That Dragon, Cancer is the emotive story of 4-year-old Joel’s battle against that dragon called Cancer. Having been in development for a number of years under the guidance of Ryan and Amy Green (Joel’s Parents), the game is going to be released on what would have been Joel’s 7th birthday. That Dragon, Cancer has received a lot of media attention since it first appeared, even from the BBC.
That Dragon, Cancer will be released on the 12th of January 2016.
“we couldn’t think of a better way to honor him than releasing this game.”
One thing I do love about the development team and the game itself is that this is not a dirge. What they are creating is a celebration of Joel’s short life. They aren’t inviting us to come just to mourn, but instead to celebrate and laugh and cry. To commemorate Joel’s birthday and the release of the game, the developers are inviting you to eat a pancake on the 12th of January.
“Joel loved pancakes and waffles!”
They want to have a Worldwide Pancake Day of their own. All you have to do to participate is take a picture of yourself eating a messy pancake and post it on social media and tag ThatDragonCancer.
In it’s unfinished state the game has already won half a dozen awards, including ‘Best of E3 2013, Best Indie Game” and has been widely praised.
“Not only did this move beyond my expectations for a videogame but also seemed to have no reference point in books or films. What Green and his team have started to create will certainly invite new kinds of people to take an interest in videogames.” ~ Andy Robertson, forbes.com
I think That Dragon, Cancer will not only spread awareness about cancer, but also help change the mainstream media’s overwhelmingly negative opinions of gamers. I’m looking forward to seeing how innovative this game actually is, I hope it is a poignant as I think it will be. It also feels good knowing that the money I spend on the game will be helping to support a family recovering from a tragedy.
