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Guests look at ipads showing the best of apple's App Store 2019 during a celebration event in New York, the United States, Dec. 2, 2019. (Xinhua/Wang Ying)

NEW YORK, Dec. 3 (Xinhua) -- Jenova Chen, a 38-year-old video game designer from China, said he was so proud two years ago when he stood on stage at the 2017 Apple Event to demonstrate his company's new game "Sky: Children of the Light."

And Chen felt even prouder this week -- the game, which has recorded over 5 million downloads worldwide since it was officially rolled out five months ago, won iPhone Game of the Year on Monday.

According to Chen, such success lies in his company's dedication over the past 13 years to creating interactive games for both children and adults that can inspire worldwide interaction.

For example, the game "Sky" allows as many as eight people to play at the same time, with its story focusing on positive life values such as mutual help and interdependence, according to Chen, founder and CEO of Los Angeles-based Thatgamecompany, Inc.

"Many adult players were moved to tears by the plot of the game," he said.

Chen said the game has also helped people from different countries and generations develop friendships, as it allows players to communicate with each other by playing instruments or talking to each other.

"We have spent seven years in developing the game, making it interesting to both children and adults, in (the) hope of changing people's ideas on video games," he said.

Chen also hopes the game can help his company win acknowledgement from the gaming industry.

As many Chinese games target overseas markets, the gap between Chinese game developers and overseas players is getting narrower, said Chen, who grew up in eastern China's municipality of Shanghai.