Today, October 22, is
International Stuttering Awareness Day! This seems like a good time to announce
my next project.
Stutter is a
project I've been working on for about a month. It's an interactive fiction
game that puts the player in the shoes of someone who stutters. Here's the
artwork my good friend Marc d'Entremont made for the game (more info below):
It's personal
For those who knew me back in
high school, you may have noticed that I stuttered quite a bit. I still do
sometimes. Stuttering has affected my life, and in this I'm not alone: one
percent of people stutter. While not the biggest demographic, most people know
someone who has a speech impediment. It's often hard to hide, much to our
dismay.
Inspired by recent empathy
games like Depression Quest and
Minority Media's games, I decided to design a game that re-creates what it's
like to live with a stutter. Embarrassment, social anxiety, avoidance, and more
will be explored in this stutter simulator.
For people who stutter, the
game will let them know they aren't alone and provide help resources. For
people who don't stutter, i.e. most people, the game aims to build empathy
through a better understanding of what it's like to struggle with the
disability. The potential benefits of such empathy building are many, including
increased self-esteem and bullying prevention.
I am consulting with members of
the Canadian Stuttering Association to ensure that the game reflects not only
my experience, but that it contains aspects common to many stutterers. If
anyone reading this has a speech impediment, don't hesitate to contact me. I'd
be more than glad to hear your story, and it might inspire mechanics for the
game!
Cover art
Marc used a retro face design
commonly seen in games like Mario or Kirby, but added the eyebrow to create
emotion, which fits the stutter simulator's focus on anxiety. To me, it
represents a smart contrast between classic lighthearted games and the new,
more ‘serious' empathy games genre. Thanks again Marc!
