A downloadable game for Windows, macOS, and Linux

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english / 日本語 / español / 한국어

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caution: this game is not meant to be medical advice. it's also not very fun.

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a chronic illness simulation game.

you think you have a chronic illness, but you don't know what. all you know is you are always in some state of pain. you've been to too many doctors to count... but you still have to live your life.

how long will it take for you to get a diagnosis?

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i made this game because i was recently diagnosed with a chronic illness. i talk more about it in this post, where i also share my plans for game dev while i figure things out.

support this game for $2 or more for a printable 8-page zine about why i made the zine as well as hd desktop wallpapers of the title background with & without text.

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sign up for my newsletter to get an email when i release a new game 🎁

join my patreon for secret updates, a monthly digital postcard & early access to my games!

Download

Download NowName your own price

Click download now to get access to the following files:

youre-just-imagining-it-win-linux.zip 47 MB
Version 1.01
youre-just-imagining-it-osx.zip 41 MB
Version 1.01
you're just imagining it - why i made this game (8-page zine).pdf 278 kB
if you pay $2 USD or more
you're just imagining it - hd wallpapers 341 kB
if you pay $2 USD or more

Development log

Comments

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Viewing most recent comments 1 to 40 of 137 · Next page · Last page

It might be silly of me to say but I've been looking for any idea of what I have for about four years now, and despite relating a lot to this game I also find it very reassuring to think that it's okay if I'm not there yet, there's still time
Anyways, thank you 

-Someone who's still looking

Can you make one to capture the experience Veterans have with the VA? It would be a fair amount more complicated but... worth it.

Happy to help with that if you will.

Ahh this game reminds me with that one webtoon talking about chronic illness aswell, hope you are doing well 🙏

I love this game! As someone who has multiple chronic illnesses (Although not all physical) I've had my fair deal of trouble with doctors/ therapists. I struggled for years not knowing what was wrong with me or even if something was wrong. I've told medical professional things that just get swept under the rug, and this game perfectly demonstrates the struggle. The best thing you can do about it is share the information and advocate for yourself. Overall, love it!

loved this!

not knowing if the pain is your regular pain or if you're actually sick hits so hard. this game reminds me that i am so close to my diagnosis, and that im not faking it. 

what game egnine do you use

I think we need more games like this one!

Very powerful and relatable

Played it a while back, forgot to review it until I ended up recommending this to some friends. A short and relatable game (relatable to anyone who's been taken care of by less than stellar medical professionals)

I've been dealing with pain for a hot minute now, I think around 8-9 along with mental issues, haven't been to a ton of doctors because I'm still to young to even go myself but regardless none have been helpful. It's the same repetitive "Just go outside more, go on walks, eat better" and despite not being religious, I'm praying heavily that the next appointment will have some kind of outcome, even if it's just some actual acknowledgment of my problems.

Great game, simple yet fun mechanics and overall fun to play :)

This was a great game! I hope you keep up the good work. No, this was not a bot comment.

this made me tear up at the end
not everyone get's that 'lucky' sadly (lucky in quotes because it still took way too long)
thank you for making this game and reminding people how our medical systems need to change

cute aesthetic and simple to understand, even tho its frustrating and obviously not fun I appreciate it, I guess that was the point anyway
hope things are looking better for you now! 

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There is a huge rise of chronic illness rn but doctors deny it because it mostly affects young afabs :( it took 15 years for me to get a diagnosis- lyme disease (specifically neuroborreliosis and lyme carditis). Being sick is hard but the way people treat us makes it so much worse. Thank you for sharing your experience ❤️‍🩹

7-10 years here, same symptoms, same useless doctors "advice" except, I got self administered ultrasound therapy instead of multivitamins. Still no diagnosis, let alone cure, still getting worse. Glad you found somebody willing to help you at least.

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AAAAHHHHHHH I wanna slap these quack doctors so freakin' bad!
(╬▔皿▔)╯so fucking dismissive of what their patients are telling them and how they feel

Thank you idk if it was actually a cat but it had the pointy ears so cat doctor🤧🤧

this game is real. it is so sad it is universal and most poeple suffer from undiagnosed ilnesses and most doctors doesn't care. thank you for making this game.

I love this game! I am someone who struggles with chronic illness-- my most recent diagnosis being multiple sclerosis. It's insane how accurate most of the dialogue was! I really felt seen as I played the game, and I think this is a fantastic way to open peoples minds up to the struggles chronically ill people have. Life is all about needing money for the doctor, but being too sick to work, and having to sacrifice things like going out to have fun for the sake of rest. It's a sad reality, but the more people understand the better things will be. I played this on my YT as a way to talk to my community about my experiences, and that of others like myself!

this game boils down some real issues into a cute package. No matter what country you live in, this experience is unfortunately universal. several people came into my head as I was playing this game, which is a sign that this is not an isolated experience. Thank you for making this game.

Despite the author's claim to the contrary, the game *is* fun. I like the combination of the typical visual novel-style gameplay with managing your stats.

The story is nonetheless very depressing and you should only play if you're okay playing a story where the main character suffers a lot.

I loved this game so much. I may not be someone who suffers from chronic pain but I do believe I have ADHD and I have been told by some peers and family that "Its all in your head" so this game actually did touch me even if my situation is different from the main character's. This game was really well made and the ending made me emotional, keep up the great work <3

I love this wth

A short but really good game

I have to respectfully disagree with the developer on one key point: this game is fun.
The game offers a refreshing and powerful perspective, especially for those of us who may not fully understand what life is like for people living with chronic illnesses.
Check out my full playthrough: 

As someone who sufferers from pcos, fibromyalgia and some form of dysautonomia, this game hit really close to my heart. When the main character finally got their answer at the end I teared up, knowing how it felt to finally get relief and to know that you truly had something going on all along. Our healthcare system a massive enemy against us who suffer from chronic illnesses, and it's an absolute tragedy that it can take years or even decades for any sort of answer. Thank you for this game, and I hope that you are doing well :)

very relatable, i cried a lot, thank you for making this

My sister suffers from fibromyalgia and a slew of other things, been around 10 years of trying to make any kind of progress on getting diagnosed for her many issues. I sent this to her in hopes she'll feel a little better being able to relate to this. ;-;

Chronic pain runs through my family. While I don't have it, I can only watch. This game... it feels like it perfectly pictures the things that the people I love are going through.

Every day since i can remember i've had stomach pain. It's never stopped. This is pretty relatable. Thank you.

As a chronic illness sufferer i can relate to this intensely. I've had doctors, family and various people tell me that my feelings and concerns weren't valid. It shouldn't take years to get help, and yet it does. And even then quality of life is greatly reduced so it makes continuing to fight each step such an uphill battle.

I am sorry you have had to go through all that, but am glad you made this so it can spread awareness of the difficulties we face.

keep safe x

Very relatable game ; it felt good to find a similar experience but still terrible. I liked the ending :) I liked your previous works and this one is great as well. Don't forget to rest <3

As someone with not one, but two chronic illness, it was very relatable. I also have a very dark humor so it was real fun to play as well. 😃
It made me feel like I'm not alone in this, and that means a lot. 💜
I hope people who haven't been diagnosed yet and in the process currently, or those who just endure the pain and haven't even begin the process yet can play this game and get encouraged
to keep up 'til the end and get that diagnosis!

Man... (positive. this is an effective game)

Wow, very simple and effective ! I loved it !!

as someone with a very noncommittal chronic illness diagnosis, this hurts me :(

i was one of the lucky ones. doctors dont often dismiss me, and when they do, i have the money to see another doctor. (or, at least, we have really good insurance.) but i remeber for the first couple years of seeing doctors, i always felt so hopeless. nobody could give me an answer, and the tests wre either exausting or painful. (i dont remeber what its called, but the test they did when seeing if i had nerve damage? worst expierece ive ever had. i couldnt walk afterwards.) i remeber crying at the ruematologist because she said we had to see another doctor,and i had already seen what had felt like millions. it was so exausting. honestly im still upset about my diagnosis (a condition called AMPS,simular to fibromyalgia.), because its not as simple as "you have (this) because of (his)". it doesnt have a direct cause, i just am one of the unlucky ones. i hope your diagnosis leads you on a better, heathier path. life is exausting, but there are things to look forward to and love. (i use video games to cope a lot, actually)best wishes to your future.

This game is so important, at least to me. I´ve always had "general pain" but haven´t been diagnosed for years, even tho I´m pretty young but I´ve always worried about it. A month ago I went for a normal check up for my health documents and the doctor made me do some tests, he checked them up the other day and diagnosed me with hypothyroidism, which matched all of my symptoms, he even told me he was disappointed in my past doctors and that he was sorry I wasn´t treated right. The end was so hopeful and it made me cry. Beautiful, and 5 stars!

This is what doctors always tell me whenever I have concerns. It's frustrating.

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