Fade

Artist's Statement - Fade

What cycle did you pick? 

I chose to base this game on the cycle of depression. How it feels to be going through a depressive episode is a vicious cycle and I wanted to document it in a “game”. Specifically a cycle game where there is no ending, just constant looping like in real life.

How did you approach the meaning gap?

The way I approached the meaning gap was very much based on my own experiences. I titled each passage the name of a stage of the depression cycle, but inside the passage was a real-life example or experience of that stage that wouldn’t necessarily be aligned with the name. The scenarios I wrote about are fictional but I have integrated aspects of real depression symptoms in order to make each passage real and interactive. The titles and the meanings are not necessarily one-in-the-same, just like how real depression can manifest in different ways than what is typically talked about in society.

What thematic argument are you intending to make with the structure of a cycle? 

I want to make the argument that depression is a vicious cycle and there is no easy way of escaping it. There are different stages, as represented in the different passages, but each stage doesn’t progress you any further. It only reverts you back to the starting point. The cycle of the game continues for as long as you play, just like how the cycle of depression in real life persists.

What feedback did you take from your playtest to improve this game?

Most of the feedback I received from playtesting was to make the passages as realistic as possible and to include a lot of emotion. I think getting this feedback helped me to create a strong narrative even though there are only 4 passages. I added little elements like the take-out containers, Grandma’s antique lamp, etc. that would make the story unique but also feel so real, since it is about a very real subject.