you're just imagining it
A downloadable game for Windows, macOS, and Linux
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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Status | Released |
Platforms | Windows, macOS, Linux |
Rating | Rated 4.8 out of 5 stars (332 total ratings) |
Author | npckc |
Genre | Simulation, Interactive Fiction, Visual Novel |
Made with | Clip Studio Paint, Ren'Py |
Tags | artgame, Atmospheric, Boring, illness, Life Simulation, medical, Minimalist, Narrative |
Average session | About a half-hour |
Languages | English, Spanish; Castilian, Japanese, Korean |
Inputs | Keyboard, Mouse, Gamepad (any), Touchscreen |
Links | Steam, Homepage, Patreon |
Download
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Comments
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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!
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.
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 socat 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.
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.
Thank you for making this game. Often people doctors haven't taken me seriously, and it's hard to express to other's when other's can't relate. Now, I can give the link to this game to others, so they can understand me and my pain better. Again, thank you!
This gives me hope. Truly, I can’t express enough how this captures my frustration so well and also manages to give me so much hope at the end. It makes me wanna cry.
A bit of a personal experience (don’t feel like you have to read it, please): I’m currently on this journey, after my therapist finally convinced me after years to try going to the doctor again. Last time I went, I was a teenager and everything was ‘growing pains’, took years to undo the belief the pain was normal. The doctor I’m going to now was recommended to me and she’s great, takes my pain seriously and even asked for more tests, but when I brought up a rare syndrome that’s my main suspicion, she shrugged it off (bc she thinks I have another chronic thing, but one that doesn’t explain all my symptoms). I truly don’t know how to feel. With my psychiatrist, it’s the same. I don’t want to go to another one, bc my current one is great for one of my disorders, but she won’t even consider the possibility of the other one I’m all but certain I have. It’s disheartening and I truly don’t know what to do. (End of the personal experience bit, it’s safe to continue reading from here.)
But this game truly makes me believe there’s a chance it can all go right, even if it takes time.The journey might be hell and it definitely shouldn’t be like this, but maybe I can hope for a happy ending. Truly, thank you for this.
Strength to you, stranger! If you strongly think you're a zebra and the tests don't find anything definitive, insist that they take your symptoms seriously and get a second opinion on what you could have. Good luck!!
This is amazing!! It's a great representation of chronic illness, at least for me. It took me nearly two years to get diagnosed with HMS, and honestly? I'm not even certain that's what it is. It just felt good to get diagnosed after years of people telling me I was too young, or that I just needed to eat better, or exercise (which makes it worse, by the way). Then I learned I was BORN WITH THIS!! It's an issue that has always been here, it just kept getting worse till I had to use mobility aids!!
Anyway, thank you for this game, truly. I hope people without chronic illness play this so they can understand it, or maybe people with undiagnosed chronic illness, so they can realize. Thanks.
thank you so much for this.
I have been trying to get a diagnoses for mental illness that both my parents have. I fill out the stupid circle the number sheets and the doctors say "you have anxiety and ADHD its probably a combo of those" They dont look at the sheet were every circle is in the highest row the wont ever look at the sheet. plus I live in a small town and though I live relativly close to the big city I cant afford a car so im stuck with the one doctor in town
i have been playing this game and still cant make the little fella rest.
what an amazing game, this was beautiful
oh boy i cried so much when the doctor daid you're not imagining
i dont know how it is to live with chronic illness but i know how is like to see a doctor to get an diagnosis being an autistic person, i related to much with the doctors part (i don't know english very well, i'm sorry)
im really glad to see all the comments on this game. i dont think theres a lot i can add but as fellow chronic illness warrior im glad to see youve got a diagnosis at last. good luck with everything and thank yew for this game, i really enjoyed all the details in it
Thank you for sharing this game! I think you captured the player's frustration (and the feeling of "this all could've been easily prevented") so well! On my run, it was so infuriating seeing the doctors point the blame at the player character despite not giving the player a chance to explain. It's a nice detail but also heartbreaking when it happens in real life.
A close friend of mine is currently dealing with this situation and, though not for chronic illness, I'm discouraged of this to try and push for a diagnosis myself/other needs since I had a doctor give me faulty resources and even briefly laughed at me at a request.
that's insane how many years it could take to find a person who will listen and not dismiss everything you say. I'm happy for you that you finally know what's happening with you.
just at the beginning i wanted to scream and puch my laptop. it hurts so much..............
i found your work initially through a video on a pet shop after dark, and fell in love with it immediately. you're probably the reason i stay on itch at all. i never really leave comments on itch, i'm not good with words, but i'm extremely excited that you were eventually able to get diagnosed and i'm hoping that nothing but health and happiness is in your future!
ironically, i'm typing this with a splitting headache and sharp pain shooting through my fingers with every click. trying to figure out what's going on, why you're in pain, why you can't Just Get Better, it's all too familiar-- this is the first time in a while that i've openly cried playing something on itch. i hope we all find some semblance of peace, no matter how hopeless it might seem. i hope i, and everyone else dealing with chronic illness, find that doctor that listens o7