You know we are into anything and everything gaming related right? Well so are you I am guessing, if you have ended up here. If that is the case, you would sure be familiar with that feeling of people not taking you or your hobby (or god forbid – if you’ve made gaming your living!) seriously. I definitely am and have grown so numb to it by now that I don’t even hear the critics. There are those moments every now and then it does get too much though. And then, you come across something like what I am about to share and you realise that everything can have a deeper meaning and purpose and it is up to us how we use the resources we have and what conclusions we draw from doing so. Yes, gaming can be just careless fun. It can also give purpose and support to people in need. This is what this story is about.
The game I am about to share with you tells a touching story of grieve and hope and will sure leave any sceptics silent – yes, just as anything else, gaming can be meaningful. “That Dragon, Cancer” is an autobiographical game created by Ryan and Amy Green, sharing the story of their son Joel who was diagnosed with cancer at the age of one and battled with the disease for four years.
It is played as an exploration game from different perspectives through a number of abstract scenes from the life of the creators. As a player you will swap roles and be given some choices to interact with the environment. There are real recordings of conversations and voicemails featured, cards and mail send from people who have had a similar story of loss in their life.
The graphics are exceptional, the music – calm and the atmosphere in general very fitting to the story. It will certainly have an emotional effect on you and make you reconsider gaming and what can be achieved with it altogether. The game memorializes the emotions of all people involved in the story better than any written or captured on photo memory could possibly do that. It captivates players making them feel like part of it – I certainly think there should be more games working in that direction.