Introducing... A Totally Normal Painting Hanging on the Wall

I just submitted this tiny game to Scream Jam 2022 +1! It’s a tiny visual novel/short story with some choices/interactions/stats under the hood, scoped appropriately (I think!) for finishing a small thing during a typical work week for me.

It is… a little dark? I actually think it’s kind of uplifting, but the real-life grief part might hit folks. It’s based very much on real experiences, with a little horror/ghost story flavor thrown into the mix. The little story within the story is actually a call I went on a few years ago, when I did have my first real deceased patient. I really do think about her a lot.

I never want to stir up false valor or anything, I’m a volunteer EMT (in Brooklyn and queens, have been active here for just under seven years) and do this particular job because I really like doing it — a few days a month. I enjoy going on these calls, even when they do stay with me forever, and I’m able to do this in a way where, well, I have a job that pays a living wage and I do this in my spare time. Most EMTs are horrifically underpaid (that goes for so many professions, I can only speak to the ones I know about), particularly for the amount of trauma they see and deal with.

I clearly have a lot of THOUGHTS AND FEELINGS about being an EMT! I guess it’s why I made this project!

I used a lot of things I’m working on with The Tunnel (and lol the .exe is a reflection of that), and it was very much a fun exercise for me in learning a little more pixel art. So much of what I’m working on right now is about this for me: learning, building skills, sharpening skills I’ve started exploring.

I’m very interested in feedback, so if you play it, feel free to let me know what you think, and thank you for your time!