Prompt Cast
A Family's Journey Through Grief and Healing: The Creation of That Dragon Cancer
TLDR After their son Joel is diagnosed with a rare and aggressive brain tumor, Ryan and Amy embark on a journey of grief and healing. They create a video game called That Dragon Cancer to memorialize Joel's life and share their experience with others.
Timestamped Summary
00:00
A family invites the entire world into their personal problem after a huge event leaves them with no control.
04:01
Joel was diagnosed with a rare and aggressive brain tumor called ATRT, and despite intense chemotherapy and radiation, the odds of survival were grim.
07:51
Ryan, the father of a sick child, had the idea to create a video game that would simulate the feeling of helplessness and receiving grace, based on his experience in the hospital with his son, and despite initial doubts, he was able to build a prototype and generate interest from potential funders.
12:19
Ryan and Amy decide to use the rest of their savings to create a video game called That Dragon Cancer based on their experience with their son Joel's illness, which brings them back to that emotional space in a more real way than they thought possible.
16:52
Ryan and Amy develop a video game called That Dragon Cancer that immerses players in the experience of their son's illness, featuring vignettes such as feeding ducks at a pond and blowing bubbles for Joel.
21:49
Joel's health improves and he reaches milestones, but the routine of tumor and radiation breaks when the doctors say they can't treat the new tumors, so Ryan and Amy take Joel to a drug trial in San Francisco that ultimately doesn't work, and they return home to Loveland.
26:24
Joel dies and Amy reflects on the process of grieving and mourning, deciding to use the money set aside for a gravestone to instead build the game as a memorial for Joel, which leads to the creation of the cathedral in the game.
30:48
Ryan creates a cathedral in the game to represent the damage caused by fighting cancer, but removes the neon crosses and machines to avoid making players feel responsible for Joel's death, eventually replacing them with an amusement park that is later scrapped in favor of prayer candles.
35:30
The game is coming out mid-January and the cathedral is magnificent, but to Ryan, it will always be unfinished.
Categories:
Technology
Society & Culture
