''Dys4ia'' (pronounced dysphoria) is an abstract,

autobiographical An autobiography, sometimes informally called an autobio, is a self-written account of one's own life. It is a form of biography. Definition The word "autobiography" was first used deprecatingly by William Taylor in 1797 in the English peri ...

Adobe Flash Adobe Flash (formerly Macromedia Flash and FutureSplash) is a multimedia software platform used for production of animations, rich web applications, desktop applications, mobile apps, mobile games, and embedded web browser video players. Fla ...

video game Video games, also known as computer games, are electronic games that involves interaction with a user interface or input device such as a joystick, controller, keyboard, or motion sensing device to generate visual feedback. This fee ...

that Anna Anthropy, also known as Auntie Pixelante, developed to recount her experiences of gender dysphoria and

hormone replacement therapy Hormone replacement therapy (HRT), also known as menopausal hormone therapy or postmenopausal hormone therapy, is a form of hormone therapy used to treat symptoms associated with female menopause. These symptoms can include hot flashes, vaginal ...

. The game was originally published in

Newgrounds Newgrounds is an entertainment website and company founded by Tom Fulp in 1995. It hosts user-generated content such as games, films, audio, and artwork. Fulp produces in-house content at the headquarters and offices in Glenside, Pennsylvania. ...

but was later removed by Anthropy.

Plot

Touching on the 'frustrations' of transitioning, particularly taking

estrogen Estrogen or oestrogen is a category of sex hormone responsible for the development and regulation of the female reproductive system and secondary sex characteristics. There are three major endogenous estrogens that have estrogenic hormonal ac ...

, the game documents a six-month period in her treatment via a succession of

mini-games A minigame (also spelled mini game and mini-game, sometimes called a subgame or microgame) is a short game often contained within another video game. A minigame contains different gameplay elements, and is often smaller or more simplistic, than th ...

that reflect on gender politics, identity, personal responsibility, white privilege, and personal development. While discussing the concept with the ''Penny Arcade Report'', Anna Anthropy remarked, "This was a story about frustration—in what other form do people complain as much about being frustrated? A video game lets you set up goals for the player and make her fail to achieve them. A reader can’t fail a book. It’s an entirely different level of empathy that most people simply cannot comprehend, and so the game makes this particular empathetic frustration available for all to experience."

Reception

After debuting at a

Toronto Toronto ( ; or ) is the capital city of the Canadian province of Ontario. With a recorded population of 2,794,356 in 2021, it is the most populous city in Canada and the fourth most populous city in North America. The city is the anch ...

-based

art game An art game (or arthouse game) is a work of interactive new media digital software art as well as a member of the "art game" subgenre of the serious video game. The term "art game" was first used academically in 2002 and it has come to be un ...

convention between 21 and 23 February 2012, ''Dys4ia'' subsequently appeared on the social media website

on 9 March 2012, and achieved a First Place 'Daily Feature'. ''Dys4ia'' received praise from various sources for its ability to communicate a challenging subject. ''

The Guardian ''The Guardian'' is a British daily newspaper. It was founded in 1821 as ''The Manchester Guardian'', and changed its name in 1959. Along with its sister papers ''The Observer'' and ''The Guardian Weekly'', ''The Guardian'' is part of the Gu ...

''s Will Freeman commented that ''Dys4ia'' offered 'a touching and witty insight into an experience many may never even consider in detail'. In response to the mechanics of ''Dys4ia'', Freeman suggested that the game 'does much to prove the power of games to communicate complex concepts through playful interactions'. On the UK gaming blog '' Rock, Paper, Shotgun'', journalist Adam Smith found the content 'uncomfortable' and inherently private, yet nevertheless 'informative and moving'. Regarding the absent artistic merits of ''Dys4ia'', Smith remarked that the limited visuals were 'effective communicators of extreme discomfort' and that Liz Ryerson's soundtrack to the game deserved special mention due to how well it conveys a sense of listless frustration and extreme discomfort simultaneously.

References

External links

''Dys4ia''
at

(No longer available)
''Dys4ia''
at Auntie Pixelante (also not currently available)
''Dys4ia''
at Freegames.org (available as of 2022-02-20)
''Dys4ia internet archive''
internet archive backup link to above page (index date 2017-05-07) {{Portal bar, Video games, LGBT 2012 video games Art games Browser games Flash games Transgender-related video games LGBT-related video games Video games developed in the United States Video games designed by Anna Anthropy