That Dragon, Cancer

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That Dragon, Cancer is a video game created by Ryan and Amy Green, Josh Larson, and a small team under the name Numinous Games. The autobiographical game is based on the Greens' experience of raising their son Joel, who was diagnosed with terminal cancer at twelve months old, and though only given a short time to live, continued to survive for four more years before eventually succumbing to the cancer in March 2014. The game is designed to have the player experience the low and high moments of this period in the style of a point-and-click adventure game, using the medium's interactivity and immersion to relate the tale in ways that a film cannot. The game initially was developed to relate Ryan and Amy's personal experience with Joel when they were uncertain of his health, but following his death, they reworked much of the game to memorialize and personalize their time and interactions with Joel for the player. Alongside the game, a documentary Thank You for Playing, documenting both th …

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That Dragon, Cancer

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4.0 Meh
Rated by 2 people
  • Gries He Gries He
    Gries He
    7 years ago
    Saved!
    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AAL91-GONxk
  • Not Important Not Important
    Not Important
    7 years ago
    Saved!
    It's Cancer alright. Just a quick reminder that I despise this game.
  • Not Important Not Important
    Not Important
    8 years ago
    Saved!
    This game. This fucking game. This game might actually be in competition with Master of Orion III for worst gaming related experience I have ever had. I will first talk about issues I have with this that are not related to the game in itself.

    I think it's great that games broaden their horizons with games that deal with a plethora of subjects. I don't think that it's great to make a "Our son died, please give us money" game, and not even donate the money you get into charity. "B-but the Ouya sales money goes to charity" My five year old kid can top that amount on her weekly allowance, and she doesn't even get allowance.
    It's disgusting that the devs actually sold little "messages in a bottle" for 500 dollars. You got 250 words so you could write about a rough patch in your life. You can argue that if someone is willing to spend money, it's all okay, but personally I think that this is a really off-putting way to tug at peoples heart-strings and use their vulnerabilities in for your own good.

    Now the game. The graphics are ugly. They are not inventive. They are ugly. Graphics like this are incredibly easy to make, and all the reviewers claiming it's really artistic and innovative can eat my ass. They are ugly. The voice acting is bad, and the story, while obviously touching, is something that I've seen too many times before. There is almost no interactivity. There are like twenty five times you can do anything in the game. Apart from that it's just linear story, and the story is not very well told. The two gameplay metaphor shit thingies are ridiculous and crude.

    But by far the worst thing in the game is that the devs (the parents) are incredibly bible-thumping, Jesus camping Christians. This might not be a problem for everyone, but it is for me, and it's a thing that wasn't mentioned in the Kickstarter.
    I disliked this game a lot. Some of it just because of personal issues, but people calling this game "exceptional" or a "deep experience" should really try to watch a movie every once in a while.

    Now this is something you don't know about me. My brother died of leukemia at the age of 15. My aunt died of breast cancer at the age of 46. There is no particular reason for me to tell you this, but I hope it makes you take this seriously.
    • Bob GutSmasha
      Saved!
      Bob GutSmasha
      Editing … I felt really uncomfortable about this game. It seemed overly... something, not sure what it was but it felt a bit off. Maybe it's just because I've dealt with death from a young age; this media might be more for people who haven't experienced grief yet. The Christian stuff would be really awkward too, but I guess that's only because we are outsiders on that.
      8 years ago Heart 1
    • Gries He
      Saved!
      Gries He
      Editing … I just completed it.
      7 years ago
  • Gries He Gries He
    Gries He
    8 years ago
    Saved!
    "I’ve been wondering when a game would make me cry, and that changed over the weekend. A few games have made me teary eyed, but that’s about it. That Dragon, Cancer not only made me weep, but I had to stop playing it a few times."

    http://kotaku.com/that-dragon-cancer-knocked-me-on-my-ass-1752331757

    I'm sooo going nto this game blind. No way in hell am I reading this article before I finished That Dragon, Cancer.
    I even closed my eyes when I watched #Feminist Frequency's review of it yesterday.
  • Gries He Gries He
    Gries He
    8 years ago
    Saved!
    Is this game by any chance available on GOG or on the Humble Store? Pleeeease say yes
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Released Yes

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Created 2016-01-12 07:39 am
Page creator Gries He
Views 692
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