Do The Thing: A Game About Executive Dysfunction
This is a short game/experience I created in the hopes of sharing what it is like to live with debilitating executive dysfunction.
In extremely simple terms, executive dysfunction refers to impairments in a person's ability to organize thoughts, manage time, prioritize, make decisions, maintain focus, and regulate emotions.
Executive dysfunction impacts every aspect of my life, making it extremely difficult to accomplish even simple tasks. But I find it extremely difficult to describe in ways that really convey the severity of it.
I am hoping Do The Thing will be able to do what I can't with just words, and maybe some other people can connect with the experience.
Please note: There is a content warning for negative self-talk, verbal abuse, and gaslighting.
It's a prototype/WIP, so I'll be fiddling with it over time.
Development log
- A new game: focus, attention, and short-term memory81 days ago
- A Week Later: The Responses to DO THE THING (have been awesome)90 days ago
- DO THE THING: UI/UX Improvements97 days ago
- DO THE THING: Audio, Text, & Mobile98 days ago
- DO THE THING: A Game About Executive Dysfunction, Prototype Released99 days ago
Comments
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yeah that's me. that's me fr. I guess it's reassuring that I'm not the only one.
(I will say it is incredibly funny that after you turn invisible the blue circle is technically actually helping you by revealing where you are when they talk)
Yeah this is it. At one point I was waiting for the timer to tick over to a round number to see if that would change anything and it was like every time I wait until it’s o’clock to try to get up and do a task in case I feel any different and in both cases it really doesn’t change anything and you kinda just feel stupid.
Thanks for this.
Love that I'm playing this instead of doing the work I'm supposed to be doing. Very accurate depiction, really gets across that frustration
Gameplay and Empathy
This was a really thoughtful review! And I really like how you explained executive dysfunction at the start. Thanks you so much for sharing it!
Hehe, thank you, I definitely rambled a bit... but it's complex to describe.
Anyway, do you ever plan on making first-person games? A first-person horror about executive dysfunction might be really effective.
It really is tough. I haven't dipped into anything first-person yet, though I have worked in 3D. I can already think of a few mechanics and scenarios that could be very interesting to experiment with though.
I feel like using "nightmare logic" will be a good place to start. Once I teach myself some first-person game design, anyway.
This game is an absolute punch in the gut.
I love it.