'People say PowerWash Simulator helped them get through cancer treatment', says CEO — BBC News

[0:00] we have lots of people writing and this is where I end up getting upset um writing in and saying [0:05] you know how we've helped them like get through cancer treatments and stuff it always makes me [0:12] really upset whenever I think about it like in a nice way Kirsty thanks so much for having a chat [0:26] with me uh about a power wash simulator and I've got to say first of all congrats on being nominated [0:33] for a BAFTA thank you very much not one but two I mean did you ever think a game about power washing [0:39] would get BAFTA nominations absolutely not um like maybe if there was a BAFTA for most chill game [0:45] um but no like it's incredible and it's slightly surreal to be up there alongside you know [0:53] alongside like Nintendo yeah nuts crazy what is it about power simulator one and two that um you [1:02] know has just got people wanting to keep playing it I think it's really struck a chord with how [1:08] people are feeling about it I think it's really struck a chord with how people are feeling about [1:09] the world right now like the world is quite a sort of a stressy place there's lots of bad news all the [1:16] time and with power wash it really just does condense all your focus onto something really [1:24] meditative and zen like I know like the premise is like you're power washing and that's kind of [1:30] the joke of it but the reality is you're just focused on something and it's such a pure form [1:36] of like meditation and like dopamine [1:41] all the small little things that you are doing and achieving and we say our target audience isn't [1:48] like a particular demographic it's like a time and an emotional state that people are in and this is [1:57] for like anyone regardless of where they are in the world where they are in their life etc like [2:02] it's all the time where you just want to decompress and unwind and to get away from the world and just [2:08] have like just the right amount of like brain engaged did you always set out to make it like [2:16] that or did that just happen naturally as you were making it i guess it was always going to happen [2:22] so it stemmed from me watching videos of people power washing there's a whole thing online [2:31] millions of people like me really enjoy watching videos of people power washing [2:36] because it is really soothing and cathartic [2:39] and there's something about the contrast and the simplicity of like seeing dirt turn to [2:45] cleanliness that just really scratches a bit of your brain so it was always going to be the same [2:50] in video games but we can make stuff that's really visually exciting rather than just like pathways [2:57] that you're cleaning yeah i suppose it is one thing watching these videos but then trying to [3:02] gamify that and turn it into something people will want to keep coming back to i guess that that's [3:08] a another challenge really [3:09] it is and we realized the way to do it was to remove the challenge so we kept putting [3:13] in things like oh let's have a time limit let's do this and she still gets in the way of the [3:18] experience so just just let me clean the way i want to clean at the pace i want to clean and [3:23] give me loads of dopamine while i'm doing it and when you were first explaining it to people what [3:28] what was their reaction i get it but where's the game that's what we heard so much like [3:35] so there's gonna be ragdoll physics no there's a timer no there's a limit on a [3:39] how much water you have no like it's just it's just pure toy yeah then it's just all about the [3:48] controls and the experience and there's no pressure and there's no antagonism i think that's [3:54] what i feel like sometimes we've just kind of forgotten how to enjoy and have fun without like [4:00] an external pressure you know a vast amount of players now um when when they kind of meet you and [4:08] and tell you about their experiences what do they say [4:10] what kind of things do people say about the games oh they're so lovely we have lots of people [4:15] writing and this is where i end up getting upset um writing in and saying you know how we've helped [4:21] them like get through cancer treatments and stuff no no no i mean gosh that's that's incredible [4:28] though that's it is always makes me really upset whenever i think about it like in a nice way [4:34] this is why i'm terrible on camera no don't worry no but i mean that's [4:37] such a lovely thing to like provide to people isn't it you know yeah we've um [4:42] i don't look it's gonna make me cry now [4:52] when uh people talk to us about their experiences with power wash it's really lovely and uplifting [4:59] like you know people tell us that we've helped with their anxiety or um depression i think it's [5:05] just that mindfulness and being able to focus in on one thing kind of like blocks all the other [5:14] distractions out are you looking at other [5:17] ideas at the outside of kind of your stuff or you so we have another game in development okay um so [5:24] our like our goal is to become like the market leader in sort of cathartic games so not [5:30] necessarily cozy games but games that really scratch that sort of brain it's a bit of a [5:38] weird analogy so stay with me um i say we want to make like the graham norton or video game [5:48] me anyway like graham norton he doesn't make you feel stupid but you don't have to think too hard [5:55] and it's just a lovely time and it's interesting it engages the right amount of brain and at the [6:02] end of it you go oh well that was really pleasant yeah so to create games that fall into into that [6:08] kind of moment of time and moment of emotion so what can people look forward to that the next [6:15] that's coming out i guess is going to be the adventure time dlc is that right um and after [6:20] that what can we expect well we'll continue um our strategy of putting out free content and then [6:28] paid dlcs with brands and we've got some i can't say what it is but we've got some really cool ones [6:35] lined up like i'm really excited about it and then at some point our next game will make an appearance