
“Being a commercial success means you reach millions of people,” said Chen. “That's how you change society's view.”As of 2020, Sky had been downloaded 50 million times and had eight million players. When Chen was making boutique arthouse games for Sony, money was an afterthought. He was an artist. Now, commercial success is front and center—part of the mission. Sky prioritizes mobile players on Apple and Android, an ecosystem ripe with exploitation, especially for children. Chen has two kids, a four-year-old daughter and a son who’s nearing one years old. Both are too young to Sky, a game Chen says is aged at teenagers and above, but eventually that’ll change, and the ethics of running a mobile game weigh on him.“I bring my parents and my families to the galleries to see our games displayed next to other contemporary installation arts. Everybody likes our pieces because it's more commercial, it's more designed [for] easy access. But what happened is I started to realize that fine art is a world—it's really only affecting the people who go to the museum or the people who trade art. It does not change the masses.”
Follow Patrick on Twitter. His email is patrick.klepek@vice.com, and available privately on Signal (224-707-1561).