An introduction to Jonathan Blow, his significant presence in the video game industry, and his notable works, Braid and The Witness.

• Jonathan Blow burst onto the video game scene in 2008 with Braid.
• He followed up with The Witness, a first-person puzzle game, in the following years.
• Despite his influence, little is known about his personal life.

Jonathan Blow shares his early experiences with video games and his initial foray into programming.

• Jonathan's first exposure to video games was through early arcade games like Asteroids.
• He played on the Atari 2600 at home, enjoying games like Adventure and Raiders of the Lost Ark.
• In sixth grade, he began learning to program on Commodore Vic 20s and later on a TRS-80 at home.

Jonathan Blow's early career in the gaming industry and his education at the University of California, Berkeley.

• Jonathan pursued a double major in computer science and creative writing at UC Berkeley but dropped out before completing his degrees.
• He worked at Silicon Graphics and had a brief involvement with Doom.
• Jonathan co-founded a game company in San Francisco in 1996, but it was not financially successful.

Details of Jonathan Blow's consulting work and his independent projects prior to Braid.

• After his company's closure, Jonathan consulted for various game companies and worked on several independent projects.
• He contributed to games like Flow and undertook programming challenges on the PS3 and other platforms.
• Jonathan's work included participating in the Experimental Gameplay Workshop at the Game Developers Conference.

Jonathan Blow discusses the creation of Braid, its success, and how it influenced the development of The Witness.

• Braid was a success, transforming Jonathan from a contract programmer to a game design guru.
• The Witness was conceived around the idea of drawing lines and experiencing epiphanies, a concept that evolved from an earlier idea about spell casting.

Jonathan Blow describes the multi-layered puzzle design and the philosophy of learning in The Witness.

• The Witness is designed to be non-linear, allowing players to explore and learn at their own pace.
• It features puzzles that range from obvious to subtle, encouraging players to find their own understanding and connections.
• The game's environment is deliberately sparse to focus the player's attention on the puzzles and avoid unnecessary distractions.

Jonathan Blow reflects on the success of The Witness and its impact on players and the gaming community.

• The Witness has been financially successful, allowing Jonathan to consider future projects.
• The game's design encourages players to have a deeper engagement with the content and to carry the experience into their daily lives.
• Jonathan aspires to create games that push the boundaries of the medium and connect with players on a personal level.