New Video Game Mirrors Dad’s Grief Over His Dying Son

Ryan Green and Joel Green(Today Health) – Video games are often violent or action-oriented, but when programmer Ryan Green’s son was diagnosed with a fatal brain cancer at the age of 1, he used his craft to honor his son’s short life.

“I was scared I would forget Joel,” said Ryan Green, 34, who lives with his wife, Amy, 34, and four other children, in Loveland, Colorado.

So he created the game, “That Dragon, Cancer,” inviting players to enter the family’s world and experience the emotional intensity of living with a dying child.

The game, laced with poetry and spirituality, helped the family escape from their pain, but also allowed them to talk openly about Joel’s fate.

Developed with Josh Larson and five others at their new studio, Numinous Games, the game will be released in the fall.

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