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Leukaemia Patient Helps Create Chemotherapy Game
jasoncart writes "Whilst trying to visualize his illness, leukaemia patient and gamer Ben Duskin came up with a concept for a video game, according to a story on Ferrago. With the help of Eric Johnston and his employers LucasArts, the PC game, whose object is '...to destroy all mutated cells and to collect the seven shields which provide protection from common side effects of chemotherapy', is now in beta and available for free download from the Make A Wish Foundation - there are also screenshots available on Ferrago. The best news of all is that Ben is now in remission."
There's a lot to be said for the power of the mind. By taking on this project he could very well have almost willed himself to get better. I'm not saying it cured him (I'm sure modern medicine did much of the work), but it could have been a factor in the remission. He gave himself a new purpose--and a very cool one, at that. Very symbolic. It could be that his mind/soul did the rest.
Hexy - a strategy game for iPhone/iPod Touch
I always tell people about the customer who e-mailed us, telling us that our first game as an independent studio was helping her with a neurological condition. An excerpt from her letter:
I have rather severe neurologic problems in some areas of my brain and your game is helping me to regain some use of those areas that are "resting."
It was a great thing to hear.
______________________________
Trivia: The tagline under EA's M.U.L.E describes it as "a game in which up to four players attempt to settle a distant planet with the so-called help of a mule-like machine they all learn to hate.
We're indie. We're working on our 14th game.
Someone get terribly ill and wish for Sam & Max 2!
This is just one more example of the amazing work of the Make A Wish Foundation. These people, who obviously have a worthwhile cause, are amazing at their jobs. In my opinion, the most effective way to help fight cancer (for future victims) is to fund research. But given where we're at now, the only way to help current patients to make them happy. And happiness is the entire point of Make A Wish.
I've personally done fundraising for my local chapter (which is on the opposite coast), and I was inspired to do so after actually being a part of a wish. I'd suggest doing the same to anyone.
While you're not off donating to eff, be sure to donate to Make A Wish. You're literally giving happiness.
I think it may be a little too hard for some kids. (particularly those who may be undergoing some fairly fierce treatments) The mutated cells expand fairly quickly in the whole "game of life" style, and the end boss in each level constantly forces more out. It's a good idea for this type of thing, but it moves really pretty quickly. It took me quite some time to beat the game, and despite the fact that you couldn't actually lose all your health or run out of ammo (when you get low on either there's a beeping that's just annoying, encouraging you to collect more) the game did get pretty frustrating. The weapons used don't seem to do a lot of damage, and the cells mutate a little to quickly. There are also a few control issues. you can adjust the camera (you need to, frequently) but that forces you to stop attacking and allows the cells to flow in again, taking away your hard work. The avatar rides on a hoverboard that you control with the dir buttons. the problem is that this thing ends up going really really fast, whichis tricky when you're trying to strafe to kill off some cells. all the edges of the levels are half-pipes, which is a cool idea, but it would have been cooler if your skating actually led to bonuses, such as more powerful weapons, extra items, etc. by having places reachable by jumping off the half-pipe a la THPS. All in all, it might be a little too frustrating for the sick kids, but also kinda boring at the same time. It taught me one thing: cancer is annoying. don't get it, it ain't worth it.
I have little to say, but even less to lose by saying it.
Captain Novolin , anyone?
Circumcision is child abuse.
I don't know about the curative powers of positive thinking, but it can't hurt anything to have a patient blasting away cancer cells yelling "Die, muthafucka, die!!."
"As God is my witness, I thought turkeys could fly." A. Carlson
...was an ad for Manhunt. Jarring, to say the least.
I immediately thought 2 things:
1. "WTF does that have to do with leukemia? Is it some kind of new biological weapon in the game?"
2. When did Lucasarts buy Rockstar?
*still laughing*
Oh... that's just too much. There was 4 ads on that page for Manhunt... I don't know why I found it funny. posting is good.
What I'd like to know are the identities of the companies who said to the Make a Wish Foundation that "this venture was nearly impossible without taking several years and literally millions of dollars." Correspondingly, I think they'd receive at least one nasty consumer letter from myself, and I think from others as well. Apparently, the companies the foundation asked either haven't seen any of the indie games that have come out in the last few years, or just blatantly lied to the foundation to avoid making a committment. I'm inclined to think the latter over the former. Heartless bastards. Could someone tell me why I keep giving them money?
On the other hand, kudos to Lucasarts, who while evil for canning Sam and Max 2, like Vader obviously still have some good in them somewhere.
Lucas arts managed to not cancel a game that wasn't star wars related.... And now for the same joke with an obligatory full throttle reference. Whooooa Lucas arts managed to not cancel a game involving someone name ben?
NJ Local Music Scene
But there was this diabetes video game, and it's all the doctors are nurses talked about. I was 14 at the time, and yeah, video games were fun, but playing a video game about a disease I would rather not have just didn't appeal to me at all. In fact, I would've preferred that they treat me more like an adult.
When I first got Leukemia back in '80, Chicken Pox was a killer.
I was lucky, when I was 5 I got Chicken Pox. When I was 7 I got ALL and we were told that if I'd not had it and was exposed to it in the next 4 to 6 years, I would die from it because of the supressed imune system I had and would have.
Programmer art rules!
So you give this to a little kid about to undergo chemo.
:/
Five minutes later 'Game over, your patient is dead'
Well, I'm sure that cheered them up
Can anybody explain to me how to stop the camera from spinning? It got to the point where it was sicking and I had to turn the game off. The website and instructions don't explain how to stop the camera from spinning. I give this game -50 stars.
-Dipster
I would be really interesting in the technical specs of the program. Did they develop their own physics engine for the game, or did they borrow LucasArts code? If the physics and 3D stuff had to be developed from scratch, then that could very easily account for the months spent in development. Some things I'd like to see are:
It's a fun game. No doubt about that. Graphics are nice, physics are good, based on a solid principal, etc.
It's something else again to see those starving kids and say "Well, I'm letting thousands of them starve, but I DID help a kid who's going through a hundred thousand dollars worth of treatment to visit the Statue of Liberty."
I reall despise the ideals the Make A Wish foundation stands for. Kids with cancer here should be entertained, but the idea that a splurge on something fancy is more important than helping dozens of kids with *treatable* problems in America and abroad is reprehensibly decadent.
It's because you can actually cure leukaemia (or any cancer, really) by clubbing someone over the head with hard objects until they die.