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Tale of terminal illness That Dragon, Cancer funded
Joel Green, the 5-year-old boy who inspired the game That Dragon, Cancer may have passed, lost to the illness that plagued him, but his tale will be told on PC, Mac and Ouya thanks to the financial support of backers on Kickstarter. Developer and father Ryan Green and his team not only reached their goal of $85,000, but pushed beyond it in the campaign's final days, eventually closing this week with $104,491 raised. This means that every backer of That Dragon, Cancer on Kickstarter will receive a high-resolution, digital copy of the poster that hangs in the nursery of the Green family's young daughter, Zoe. The poster features Joel's fingerprints representing leaves on trees, and a text balloon that reads, "Thank you for giving me life." You can see the poster in full after the break. Joystiq's Jess Conditt recently interviewed Green about the game's progress and how it's changed since its initial vision, and a documentary called Thank You For Playing, due in 2015, will also help share the story of how Joel's short life made such a big impact.
That Dragon, Cancer dad, devs push on after tragedy
That Dragon, Cancer tells the real-life story of Joel Green, a young boy fighting terminal cancer, placed in a low-poly, point-and-click world. There are no puzzles in the game, only daily activities haunted by an unseen monster silently shaping the lives of Joel and his family. Joel's father, Ryan Green, is developing the game alongside Josh Larson and a handful of contributors. That Dragon, Cancer includes personal notes and stories from the Green family, describing their pain, joy, hope and despair as the story progresses and Joel's health continues to decline. In March, after battling cancer for four years, Joel died at the age of 5. The game must go on. Ryan Green, Josh Larson and the That Dragon, Cancer team are pushing forward with development, gathering funding from investors and today launching a Kickstarter campaign seeking $85,000 to help finish the game. That Dragon, Cancer has the financial support of Indie Fund – up to $50,000 – if it needs it and if the campaign is successful. This all means the game is delayed from its 2014 launch window, but when it does launch, it will do so on Ouya and Steam (PC and Mac) simultaneously. It was previously designed as an Ouya exclusive, but the micro-console maker is allowing a side-by-side PC premiere as a show of support for the developers, who wish to get That Dragon, Cancer in front of as many people as possible.
That Dragon, Cancer documentary follows a year of development, heartache
Thank You For Playing is a documentary about the development of That Dragon, Cancer, the low-poly adventure game from Ryan Green. The game tells the Green family's heart-wrenching story as their young son, Joel, battles terminal cancer. Joel died in March at age 5. The documentary covers the past year of development, delving into tense family moments, following Joel to the hospital, and covering That Dragon, Cancer at shows such as PAX and E3. Thank You For Playing comes from veteran filmmakers David Osit and Malika Zouhali-Worrall. Ryan Green posted about the documentary for the first time on his blog today: "You wouldn't think it so, since our family has been so public and in the news about sharing the game, and we've been part of a web-based documentary before, but letting a film crew in to our personal, creative and professional lives was a little scary. We are not the producers of this film. It is independent of us. Before this project, we did not know David and Malika, but we decided It was important that people see the parts of our lives in-between the scenes of the game. Life happens in the middle and so does death. David and Malika were with our family the three days leading up to Joel's passing." Thank You For Playing is currently in production, as is That Dragon, Cancer. [Images: Osit and Zouhali-Worrall]
The child that inspired That Dragon Cancer, Joel Green, dies at age 5
Joel Green, the 5-year-old son of developer Ryan Green and the inspiration for the emotional adventure game, That Dragon, Cancer, died this morning after battling terminal cancer for four years. Ryan shared the news on the That Dragon, Cancer blog with the above photo. That Dragon, Cancer chronicles the intense emotional journey of Ryan and his family as they deal with Joel's diagnosis. It incorporates poetry, somber music and voiceovers in a point-and-click format, with low-poly, pastel, 3D graphics. It's a powerful game that asks players to pause and reflect on the fragility of life and love. That Dragon, Cancer is due out on Ouya this year, with other platforms to follow. We spoke with Ryan at the IndieCade booth at E3 last year, and asked how he ended up turning his pain into a game. "I don't know what else I'd do," he said. "I'm a creative and that's what I want to do, and that's how I process things. My wife and I, we've made a short film and we wrote a book; I'm a video game developer by trade, and so that seemed like a natural fit. There's something special about video games that you don't find in other media. I want people to love my son the way I love my son, and to love my son you have to meet my son. A video game gives the opportunity to meet my son and meet our family, and kind of walk with us in our shoes, but from a safe place." Now, Joel is in a safe place of his own. Our deepest sympathies to the Green family at this time. [Image: Ryan Green]
That Dragon, Cancer tackles Ouya in 2014
That Dragon, Cancer will debut on Ouya in 2014, showcasing an intense, emotional game on the big screen, in living rooms and just as developers Ryan Green and Josh Larson intended. That Dragon, Cancer tells a raw story of Green's real life – his 4-year-old son, Joel, has cancer and is fighting his eighth tumor, and the game chronicles his family's struggles, mimicking events and emotions that Green is experiencing himself. It's a breathtaking, interactive poem disguised as a low-poly point-and-click adventure. "Part of the reason we're creating this game is to create a safe space to talk about hard things," Green told Joystiq. "We want people to share their own experiences about life and death and hope and grace with each other .... It's an experience that we're designing for players that have an hour or two to spend with us. And while it's certainly a personal experience, my hope is that it will be a shared experience." Green and Larson will self-publish That Dragon, Cancer through their studios, Media Greenhouse and God at Play, with an investment from Ouya. Kellee Santiago, head of developer relations at Ouya, said that investment was "enough so Ryan and Josh and their team [could] make this game a reality without the added burden of struggling financially to do so." After crafting the ideal living room experience, the developers will "eventually" bring the game to other platforms.
IndieCade at E3: That Dragon, Cancer
That Dragon, Cancer is a poetic, emotionally intense story of love in the face of death, blended beautifully into a point-and-click adventure game. It tells a true tale, unfortunately, of developer Ryan Green's family life – his 4-year-old son, Joel, has cancer, and he's currently fighting his eighth tumor. Joel has survived two years of treatments, surpassing doctors' initial estimates, and Green has transformed his pain into a beautiful, introspective game. That Dragon, Cancer doesn't naturally fit into the standard idea of E3, but it isn't out of place in the PC circle of IndieCade's exhibit space. It tells a traumatic story, but in the end it's a simple, gorgeous game. Green explains his intent with That Dragon, Cancer, and I take a deep breath and dive into a part of it. That Dragon, Cancer is a living game, in every sense of the word – it's still being written, by real events, every day. See the Green family's efforts and development process on the game's website. IndieCade is always a refreshing experience at E3, and this year in particular was full of surprises. Check out the other games I highlighted this week right here.
