Goodness this is an amazing use of this system. Even just reading through it feels so... weighty. Like... the weight of getting diagnosed. Of dealing with how it's my own fault somehow (I AM bad about putting on sunscreen... and I haven't been to a doc in many, many years). Of the concern over being a burden on others. Or just feeling worthless to myself...
But it doesn't make me feel bad about these things in game form, it inspires empathy in an amazing way. And honestly it's a little hopeful? Like... I've always worried about memory-related illnesses, losing my hearing, my depression getting the best of me... And this kind of points out the reality that (1) these are the kinds of things that can happen to ANYONE, and (2) I think most people are worried about them to some extent
Like... the weight of getting diagnosed. [...] Of the concern over being a burden on others. Or just feeling worthless to myself...
Thank you so much for the feedback.
One of the more difficult--and better--decisions actually involved trusting the player and their imagination:
The descriptions of the three illnesses (AIDS,TB,cancer) informing the game were originally 2nd person, very hostile and equally accusatory--just pure abuse. There was no doubt as to how you were supposed to feel. In fact, reading those drafts is what drove me to move the safety information to the very top of the document, and even after I did that, I scrapped what I had written about the specific illneses.
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Goodness this is an amazing use of this system. Even just reading through it feels so... weighty. Like... the weight of getting diagnosed. Of dealing with how it's my own fault somehow (I AM bad about putting on sunscreen... and I haven't been to a doc in many, many years). Of the concern over being a burden on others. Or just feeling worthless to myself...
But it doesn't make me feel bad about these things in game form, it inspires empathy in an amazing way. And honestly it's a little hopeful? Like... I've always worried about memory-related illnesses, losing my hearing, my depression getting the best of me... And this kind of points out the reality that (1) these are the kinds of things that can happen to ANYONE, and (2) I think most people are worried about them to some extent
- ✨Beth
Like... the weight of getting diagnosed. [...] Of the concern over being a burden on others. Or just feeling worthless to myself...
Thank you so much for the feedback.
One of the more difficult--and better--decisions actually involved trusting the player and their imagination:
The descriptions of the three illnesses (AIDS,TB,cancer) informing the game were originally 2nd person, very hostile and equally accusatory--just pure abuse. There was no doubt as to how you were supposed to feel. In fact, reading those drafts is what drove me to move the safety information to the very top of the document, and even after I did that, I scrapped what I had written about the specific illneses.