Then I thought, how about we make a story about water?” “I almost felt like crying because I was so frustrated that I couldn’t come up with a story. I thought about how the water was against my back and on my chest,” explains Chen. At the same time I was in a huge chunk of water. “I was thinking about what could feel sad but not depressing. She was struggling with coming up with a story, so she put herself in the bathtub and sunk into it the whole night. The game originally started as Chen’s Master’s thesis at New York University’s Game Center. She also visited a lake where her mom rented out a boat just for the two of them to enjoy the view. After all, the trip that Chen took with her mother on that train was to a neighboring seaside city. In A Memoir Blue, water serves as a representation of memories. However, Chen says that there will be more as the story progresses, and that plot threads will start to come together in later chapters regarding Miriam’s behavior. In the beginning levels, players might not come across many explicit references or influences related to Asian culture. After several years, Miriam still doesn’t know how to express her feelings and why she was unhappy during the ceremony.Ĭhen explains that’s one of the cultural nuances A Memoir Blue is hinting at. She also doesn’t pick up the phone when her mother is trying to reach out to her. That, in turn, leads some kids to develop awkwardness about expressing their own feelings to their parents too.Įarly in the game, there’s a scene where Miriam wins a medal at a competition but doesn’t seem to be very happy during the awards ceremony. Some Asian American families can be modest with their affections. She’s aware of the game and she’s very clear about the story.”Ĭhen also mentions that it works the other way around as well. “I guess more of it will be a way for me to thank her. She says that it’s really hard to tell her mother what she feels sometimes and show her gratitude for raising her. My mom worked really hard to raise me and send me to the United States back when we were in Taiwan,” explains Chen. It was only until Chen was older that she realized this was the moment when her mother ran away from home, taking Chen with her and leaving her father behind. She asked her mom where they were going, and if dad was coming as well. One of the earliest memories she has is that of a train station. “We’re basically best friends forever,” Chen tells Paste.Ī Memoir Blue, which follows a champion swimmer named Miriam as she recounts her childhood memories with her mother, is based loosely on Chen’s own life. The close relationship between Chen and her mother is the foundation for Cloisters’ first game, A Memoir Blue. While Chen was inexperienced, her mother encouraged her to go beyond her production artist background and learn about the fundamentals of game design. That’s when she discussed going into game design with her mother. Chen also wanted to start her own studio too. However, most of the studios she worked at in the past made games in genres she didn’t particularly care for, like shooters, fighters, and strategy games. Cloisters Interactive’s creative director Shelley Chen always wanted to create a game herself.
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