Dustin Gebel
Dark Horse Comics and Berger Books announced a partnership with Wowbagger Productions to create an interactive documentary game for the graphic novel, She Could Fly. She Could Fly – from writer Christopher Cantwell, art by Martín Morazzo, and colorist Miroslav Mrva – grapples with the realities and misconceptions of OCD and the game will tackle those same topics. She Could Fly Documentary Escape Game is designed as a point and click, psychological game that uses looping narrative paths to guide players through the OCD experience. This will be achieved with a mix of comic art, documentary films, and interactive gameplay.
In the press release, Cantwell discussed his approach to the graphic novel:
“For me, in the graphic novel, flying is a form of relief or freedom for the main characters. In my life, what I look for, in terms of relief or freedom, is not happiness but peace of mind. Real peace of mind. Peace of mind is very important to me, and it’s something I’m always striving for. And I hope that by playing this game or reading our story, it helps you find some peace of mind as well.”
Dark Horse and Wowbagger Productions also shared some preview images from the game, featuring artwork based on Morazzo and Mrva’s designs.
The full details of the project and the press release can be seen below:
The not-for-profit game will be published on gaming platform STEAM on July 12 2024 and will be available for $5.99, with all proceeds beyond development costs going to further engagement activities around OCD and mental health along with upkeep of the game. Fans can ‘wishlist’ the game here.
The game features gorgeous artwork by Martín Morazzo and Miroslav Mrva from the She Could Fly graphic novel. The comic’s protagonist Luna lives with OCD and is trying to find a flying lady, whilst managing her debilitating OCD. The game’s guide and narrator is Tiger Orchid – a Twitch/ YouTube style narrator, who is played by actor Shaniqua Okwok (The Flatshare). Gamers will also meet Hanna Rampersad (34) who lives in the flat, the reassuring beanbag and creepy Fear Monsters.
“It’s so important for people who have lived experience of OCD and other mental health issues to read a story about somebody like themselves, to see what their experiences are, how they navigate that, and how they get through that,” said Karen Berger, Editor of Berger Books at Dark Horse Comics. “This inventive and informative escape game beautifully captures the emotional power of the comic which has resonated with so many readers.”
“The work we do at Wowbagger Productions is very much about collaborating with creatives from marginalised perspectives to share less-known stories,” said Wowbagger Productions founder Sara Kenney, who wrote, directed and produced the game. “This is our first digital game and decades of storytelling and producing experience meant we ensured the comic, documentary and gameplay works together and flows in a meaningful way. Games for impact are an arena that the team at Wowbagger Productions are passionate about and want to continue our work, not just combining art and science, but also the different disciplines of games, comics and film.”
Sara Kenney, led and co-designed the game with co-producer Mairéad Ruane, who has lived experience of OCD. They worked with a team of ‘Lived Experience’ experts to inform the content and create a global engagement campaign to shift how we think about OCD and mental health. Scientists, psychologists and medical humanities experts from Bath University, Maudsley Psychiatric Hospital, Oxford University, Cambridge University, OCD Action and University of Southern Mississippi were part of the iterative design process, checking and commenting on scripts and game drafts for over 2-years.
The team collaborated with some incredible game veterans including Mink Ette, Chance Millar, David Mitchell, Lead Game Artist, Kiana Firouz and Sound Designer, Dan Pugsley. The team also included first time Art Director, Kiki Shervington and game music composer, musician and founder of AfroRave, Toya Delazy. The She Could Fly Documentary Escape Game is produced by Wowbagger Productions in association with Two Tails Studios & Oubliette Games, with funding from the Academy of Medical Sciences, Arts Council England, Joseph Rowntree Foundation, The Physiological Society & UK Games Fund.
Leading UK OCD charity, OCD Action, explains ‘OCD is a serious mental health condition with debilitating effects, driven by distressing intrusive thoughts and exhausting compulsions. Current estimates suggest that a staggering 1-2% of the UK population lives with OCD, or approximately 670,000 to 1.3 million individuals. Yet, this number could still underrepresent the true scale of the condition, as the lack of understanding around OCD causes many to suffer in silence’ (OCD Action). Part of what we want to accomplish through the release of the game is to recognize people with OCD and guarantee them timely access to clinically recommended treatments.
Wowbagger Productions is calling on people to sign OCD Action’s open letter.
“She Could Fly is an ambitious and brilliant graphic novel and our goal for the She Could Fly Documentary Escape Game is to explore the world that Christopher Cantwell and Martín Morazzo created putting an end to trivialization of OCD, while increasing a real and empathetic understanding of the condition,” said Wowbagger Productions’ Sara Kenney.
