After a flurry of activity on the That Dragon, Cancer Steam page, where users began questioning the motivations behind the game's release, developer Ryan Green, his development team, and family told iDigitalTimes they have made a conscious decision to stay out of discussions about the intentions behind the game.
That Dragon, Cancer follows the story of Ryan’s son Joel Green’s battle with cancer. Joel was just two years old when he died. The game is an artistic interpretation of Joel’s journey and aims to have players feel the young boy was a friend. However, some Steam users took to forums to accuse Ryan and his family of using their son’s death to make a profit.
iDigitaltimes spoke to Ryan via e-mail about the controversy surrounding the game. While Ryan is honored and touched by the outpouring of support and love from players, he and his team do not believe it is necessary to explain why they wanted to make That Dragon, Cancer.
“Releasing That Dragon, Cancer this week was the culmination of years of work and we are so pleased with the way people have connected to it and shared it with others,” Ryan said. “Telling the story of Joel’s short life and his battle with cancer through a medium we love has been a privilege. We are blown away by the outpouring of love and support we have received.”
Ryan continued, “Our game has always been a difficult project for some people to relate to. We understand that it is not for everyone. Throughout development, there has been a lot of discussion around the internet about what our intentions are and whether or not we are creating something that is acceptable and good. We made a very conscious choice to stay out of that discussion.”
Ryan believes coming to the game’s defense on Steam or any other forums would only dampen That Dragon, Cancer’s message. Ryan appreciates the conversation That Dragon, Cancer sparked about art and loves that his family was able to share their love for Joel through the medium of video games.
“We have crafted something that we are proud of. It cost us a lot emotionally, psychologically and financially, but giving our son’s short life this kind of platform has been worth everything it cost us, because sharing our love for Joel is worth any amount of hardship,” Ryan said in the e-mail.
Joel’s story will also raise money for cancer research. That Dragon, Cancer investor Razer announced prior to the game’s release they are donating all proceeds from the game purchased on OUYA and Cortex to the charities of the Green family’s choice. Ryan’s family chose the Morgan Adams Foundation, which helps fund cancer research, and Joel’s doctor is a recipient of the research grants. You can also purchase a Steam key through the Humble Store and 10 percent of the sale will be donated to Morgan Adams Foundation as well.
As for what’s next for That Dragon, Cancer, Ryan and his team are currently working on issues players encountered shortly after the game’s launch on Jan. 12.
“Right now we are focused on refining our game, fixing bugs that people have discovered and responding to questions from players,” Ryan said. “We hope that the conversation, positive and negative, stirred up by That Dragon, Cancer will ultimately lead to an expansion of a very powerful medium for storytelling: videogames.”
