:Jonathan Blow

File:TRS-80 Color Computer 1 front right.jpg on a TRS-80 Color Computer during his childhood.]]

Jonathan Blow was born in Southern California in 1971.{{sfn|Clark|2012|p=43}} His father worked as a defense contractor for TRW, and his mother was an ex-nun.{{sfn|Clark|2012|p=43}} He is the fourth of five siblings, having two brothers and two sisters.{{cite web |url=https://arstechnica.com/gaming/2015/09/the-man-and-the-island-wandering-through-jonathan-blows-the-witness/ |title=The man and the island: Wandering through Jonathan Blow's The Witness |first=Sam |last=Machkovech |date=September 17, 2015 |website=Ars Technica |access-date=January 7, 2023 |archive-date=September 18, 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150918112008/http://arstechnica.com/gaming/2015/09/the-man-and-the-island-wandering-through-jonathan-blows-the-witness/ |url-status=live}} Blow was raised as a Christian and said his family regularly attended church.{{sfn|Adam Ruins Everything|2017|loc=1:12:02}} Blow went to middle school in Northern San Diego County.{{sfn|Noclip|2017|loc=4:45}} While there, he attended a fifth-or-sixth-grade computer class where the VIC-20 home computer provided him with his introduction to programming and computers.{{sfn|Clark|2012|p=43}}{{sfn|Noclip|2017|loc=4:45}} When his parents noticed his interest, they bought him a TRS-80 Color Computer, on which Blow learned to program in BASIC, often using exercise books from RadioShack.{{sfn|Noclip|2017|loc=5:12}}{{sfn|Tone Control|2014|loc=4:02}} In high school, he programmed games on a Commodore 64.{{sfn|Clark|2012|p=43}}{{sfn|On the Metal|2020|loc=5:45}} Some of the games he programmed were inspired by Indiana Jones and Pac-Man.{{sfn|Clark|2012|p=43}}{{sfn|Noclip|2017|loc=6:11}}

In 1989, Blow attended UC Berkeley as an undergraduate, double-majoring in computer science and English. He started as a physics major but switched to computer science because he "just felt called in that direction".{{cite web |url= https://www.avclub.com/game-designer-jonathan-blow-what-we-all-missed-about-b-1798214678 |title= Game Designer Jonathan Blow: What We All Missed About Braid |work= The A.V. Club |date= August 27, 2008 |access-date= July 26, 2022 |first= Chris |last= Dahlen |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20090504191403/http://www.avclub.com/articles/game-designer-jonathan-blow-what-we-all-missed-abo,8626/ |archive-date= May 4, 2009 |url-status= live }} He was a member and president of the Computer Science Undergraduate Association, as well as the eXperimental Computing Facility, an undergraduate computer-interest organization.{{cite web|last=Blow |first=Jonathan |publisher=Thekla Inc. |date=June 22, 2011 |access-date=April 22, 2022 |title=How to program independent games |url=http://the-witness.net/news/2011/06/how-to-program-independent-games/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110714071004/http://the-witness.net/news/2011/06/how-to-program-independent-games/ |archive-date=July 14, 2011}}{{cite web|url=https://www.csua.berkeley.edu/join/ |title= Join the CSUA |author= |website=UC Berkeley Computer Science Association |date=2022 |access-date=April 22, 2022 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220528084915/https://www.csua.berkeley.edu/join/ |archive-date=May 28, 2022}}{{cite web |url=http://www.mpogd.com/interviews/wulframinterview.html |title=Interview With Wulfram Development Team by Scott Keur |last=Keur |first=Scott |date=February 8, 1998 |website= The Multiplayer Online Games Directory |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/19980703082307/http://www.mpogd.com/interviews/wulframinterview.html |archivedate=July 3, 1998 |url-status=dead }} During college, Blow wrote some science fiction, which he published under a pseudonym.{{cite AV media|last=Blow |first=Jonathan |date=September 27, 2010 |title= Games and the Human Condition |type= YouTube video |language= English |url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SqFu5O-oPmU |access-date=April 23, 2022 |quote= "I used to when I was early in college, you know I wrote a little bit of science fiction and got some stuff published, it's under a pseudonym so you can't look it up."}} He spent five years at UC Berkeley but dropped out with less than one semester to go.{{sfn|Noclip|2017|loc=7:54}} He said; "I was really depressed about being at school, I didn't like it. I didn't have a good time."{{sfn|Tone Control|2014|loc=3:11}}

After leaving UC Berkeley, Blow worked at a "really boring" enterprise software company for six months,{{sfn|On the Metal|2020|loc=1:05:46}} before taking a contracting role at Silicon Graphics, where he ported Doom and Doom II to a set-top box. In early 1996, Blow co-founded the game company Bolt-Action Software, which was based in Oakland, California, with Bernt Habermeier, whom Blow had met in the eXperimental Computing Facility.{{sfn|On the Metal|2020|loc=1:14:50}} An artist later joined the company, and they created Wulfram, a 3D action-strategy game for up to 32 players where players took control of heavily armed hovertanks.{{cite news |title=Wulfram Goes Open Beta !! |url=http://www.mpogd.com/news/july28.html |first=Scott |last=Keur |date=July 24, 1998 |website=The Multiplayer Online Games Directory |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/19990204042038/http://www.mpogd.com/news/july28.html |archivedate=February 4, 1999 |url-status=dead }}{{cite web |url=http://www.mpogd.com/action/wulfram/wulframreview.html |title=Wulfram Review |last=Keur |first=Scott |date=1998 |website=The Multiplayer Online Games Directory |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/19980703094551/http://www.mpogd.com/action/wulfram/wulframreview.html |archivedate=July 3, 1998 |url-status=dead }}

At its height, Bolt-Action Software had 14 employees. It folded in 2000 due to the dot-com crash. In a 2020 interview, Blow said he was convinced 1996 was the most difficult time in history to start a video game company because of the transition from 2D to 3D titles.{{sfn|On the Metal|2020|loc=1:15:44}} A number of components of the game were challenging to implement, but Blow learned from the experience—he said; "we went broke, and I was burned out for several years after that from working hard ... but that's how I became a good programmer".{{sfn|Tone Control|2014|loc=20:00}}

File:Game Developer June-July 2013 Cover.png.]]

After Blow closed his first studio, he worked as a contractor for game studios with large budgets. Games he worked on include Oddworld: Munch's Oddysee, Deus Ex: Invisible War and Thief: Deadly Shadows.{{sfn|Tone Control|2014|loc=31:55}} In 2002, Blow co-founded the Experimental Gameplay Workshop at the Game Developers Conference, which showcases game prototypes that include new mechanics or that are new video game genres or mediums.{{sfn|Tone Control|2014|loc=27:28}}{{cite web |title=Experimental Gameplay Workshop at GDC 2022 Celebrates 20th Anniversary |author= |date= February 11, 2022 |url= https://gdconf.com/news/experimental-gameplay-workshop-gdc-2022-celebrates-20th-anniversary |website=Game Developers Conference |publisher= Informa PLC |access-date= April 23, 2022 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220211171856/https://gdconf.com/news/experimental-gameplay-workshop-gdc-2022-celebrates-20th-anniversary/ |archive-date=February 11, 2022}} Around this time, he wrote The Inner Product, a monthly technical column for magazine Game Developer.{{cite web|last=Blow |first=Jonathan |website=Number None |date=2014 |access-date=April 23, 2022 |title= Articles from The Inner Product |url=http://number-none.com/product/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190217023755/http://number-none.com/product/ |archive-date=February 17, 2019}}{{sfn|Clark|2012|p=44}}

During this time, Blow moved to New York City, where he was introduced to an IBM research project about servers based on cell processors.{{sfn|On the Metal|2020|loc=30:00}} Blow pitched them a proof of concept of a physics-intensive, online, multiplayer game about giant robots attacking a town.{{sfn|Tone Control|2014|loc=38:13}} Blow and Atman Binstock did most of the programming for the game;{{cite web|last=Blow |first=Jonathan |website=Number None |date=2015 |access-date=April 23, 2022 |title= Happycake Development Notes |url=http://number-none.com/happycake/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180209003600/http://number-none.com/happycake/ |archive-date=February 9, 2018}} Blow wrote the client-side code, graphics, and gameplay, while Binstock wrote the physics engine to run on the server from scratch.{{sfn|Tone Control|2014|loc=38:13}} After submitting their final report to IBM, the team took the game to Electronic Arts, whom Blow said were not impressed.{{sfn|Tone Control|2014|loc=41:06}}

Blow's other contract work included particle effect programming on Flow on the Sony PlayStation 3;{{cite web |url=http://www.thatgamecompany.com/people.html |title=People |work=thatgamecompany |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20071230074059/http://www.thatgamecompany.com/people.html |archivedate=December 30, 2007 |url-status=dead }}{{sfn|Noclip|2017|loc=11:57}} code review following MTV's purchase of Harmonix;{{sfn|Noclip|2017|loc=11:57}} and programming on the music-action iPod game Phase.{{cite web |url=http://phasegame.com/faq/ |title=FAQ |work=Harmonix |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20080705103013/http://phasegame.com/faq/ |archivedate=July 5, 2008 |url-status=dead }} Blow said of this part of his life; "I was just stumbling forward like people do sometimes, and doing the best that I knew how to do, which at that time was programming".{{sfn|Noclip|2017|loc=15:21}}

{{Main|Braid (video game)}}

File:Jonathan Blow - Montreal International Games Summit 2007.jpg in 2007.]]

Blow created a prototype for a 2D puzzle-platform game involving time manipulation in December 2004. Five months later, he began work on turning the prototype into a proper game, and by December 2005 the first version of what would be known as Braid was completed.{{cite web |url= http://multiplayerblog.mtv.com/2007/08/08/a-higher-standard-game-designer-jonathan-blow-challenges-super-marios-gold-coins-unethical-mmo-design-and-everything-else-you-may-hold-dear-about-video-games/ |title= "A Higher Standard" — Game Designer Jonathan Blow Challenges Super Mario's Gold Coins, "Unethical" MMO Design And Everything Else You May Hold Dear About Video Games |website=MTV Multiplayer|first= Stephen |last= Totilo |date= August 8, 2007 |access-date= February 19, 2009 |url-status= dead |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20100316214832/http://multiplayerblog.mtv.com/2007/08/08/a-higher-standard-game-designer-jonathan-blow-challenges-super-marios-gold-coins-unethical-mmo-design-and-everything-else-you-may-hold-dear-about-video-games/ |archive-date= March 16, 2010 |df= mdy-all }} Much of the work was done part-time because Blow also did consulting work and martial arts training. Blow felt the graphics and art style of the first version of the game "looked extremely amateur", and hired David Hellman to create all of the game's art. For the story, Blow drew inspiration from some of his favorite books and films such as Invisible Cities and Mulholland Drive. The game's narrative is told through textual exposition between worlds, environmental art, and gameplay, and has been interpreted in many different ways.{{cite web | url = https://www.avclub.com/10-years-later-braid-remains-the-definitive-indie-game-1824114955 | title = 10 years later, Braid remains the definitive indie game | first = Clayton | last = Purdom | date = April 4, 2018 | access-date = March 19, 2022 | website = The A.V. Club | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20220319213621/https://www.avclub.com/10-years-later-braid-remains-the-definitive-indie-game-1824114955 | archive-date = March 19, 2022 | url-status = live }}

In mid-2007, Blow signed with Microsoft to release Braid via its distribution platform XBLA. Blow felt time spent meeting the XBLA certification process would have been better spent polishing the game, but he noted Microsoft was "very hands-off" with game design, and that "the final game is exactly what I wanted to put there".{{cite web |url= https://www.gamedeveloper.com/game-platforms/blow-unnecessary-xbla-hurdles-hurt-game-quality |title= Blow: 'Unnecessary' XBLA Hurdles Hurt Game Quality |website= Gamasutra |date= August 8, 2008 |access-date= February 19, 2009 |first= Simon |last= Parkin |author-link=Simon Parkin |author2= Alexander, Leigh |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20081221233042/http://www.gamasutra.com/php-bin/news_index.php?story=19748 |archive-date= December 21, 2008 |url-status= live }} Blow estimated he spent more than $180,000 of his own money to develop Braid.{{cite news|title= Video Games: Braid — Advisor|url=https://www.wsj.com/public/article_print/SB121814539048522033.html|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20081226212149/http://online.wsj.com/public/article_print/SB121814539048522033.html|archive-date=December 26, 2008 |url-status= dead |first= Jamin |last= Brophy-Warren |access-date= February 19, 2009|date=August 8, 2008 |newspaper=The Wall Street Journal}} Braid was released in August 2008 to universal acclaim,{{cite web |url= https://www.metacritic.com/game/braid/critic-reviews/?platform=xbox-360 |title= Braid for Xbox 360 Reviews |website= Metacritic |access-date= December 11, 2018 |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20181221130425/https://www.metacritic.com/game/xbox-360/braid |archive-date= December 21, 2018 |url-status= live }} was "an immediate sensation", and made Blow a millionaire. Braid was one of the earliest indie games to grace seventh-generation consoles.{{Cite book |last=Records |first=Guinness World |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=8OUkBQAAQBAJ&pg=PA175 |title=Guinness World Records Gamer's Edition 2015 Ebook |date=2014-11-06 |publisher=Guinness World Records |isbn=978-1-908843-71-5 |page=175 |language=en}}

In 2010, Blow co-founded funding organization Indie Fund together with some other successful independent game developers.{{cite web | url = https://www.gamedeveloper.com/game-platforms/independent-game-luminaries-announce-indie-fund | title = Independent Game Luminaries Announce Indie Fund | first = Simon | last = Carless | date = March 12, 2010 | website = Gamasutra |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20101110083349/http://www.gamasutra.com/view/news/27446/Independent_Game_Luminaries_Announce_Indie_Fund.php |archive-date=November 10, 2010 | url-status=live}} Blow appeared in the documentary film Indie Game: The Movie, in which he discusses his experiences developing and releasing Braid.{{cite web|url=https://www.latimes.com/entertainment/la-xpm-2012-may-18-la-et-indie-game-the-movie-capsule-20120518-story.html|last=Goldstein|first=Gary|title=Review: 'Indie Game' captures the struggle to create|date=May 18, 2012|newspaper=Los Angeles Times|access-date=June 20, 2023}} In 2014 Blow stated sales of Braid had earned more than $4 million, which he used to fund The Witness (2016).{{cite magazine |url= http://www.newyorker.com/tech/elements/the-guilt-of-the-video-game-millionaires |title= The Guilt of the Video-Game Millionaires |first= Simon |last= Parkin |author-link= Simon Parkin |date= April 3, 2014 |access-date= September 17, 2015 |magazine= The New Yorker |publisher= Condé Nast |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20150907111044/http://www.newyorker.com/tech/elements/the-guilt-of-the-video-game-millionaires |archive-date= September 7, 2015 |url-status= live }}

{{Main|The Witness (2016 video game)}}

File:Jonathan Blow - Game Developers Conference Europe 2011 (2).jpg in Europe in 2011.]]

Blow's next project was The Witness (2016), a first-person game in which players solve puzzles by drawing paths. Blow wanted to create a game using non-verbal communication; the puzzle rules are never explained with words but the puzzles themselves teach the player the rules. Blow felt solving puzzles in this way could generate epiphanies for players, and tried to design the game so the player experiences "miniature epiphanies over and over again".{{cite web |url= http://www.polygon.com/features/2015/9/17/9343943/the-witness-hands-on-preview-feature-braid-jonathan-blow-interview-ps4-playstation-4-pc |title= The Witness: The creator of Braid talks about his fiendishly difficult new game |first= Philip |last= Kollar |date= September 17, 2015 |access-date= February 6, 2022 |website= Polygon |publisher= Vox Media |archive-date= July 2, 2017 |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20170702051728/https://www.polygon.com/features/2015/9/17/9343943/the-witness-hands-on-preview-feature-braid-jonathan-blow-interview-ps4-playstation-4-pc |url-status= live}} Blow estimated solving every puzzle in the game would take more than 80 hours.

Work on The Witness began in 2008. Blow created prototypes of several game ideas before choosing the one he liked the most, despite it being a 3D game which he "absolutely didn't want to do".{{cite web |url= https://www.gamedeveloper.com/design/catching-up-with-jonathan-blow |title= Catching Up With Jonathan Blow |first= Simon |last= Parkin |author-link= Simon Parkin |date= December 6, 2010 |access-date= December 6, 2010 |website= Gamasutra |archive-date= December 10, 2010 |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20101210073356/http://www.gamasutra.com/view/feature/6224/catching_up_with_jonathan_blow.php |url-status= live}} Throughout development, Blow hired developers full-time and founded the company Thekla, Inc., of which he is president.{{cite web |url= http://the-witness.net/news/2011/03/jobs/ |title= Jobs! |last= Blow |first= Jonathan |date= March 22, 2011 |publisher= Thekla, Inc. |access-date= April 25, 2022 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20111207144951/http://the-witness.net/news/2011/03/jobs/ |archive-date=December 7, 2011}}{{cite web |url= https://blog.playstation.com/2020/08/06/announcing-braid-anniversary-edition-for-ps4-and-ps5/ |title= Announcing Braid, Anniversary Edition for PS4 and PS5 |last= Blow |first= Jonathan |date= August 6, 2020 |work= Sony Interactive Entertainment |access-date= April 25, 2022 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210113225915/https://blog.playstation.com/2020/08/06/announcing-braid-anniversary-edition-for-ps4-and-ps5/ |archive-date=January 13, 2021}} The Witness was revealed to the public in 2010, when three people were working full-time on the game. Blow hoped to release The Witness in 2013 as a launch title for the Sony PlayStation 4, but the goal passed as the scope of the game increased.{{cite web|url=https://www.gamespot.com/articles/the-witness-confirmed-as-a-ps4-launch-title/1100-6404212/|last=Parker|first=Laura|title=The Witness confirmed as a PS4 launch title|date=February 20, 2013|website=GameSpot|access-date=June 20, 2023}} By 2015, the core team had grown to eight. At the time, it was very rare for a small, independent game studio to spend more than seven years on a game.

The game was released on Windows and the PlayStation 4 in January 2016. Blow reported that the first week sales revenue of The Witness totaled over US$5 million, and was one of the top downloads on illegal BitTorrent websites.{{cite web | url = http://www.gamespot.com/articles/the-witness-sells-100000-copies-xbox-one-version-b/1100-6434441/ | title = The Witness Sells 100,000 Copies, Xbox One Version Being Considered | first = Eddie | last = Makuch | date = February 2, 2016 | website = GameSpot | access-date = February 6, 2022 | archive-date = February 4, 2016 | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20160204215710/http://www.gamespot.com/articles/the-witness-sells-100000-copies-xbox-one-version-b/1100-6434441/ | url-status = live}}{{cite web | url = http://www.gamespot.com/articles/the-witness-is-being-pirated-a-lot-dev-says/1100-6434309/ | title = The Witness Is Being Pirated a Lot, Dev Says | first = Eddie | last = Makuch | date = January 29, 2016 | access-date = February 6, 2022 | website = GameSpot | archive-date = January 30, 2016 | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20160130145210/http://www.gamespot.com/articles/the-witness-is-being-pirated-a-lot-dev-says/1100-6434309/ | url-status = live}} The game received critical acclaim,{{cite web |url=https://www.metacritic.com/game/the-witness/critic-reviews/?platform=pc |title=The Witness for PC Reviews |website=Metacritic |access-date=April 27, 2016 |archive-date=April 27, 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160427164354/http://www.metacritic.com/game/pc/the-witness |url-status=live}}{{cite web |url=https://www.metacritic.com/game/the-witness/critic-reviews/?platform=playstation-4 |title=The Witness for PlayStation 4 Reviews |website=Metacritic |access-date=April 27, 2016 |archive-date=April 27, 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160427164521/http://www.metacritic.com/game/playstation-4/the-witness |url-status=live}} several BAFTA and Game Developers Choice Awards nominations,{{cite web | url = https://www.theguardian.com/technology/2017/mar/09/bafta-games-awards-2017-inside-and-uncharted-4-lead-the-way | title = Bafta games awards 2017: Inside and Uncharted 4 lead the way | first = Jordan Erica | last = Webber | date = March 9, 2017 | access-date = March 9, 2017 | newspaper = The Guardian | archive-date = March 10, 2017 | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20170310140739/https://www.theguardian.com/technology/2017/mar/09/bafta-games-awards-2017-inside-and-uncharted-4-lead-the-way | url-status = live}}{{cite web | url = http://www.gamespot.com/articles/game-of-the-year-nominees-and-more-revealed-for-ga/1100-6446628/ | title = Game of the Year Nominees and More Revealed for Game Developers Choice Awards | first = Eddie | last = Makuch | date = January 4, 2017 | access-date = January 4, 2017 | website = GameSpot | archive-date = January 9, 2017 | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20170109001128/http://www.gamespot.com/articles/game-of-the-year-nominees-and-more-revealed-for-ga/1100-6446628/ | url-status = live}} and appeared on 'Best of the decade' features from IGN,{{cite web |url=https://www.ign.com/articles/2019/12/31/best-games-of-the-decade-2010-2019 |title=The Best Games of the Decade (2010–2019) |date=January 26, 2020 |website=IGN |access-date=September 25, 2022}} Polygon,{{cite web |url=https://www.polygon.com/features/2019/11/4/20944265/best-games-2019-2010-ps4-switch-xbox-pc-100-51 |title=The 100 best games of the decade (2010–2019): 100–51 |date=November 4, 2019 |website=Polygon |publisher=Vox Media |access-date=September 25, 2022}} NME,{{cite web |url=https://www.nme.com/features/50-best-games-2010s-2589240 |title=The 50 Best Games Of The Decade: The 2010s |first=James |last=McMahon |date=December 20, 2019 |website=NME |access-date=September 25, 2022}} CNET,{{cite web |url=https://www.cnet.com/tech/gaming/the-30-best-video-games-of-the-decade-ranked/ |title=The 30 best video games of the decade, ranked |first=Mark |last=Serrels |date=October 5, 2019 |website=CNET |access-date=September 25, 2022}} and National Post.{{cite news |url=https://nationalpost.com/entertainment/nothing-else-compares-to-the-greatest-video-game-of-the-decade |title=Nothing else compares to the greatest video game of the decade |last=Marsh |first=Calum |date=December 5, 2019 |website=National Post |access-date=September 25, 2022}}

Towards the end of development of The Witness, Blow became frustrated with C++, the programming language Thekla used to create the game.{{cite web |url= https://www.gamesindustry.biz/jonathan-blow-c-is-a-weird-mess |title= Jonathan Blow: 'C++ is a weird mess' |first= Ivy |last= Taylor |date= July 3, 2018 |access-date= August 27, 2022 |website= Games Industry.biz |publisher=Gamer Network}} Blow considered the language to be over-complex, noting; "C++ is a powerful language in some ways ... but it makes [software development] a lot harder than it should be". In September 2014, Blow delivered a talk on his Twitch channel about the possibility of a new programming language designed for game development.{{cite web|url=https://www.gamedeveloper.com/programming/video-jon-blow-on-building-a-new-programming-language-for-games|title=Video: Jon Blow on building a new programming language for games|last=Wawro|first=Alex|date=September 19, 2014|website=Gamasutra|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140922202748/http://www.gamasutra.com/view/news/226070/Video_Jon_Blow_on_building_a_new_programming_language_for_games.php|archive-date=September 22, 2014|url-status=live}} He evaluated alternative systems-level programming languages such as Go and Rust, but ultimately expressed the desire to create a new language. Blow estimated a new programming language designed for game development could reduce typical development time by at least 20% and make programming more enjoyable.{{Cite AV media|url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TH9VCN6UkyQ |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/varchive/youtube/20211219/TH9VCN6UkyQ |archive-date=December 19, 2021 |url-status=live|title=Ideas about a new programming language for games. |date=September 19, 2014 |last=Blow |first=Jonathan |access-date=November 27, 2021 |via=YouTube}}{{cbignore}} He also said the language would be relatively easy to create compared to creating a game like The Witness.{{sfn|AIAS|2021|loc=55:18}}

In 2014, Blow began designing the language, which is codenamed Jai, and started creating a compiler for it. The first year and a half of work on Jai was part-time because Thekla was shipping The Witness.{{sfn|AIAS|2021|loc=57:16}} In mid-2016, he began full-time work on the language, a game engine written in Jai, and a Sokoban-style puzzle game for the game engine.{{cite web |url=https://sites.uwm.edu/digital-cultures-collaboratory/2021/04/26/thinking-outside-the-box-with-sokoban-and-baba-is-you/ |title=Thinking Outside the Box with Sokoban and Baba is You |last=Kersting |first=Erik |date=April 26, 2021 |publisher=The University of Wisconsin – Milwaukee Digital Cultures Collaboratory}}{{sfn|AIAS|2021|loc=57:16}} In 2023, Blow described the game as "the biggest single-player puzzle game that anybody's ever made",{{cite web|url=https://www.axios.com/2023/11/16/braid-anniversary-edition-jonathan-blow |title=With Braid remake, an influential indie returns |last=Totilo |first=Stephen |date=Nov 16, 2023 |website=Axios}} and estimated that it would take over 400 hours for a player to complete.{{cite podcast |url = https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N6VrrRBBWDU |title = The Independent Mindset of Jonathan Blow |work = The Fourth Curtain |last1=Seropian |first1=Alexander |last2=Marroquin |first2=Aaron |date = October 12, 2023 |time=14:00 |access-date= Nov 17, 2023}}

Among other things, Blow hopes the language will improve the experience of game programming and allow programmers to build more functionality with less code. By working on the Sokoban game, its engine, and Jai at the same time, Blow is able to test the language's design and adjust it early in its lifetime.{{sfn|AIAS|2021|loc=57:43}} {{As of|2023|August}}, the Jai compiler is in a beta release.{{Cite tweet|number=1655799318916530178|user=Jonathan_Blow|title=The April Q&A for the programming language beta has now been posted}}

In August 2020, Thekla announced Braid, Anniversary Edition, a remastered edition of Braid.{{cite web |url=https://www.polygon.com/2020/8/6/21357719/braid-anniversary-edition-ps4-release-date-price |title=Braid Anniversary Edition coming in 2021 |last=Hall |first=Charlie |date=August 6, 2020 |website=Polygon |publisher=Vox Media |access-date=May 4, 2022 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200809113038/https://www.polygon.com/2020/8/6/21357719/braid-anniversary-edition-ps4-release-date-price |archive-date=August 9, 2020}} Blow said the remaster will be faithful to the original, saying Braid will not get any "Greedo shoots first" changes (a reference to a change made to Star Wars).{{cite web |url=https://www.destructoid.com/jonathan-blows-next-project-is-braid-anniversary-edition/ |title=Jonathan Blow's next project is Braid: Anniversary Edition |last=Makedonski |first=Brett |date=August 6, 2020 |website=Destructoid |access-date=May 4, 2022 }} The game was to include more than 15 hours of developer's commentary.{{cite web |url=https://www.theverge.com/2023/11/9/23952556/braid-anniversary-edition-release-date-trailer |title=Braid, Anniversary Edition finally has a release date |last=Peters |first=Jay |date=Nov 9, 2023 |website=The Verge}} Thekla originally planned to launch the game in early 2021, but it was pushed back, and eventually released on May 14, 2024 for multiple platforms. Blow was frustrated with the weak reception to the launch, saying Anniversary Edition "sold like dogshit" and that Thekla could not afford to pay any of its employees.{{cite magazine |url=https://www.eurogamer.net/braid-anniversary-edition-sold-like-dog-s-says-creator-jonathan-blow |title=Braid: Anniversary Edition "sold like dog s***", says creator Jonathan Blow |first=Ed |last=Nightingale |date=July 31, 2024 |magazine=Eurogamer |access-date=July 31, 2024 }}

In 2013, Blow began making a prototype for a single-player game that was not a puzzle game.{{Cite AV media|url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5xgeZ16HpH0 |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/varchive/youtube/20211219/5xgeZ16HpH0 |archive-date=December 19, 2021 |url-status=live |title=Practice 2014: Jonathan Blow |date=March 1, 2019 |last=Blow |first=Jonathan |time=27:29 |publisher=NYU Game Center |access-date=July 11, 2019 |via=YouTube}}{{cbignore}} In 2018, Blow said the game had 40–50 hours of playable content. He intends for Thekla to make the game using the game engine being developed for the Sokoban game, once it has matured. He plans to work on the game for 20 years, releasing it in installments. Each installment will make the game larger and more complex.{{cite web |url=https://venturebeat.com/business/jonathan-blow-how-thekla-is-moving-beyond-the-witness/ |title=Jonathan Blow: How Thekla is moving beyond The Witness |last=Takahashi |first=Dean |date=July 2, 2018 |website=VentureBeat |access-date=September 9, 2022}} Blow noted one of his goals for the project is to expand his design abilities.{{Cite AV media|url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5xgeZ16HpH0 |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/varchive/youtube/20211219/5xgeZ16HpH0 |archive-date=December 19, 2021 |url-status=live |title=Practice 2014: Jonathan Blow |date=March 1, 2019 |last=Blow |first=Jonathan |time=45:47 |publisher=NYU Game Center |access-date=July 11, 2019 |via=YouTube}}{{cbignore}}

In his youth, Blow liked playing text adventure games by Infocom; his favorite was Trinity, which Blow said "affected me in a relatively deep way in terms of the way that I think about games".{{sfn|On the Metal|2020|loc=1:03:35}} In college, his favorite game was Netrek.{{sfn|On the Metal|2020|loc=1:04:36}} Early in his career Blow frequently played Counter-Strike.{{cite AV media |title=Interactive Media and Games Seminar — Fireside Chat with Jonathan Blow |url= https://mediax.stanford.edu/event/fireside-chat-with-jonathan-blow/ |language= en |medium=AV Recording |date= October 10, 2017 |publisher= mediaX at Stanford University |access-date= December 28, 2022 |time= 1:04:21}}

Blow's games are known for being artistic, challenging, and not following industry trends. In a retrospective on Braid, GQ noted the game was released at a time when the market was dominated by violent and repetitive first-person shooters, yet "made an earnest effort to make an artistic statement" that went beyond this trend.{{cite magazine |url= https://www.gq.com/story/revisiting-braid-the-indie-video-game-that-set-the-industry-ablaze |title= Revisiting Braid, the Indie Video Game That Set the Industry Ablaze |first= Scott |last= Meslow |date= August 8, 2018 |access-date= March 19, 2022 |magazine= GQ |publisher= Condé Nast |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20220319220642/https://www.gq.com/story/revisiting-braid-the-indie-video-game-that-set-the-industry-ablaze |archive-date= March 19, 2022 |url-status= live }} The puzzles of Braid have been described as "tough"{{cite magazine |url= http://blog.wired.com/games/2008/08/review-braid-in.html |title= Review: Braid Innovates and Satisfies |first= Jean |last= Snow |magazine= Wired |publisher= Condé Nast |date= August 13, 2008 |access-date= February 20, 2009 |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20090303203243/http://blog.wired.com/games/2008/08/review-braid-in.html |archive-date= March 3, 2009 |url-status= live }} and "formidable".{{cite news |first= Jason |last= Hill |date= August 21, 2008 |newspaper= The Age |title= Braid }} Time described The Witness as "categorically defiant", and described its reception as being "widely quantified as a game created by a genius for geniuses".{{cite magazine|url=https://time.com/4355763/the-witness-jonathan-blow-interview/ |title='The Witness' Creator Jonathan Blow on Science, Language and Reality |first=Matt|last=Peckham|author-link=Matt Peckham |date=June 9, 2016 |magazine=TIME |accessdate=December 29, 2022 |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20170109054059/https://time.com/4355763/the-witness-jonathan-blow-interview/ |archivedate=January 9, 2017 |url-status=live}}

Blow's games have higher budgets and longer development times than most independently funded games, and have custom game engines. Braid was built with a relatively large budget for independent games at the time,{{sfn|Juul|2019|p=177}} while The Witness—which was largely funded with the profits of Braid—cost close to six million dollars.{{cite magazine |url=http://www.newyorker.com/tech/elements/the-prickly-genius-of-jonathan-blow |title=The Prickly Genius of Jonathan Blow |first=Simon|last=Parkin|author-link=Simon Parkin |date=January 29, 2016 |magazine=The New Yorker |publisher= Condé Nast |access-date=January 29, 2016 |archive-date=January 30, 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160130095216/http://www.newyorker.com/tech/elements/the-prickly-genius-of-jonathan-blow |url-status=live}} The development times for Braid and The Witness were very rare for independent games at the time. Blow created a custom game engine for both games, which in the case of The Witness took a large amount of development time. He noted that when development of The Witness began, off-the-shelf engines such as Unity and Unreal Engine were not sufficiently capable to build the game. Blow also noted that he tries to make games which stand the test of time, so owning his own engine means he can continue to provide the game to people in contrast to off-the-shelf engines that come with no such guarantee.{{cite magazine |url=https://www.wired.com/2015/09/jonathan-blow-the-witness/ |title=This Sprawling Puzzle Game May Be Your Next Obsession |first=Bo |last=Moore |date=September 17, 2015 |magazine=Wired |publisher= Condé Nast |access-date=January 9, 2023 |archive-date=January 24, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210124162423/https://www.wired.com/2015/09/jonathan-blow-the-witness/ |url-status=live}}{{efn|For example, if the company which made an engine goes out of business, obviously the engine may no longer be supported.}} Braid artist David Hellman said Blow was not stressed about time or budget, and that for him "the game always came first."{{sfn|Clark|2012|p=45}}

Blow said when he makes a game, he tries to make something he would want to play and be interested in.{{sfn|Adam Ruins Everything|2017|loc=7:15}} He wants to understand the world from many perspectives,{{sfn|Adam Ruins Everything|2017|loc=48:07}} and tries to uncover and understand truths about the universe through game design. Blow enjoys exploring the permutations of a simple idea. He described an ideal player of his games as someone who "is inquisitive and likes to be treated as an intelligent person".{{cite web |url=http://www.vg247.com/2016/01/28/who-is-the-witness-for-we-asked-jonathan-blow/ |title=Who is The Witness for? We asked Jonathan Blow |first=Brenna |last=Hillier |date=January 28, 2016 |website=VG247 |publisher=Gamer Network |access-date=January 8, 2023 |archive-date=January 29, 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160129081116/http://www.vg247.com/2016/01/28/who-is-the-witness-for-we-asked-jonathan-blow/ |url-status=live}} Blow hopes the design skills he developed by working on complicated games have made Jai better designed than most languages.

Blow founded Thekla because he wanted creative freedom rather than out of aspiration to run a company.{{cite web |url=https://www.jesperjuul.net/handmadepixels/interviews/blow.html |title=Interview with Jonathan Blow |first= Jesper|last= Juul|author-link= Jesper Juul (game researcher) |work=Handmade Pixels |accessdate=December 29, 2022 |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20221203175727/https://www.jesperjuul.net/handmadepixels/interviews/blow.html |archivedate=December 3, 2022 |url-status=live }} He used almost all of the profits of Braid to independently fund The Witness, noting that by doing so he had total creative freedom and thereby would not have to adjust the game to please the whims of a publisher. The team which worked on The Witness said Blow gave them a lot of autonomy when working on the game.{{cite web |url=https://www.theverge.com/2016/1/26/10828070/the-witness-jonathan-blow-thekla-interview-ps4-pc |title=The creators of The Witness on how they made a 100-hour puzzle game |first=Andrew |last=Webster |date=January 26, 2016 |website=The Verge |access-date=January 26, 2016 |archive-date=January 26, 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160126150959/http://www.theverge.com/2016/1/26/10828070/the-witness-jonathan-blow-thekla-interview-ps4-pc |url-status=live}} Blow does not schedule development time for games at Thekla, noting; "we don't do it like Electronic Arts. We don't pick a quarter and ship the game. We're just trying to make the best game."

File:Jonathan Blow Portland Talk Sep 2013.jpg games and bad television at a CreativeMornings meetup in Portland in 2013.]]

Blow has been characterized by VentureBeat as having a "reputation for doing outstanding work", and is known for voicing his opinions about the gaming industry.{{cite web |url=https://www.gamesradar.com/jonathan-blow-interview-how-to-fix-the-adventure-innovate-mainstream-games-and-do-a-sequel-right/ |title=Jonathan Blow interview: How to fix the adventure, innovate mainstream games and do a sequel right |last=Barratt |first=Charlie |date=August 10, 2011 |website=GamesRadar |accessdate=January 10, 2023 }} He has been described as a "prickly genius",{{cite magazine |url=http://www.newyorker.com/tech/elements/the-prickly-genius-of-jonathan-blow |title=The Prickly Genius of Jonathan Blow |first=Simon|last=Parkin|author-link=Simon Parkin |date=January 29, 2016 |magazine=The New Yorker |publisher= Condé Nast |access-date=January 29, 2016 |archive-date=January 30, 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160130095216/http://www.newyorker.com/tech/elements/the-prickly-genius-of-jonathan-blow |url-status=live}} and as the game industry's "most cerebral developer, but also as its most incisive and polarizing internal critic".{{sfn|Clark|2012|p=42}} Commenting on his criticism, Blow said "I honestly say what I think about games, and I honestly say if I think something is good or not, and why".{{cite web |url=http://gamasutra.com/view/news/218953/The_Witness_Modeling_epiphany.php |title=The Witness: Modeling epiphany |first=Leigh |last=Alexander |date=June 6, 2014 |website=Gamasutra |access-date=January 10, 2023 |archive-date=January 31, 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160131120322/http://gamasutra.com/view/news/218953/The_Witness_Modeling_epiphany.php |url-status=dead}} Stephen Totilo of Kotaku said Blow's criticism is not targeted towards individuals or specific games but industry trends.{{cite web|last=Totilo|first=Stephen|date=August 10, 2011|title=Jonathan Blow, Opinionated Creator of Two Video Games, is 'Attempting to be Profound'|url=https://kotaku.com/jonathan-blow-opinionated-creator-of-two-video-games-5829591|access-date=January 10, 2023|website=Kotaku}}

Blow thinks there are individual elements of storytelling which work well in games, including mood, character and setting;{{cite web |url=https://gamedaily.biz/article/910/casual-connect-indie-development-is-stagnant-says-braid-creator-jonathan-blow |title=Casual Connect: Indie development is 'stagnant' says Braid creator, Jonathan Blow |last=Whitehead |first=Dan |date=May 30, 2019 |website=GameDaily}} but considers games to be a terrible medium for storytelling in general.{{cite web |url=http://www.play-mag.co.uk/interview/videogames-are-terrible-for-telling-stories-says-jonathan-blow/ |title='Videogames Are Terrible For Telling Stories' Says Jonathan Blow |author= |date=June 2, 2015 |magazine=Play |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150607041139/http://www.play-mag.co.uk/interview/videogames-are-terrible-for-telling-stories-says-jonathan-blow/ |archive-date=June 7, 2015 |url-status=dead }} As of 2016, he considered the quality of storytelling in games to be significantly lower than that in literature.{{cite web |last1=Marsh |first1=Calum |title=Jonathan Blow: 'I want to make games for people who read Gravity's Rainbow' |url=https://www.theguardian.com/technology/2016/jan/27/jonathan-blow-designer-video-games-braid-the-witness |newspaper=The Guardian |date=January 27, 2016 |access-date=April 7, 2020}} In 2018, he said many contemporary games include designs that are self-sabotaging and weaken the structure of the game they are in, despite such designs existing nearly a decade earlier, indicating stalled progress in the medium.{{cite web |url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v_A3T-MLWJ8 |title=Keynote – Jonathan Blow |publisher=Game Developers Session |date=October 3, 2018}}{{efn|For example, a game may ask a player to make a decision based on a list of possible outcomes with their probabilities, but it is possible for the game to use a different set of probabilities when selecting an outcome. Blow considers designs which do this to be self-sabotaging, and said that games which did this belong in "the most central, deepest, most frozen circle of hell."}} He does not consider microtransactions to be inherently unethical, but thinks many games made for phones are "just pretending to be games in order to have a microtransaction button or show ads".{{sfn|On the Metal|2020|loc=58:10}} He considers social network games evil,{{cite magazine |last=Caldwell |first=Brandon |date=February 15, 2011 |title=Jonathan Blow interview: Do you believe social games are evil? "Yes. Absolutely." |url=https://www.pcgamer.com/jonathan-blow-interview-social-game-designers-goal-is-to-degrade-the-players-quality-of-life/ |magazine=PC Gamer |access-date=January 19, 2018}} and noted while SimCity and FarmVille appear superficially similar, SimCity is a creative activity that involves problem solving while FarmVille is about retaining the player's attention for as long as possible.{{sfn|On the Metal|2020|loc=59:30}}

According to Blow, games have the potential to have a much-bigger role culturally{{cite episode|title=Jonathan Blow on future of video game industry|url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u7C1qxggPHg|series=CBS This Morning|series-link=CBS This Morning|date=August 13, 2012|access-date=January 14, 2023|archive-date=January 15, 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230115001840/https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u7C1qxggPHg&gl=US&hl=en|url-status=live}} and help define the human condition.{{cite web |date=November 28, 2007 |title=MIGS 2007: Jonathan Blow On The 'WoW Drug', Meaningful Games |url=https://www.gamedeveloper.com/pc/migs-2007-jonathan-blow-on-the-i-wow-i-drug-meaningful-games |access-date=January 19, 2018 |website=Game Developer}} While Blow strives to make his games meaningful, he has noted games with relatively empty gameplay, such as massively multiplayer online games (MMOs) which keep players hooked with fake rewards, may be causing real harm to people.

Despite being seen as a role model for independent development, Blow is uncomfortable with being described as an indie developer: he feels the indie game scene has changed into something in which he does not belong.{{sfn|Juul|2019|p=143}} In 2019, he said the independent development scene had changed in that it was easier to make and release a game than ever before, but that in terms of game-design "progress has not been as large as people assume". Blow noted Stephen's Sausage Roll, a game he thought in 2017 "may be the best puzzle of all time",{{sfn|Adam Ruins Everything|2017|loc=1:31:30}} was rarely discussed in development circles, indicating a stagnation of the development scene. The comments attracted social-media attention, which Blow found troubling, noting; "The job isn't to be in a community; the job is to make a good game."{{cite web |url= https://www.gamesindustry.biz/jon-blow-interview |title= Jon Blow: "The job isn't to be in a community; the job is to make a good game" |first= Alexis |last= Ong |date= July 30, 2019 |access-date= January 10, 2023 |website= Games Industry.biz |publisher= Gamer Network}}

Blow considers much of current software to be of low quality. He noted in a 2020 interview "I think we're now in a situation where everybody in the world is flooded with low quality software, and everybody wishes that they had higher quality software."{{sfn|On the Metal|2020|loc=1:36:23}} He considers most of what programmers currently do to be wasteful, describing programming in 2021 as dealing with unnecessary complexity.{{cite web|url=https://www.notion.so/blog/jonathan-blow|title=Jonathan Blow talks good design – for video games, team structure, and beyond|last=Zuegel|first=Devon|date=August 2, 2021|publisher=Notion Labs, Inc|accessdate=May 22, 2023}} He has a low opinion of modern C++, describing it in 2020 as a terrible language,{{sfn|On the Metal|2020|loc=1:32:22}} and was partly motivated to create Jai in order to improve the quality of life for programmers.

Although several of Blow's hobbies are well-known, Blow has been described as being "intensely private".{{sfn|Clark|2012|p=43}} Blow began kung fu training when he began working on Braid, doing 15 hours a week towards the end of development.{{sfn|Tone Control|2014|loc=1:14:12}} Through the training he learned meditation practices that helped him with game development, noting "I don't know if I would have finished Braid if I wasn't doing kung fu."{{sfn|Tone Control|2014|loc=1:20:15}} He practiced tai chi during early development of The Witness.{{sfn|Clark|2012|p=42}} Blow is an avid dancer, and went out dancing several nights a week during the development of The Witness.{{sfn|Clark|2012|p=43}} He discovered that dancing helps him generate ideas, and during the 1990s took a notebook to clubs to write down programming ideas that would come to him on the dance floor.{{cite AV media|people=Jonathan Blow|date=April 7, 2014|title=Attempting Deep Work|type=YouTube video|language=English|url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IwU0DTfr7kM|access-date=May 22, 2023|time=21:24|location = Utrecht|publisher = Indievelopment conference}}

Only games where Blow has had a major role in development are included below. For example, works in which he is credited under Special Thanks are omitted.

{{Notelist}}

{{Reflist}}

• {{cite book

|first=Jesper

|last=Juul

|author-link=Jesper Juul (game researcher)

|date=2019

|title=Handmade Pixels

|location=Cambridge, MA

|publisher=MIT Press

|lccn=2018056263

|isbn=9780262042796

}}

• {{cite magazine

|title=The Most Dangerous Gamer

|last=Clark

|first=Taylor

|magazine=The Atlantic

|volume=309

|number=4

|date=May 2012

|pages=40–51

|url=https://www.theatlantic.com/magazine/archive/2012/05/the-most-dangerous-gamer/308928/

|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220328054405/https://www.theatlantic.com/magazine/archive/2012/05/the-most-dangerous-gamer/308928/

|archive-date=March 28, 2022

|url-status=live

|ref= {{SfnRef|Clark|2012}}

}}

• {{cite podcast

|url = https://oxide.computer/podcasts/on-the-metal/jonathan-blow

|title = Jonathan Blow

|work = On the Metal

|publisher = Oxide Computer Company

|first1 = Bryan|last1 = Cantrill|author1-link = Bryan Cantrill

|first2 = Jessie|last2 = Frazelle

|date = January 26, 2020

|access-date= April 22, 2022

|ref = {{SfnRef|On the Metal|2020}}

|archiveurl = https://web.archive.org/web/20200603112907/https://cdn.transistor.fm/file/transistor/m/shows/5738/8dc78b3563d39d70833e976bfa31a084.mp3

|archivedate= June 3, 2020

|url-status = live

}}

• {{cite podcast

|url = https://maximumfun.org/episodes/adam-ruins-everything/indie-video-game-designer-jonathan-blow-unpacks-witness/

|title = Episode 18: Game Designer Jonathan Blow Unpacks 'The Witness'

|work = Adam Ruins Everything

|publisher = Maximum Fun

|host = Conover, Adam

|date = January 18, 2017

|access-date= September 10, 2022

|ref = {{SfnRef|Adam Ruins Everything|2017}}

|archiveurl = https://archive.today/20230114231051/https://maximumfun.org/episodes/adam-ruins-everything/indie-video-game-designer-jonathan-blow-unpacks-witness/

|archivedate= January 14, 2023

|url-status = live

}}

• {{cite podcast

|url = https://www.idlethumbs.net/tonecontrol/episodes/jonathan-blow

|title = Jonathan Blow

|work = Tone Control

|publisher = The Idle Thumbs Limited Liability Company

|host = Gaynor, Steve

|date =February 15, 2014

|access-date = April 22, 2022

|ref = {{SfnRef|Tone Control|2014}}

|archiveurl = https://archive.today/20230114234850/https://www.idlethumbs.net/tonecontrol/episodes/jonathan-blow

|archivedate = January 14, 2023

|url-status = live

}}

• {{cite AV media

|people = O'Dwyer, Danny; Jayne, Jeremy (producers)

|date = April 2, 2017

|title = The Witness Documentary

|work = Noclip – Video Game Documentaries

|type = YouTube video

|language = English

|url = https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YdSdvIRkkDY

|access-date = April 22, 2022

|ref = {{SfnRef|Noclip|2017}}

}}

• {{cite podcast

|url = https://interactive.libsyn.com/braid-and-the-witness-creator-jonathan-blow

|title = Braid and The Witness Creator, Jonathan Blow

|work = The AIAS Game Maker's Notebook

|host = Price, Ted

|date = May 9, 2021

|access-date= November 27, 2021

|ref = {{SfnRef|AIAS|2021}}

|archiveurl = https://web.archive.org/web/20230115010100/https://content.libsyn.com/p/0/2/9/029ba9d856cd3c9c/Jonathan_Blow_GMN_.mp3?c_id=102835223&cs_id=102835223&response-content-type=audio%2Fmpeg&Expires=1673751257&Signature=DDSwc-mUA-NdrtRONt88ce18~cBAhpOIoS7ZeBKMywOveNSxRp8l96EkT3smLLLC9AVpLpuTeWV7PMVSjvpif-dnVRCFmyoevaFalGfW2OICV0DvCBwP4u6MI4eiDIDEvGYo7Tel3bh3d0FrR8V7w9gHvumotC1QZxM087HNyA8jDuIqMY3WbSHj4HGkxj~JvPfnHrJhQWDvBXovozXK1VQvXgpJa0py5lpX1XJmdeI2t0-uTz96jzZNTzovWgxan2ZNeckZ57s~OEutUF7~d21vfJ4dDBH1QguIMYq2FqKr16t1GWVuRs9QG-XYkVy-z08IANDD7rdNLN9KaKwung__&Key-Pair-Id=K1YS7LZGUP96OI

|archivedate= January 15, 2023

|url-status = live

}}

{{Commons category}}

{{Wikiquote}}

• {{Twitch |j_blow |Jonathan Blow }}
• {{Twitter|Jonathan_Blow}}
• {{YouTube|user=jblow888|title=Jonathan Blow}}

{{Indie Game: The Movie}}

{{authority control}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Blow, Jonathan}}

Category:1971 births

Category:American video game designers

Category:American video game programmers

Category:Indie game developers

Category:Living people

Category:People from San Francisco

Category:University of California, Berkeley alumni

Category:American video game writers

Category:YouTubers from California