It’s never easy adapting a graphic novel for the screen, but what is it like when you try to adapt one into a virtual reality escape game?
Wowbagger Productions founder Sara Kenney and comics writer was inspired to convert Christopher Cantwell and Martín Morazz’ Dark Horse Comics and Berger Books graphic novel She Could Fly into a documentary escape game that combines comic art, documentary films and interactive gameplay.
Kenney, who wrote, directed and produced the point and click game (which is currently available on STEAM), discusses her experience adapting the graphic novel and how the game encourages conversations around science and the deeply misunderstood mental illness, OCD, in this exclusive interview.
You have written comics and games, so how did you approach She Could Fly as a comic being adapted into a game?
Sara Kenney: Like many digital projects it was the pandemic that triggered the development of this digital game. I had been producing comic themed escape game experiences at Thought Bubble Comic Con, Surgeon X (2017), The Wicked + The Divine (2018), The Walking Dead (2019) and collaborating with Escape Room designer Mink Ette (Oubliette Escapes/ Preloaded). We had been experimenting for several years, bringing scientists and artists together at Thought Bubble, Science Museums & other Comic Con spaces.
When the pandemic hit we started to discuss whether we could design a digital version of these escape game experiences. Through past evaluation of projects, we realised that both the art and engagement with scientists and medical humanities experts were key to the success of the experience. I didn’t want to lose this so started to think about how we could combine our experience of working in documentaries and comics to produce our first digital game.
For the game, we didn’t create the storyworld of Luna – the protagonist in the comic. We didn’t think that would work due to budget, but also due to the fans/ readers’ expectations. They have this incredible storyworld created by Chris and Martin and we felt rather than try and adapt that, we’d make the character in the game a fan of the comic (and comics in general).
We started by pulling out loads of the pages from the comic, which we thought told the story of Luna’s experience with OCD the best. We then created this massive mind map, around those pages, imagining what sort of gameplay or ‘loops’ we could create.
The development of the game was massively enhanced by working with ‘lived experience experts’ including the Co-Producer Mairéad Ruane. We had a great starting point because comic writer Chris Cantwell lives with OCD, so his comic has these extraordinary visceral depictions of what can go on in people’s minds. Juxtaposing those comic images with the documentary testimonies from psychologists and lived experience give you a kind of ‘science behind’ or ‘expanded story behind’ those depictions.
Weaving the gameplay together with the comic pages and documentaries was an iterative process. We had to go back and forth between the elements: getting them all to work and flow in a way that visually and narratively makes sense. It was tough. It got quite messy at times. But the team was brilliant so where many indie games fail, we managed to scrape through to get it finished and out to an audience…
In a comic, you experience the world through the characters and in a game, you are the character. What story elements were most important in enhancing the game play experience?
Kenney: Importantly in this game you are not playing the character Luna, in the comic. The game’s guide and Twitch-style narrator Tiger Orchid is voiced by actor Shaniqua Okwok (Small Axe, It’s A Sin). Together, you enter a flat and discover ripped up segments of the She Could Fly comic, which when pieced together bring the documentaries to life. Why would anyone rip up a comic?!?!
In your joint journey through protagonist Hanna Rampersad’s mysterious flat, you’ll meet the reassuring beanbag, various OCD experts and more than one Fear Monster. You have to figure out what they’re trying to tell you and how to escape the loops.
The most important story element for this game was to try and provide some empathy around what it feels like to have OCD. How the experience of being stuck in the mental and physical loops can be excruciating. There’s no way the player will 100% understand what it’s like to have OCD unless they have lived, it – but the empathy part is important. As you move between Luna’s descriptions and experiences in the comic, the lived experience testimonies in the film and the gameplay we hope these strands combined, shed some light on what people with OCD go through.
One of the key story points is that this disorder is often trivialized. There are lots of myths surrounding the condition. We wanted to get across the shear horror and torment of living with OCD, so people take it seriously. But also it was important to be clear that this does not define the individuals. Our interviewees are artists, filmmakers, activists, researchers, teachers, comic writers first. They live their lives and OCD is just part of their experience.
Much of your work has been about demystifying science. How does She Could Fly do this for OCD?
Kenney: When we work on a project alongside the process of creating the comic or game, we have a collaborative process with lived experience experts, scientists and policy makers. These workshops, meetings and exchanges inform the content of the game. We also employed Mairéad from the get go, who has OCD and became Co-Producer of the game.
Throughout the game, we challenge the myths: both in the gameplay and the documentaries. As part of the gameplay you might learn about what a ‘compulsion’ actually is (the ‘C’ part of OCD), debusting the common myth that they only take the physical form of handwashing or checking. The testimonies in the documentaries are powerful ways of demystifying what is commonly thought about OCD.
We worked with our team of lived experience experts, scientists and leading UK OCD charity, OCD Action, to develop the following goals for the project (for evidence of the problem, click on the links which take you to OCD Action’s manifesto):
1. End trivialisation and increase understanding of OCD
2. Recognise and count people with OCD
3. Guarantee timely access to clinically recommended treatments
4. Fund research to understand the relationship between the social determinants of health and OCD
We’re also calling on people to sign OCD Action’s open letter.
By playing the game She Could Fly the ambition is to challenge perceptions about what OCD is (and isn’t). We also have a research and evidence based campaign to be precise about what change the team wants to see.
What is it like running Wowbagger Productions on a daily basis?
Kenney: Exhausting, but inspiring. I have to subsidise the work with employment in other engagement sectors (also interesting work and the roles complement each other tbh). It’s a privilege to get to work with so many talented people who share their stories, their art and their science. But I always feel like I wish I could do more.
You have stated in previous interviews that you once considered submitting a comic story to 2000AD. Can you describe how the stories of 2000AD have influenced your work?
Kenney: I think it’s probably more my Dad’s book and comic collection that inspired my work. He had loads of 2000AD annuals, which I used to read. The striking images of the future, aliens, sci-fi and Judge Dredd’s extreme sense of justice – I vibe with all of that!! A lot of my work has been about exploring the future to think about the path we are on. How we might change things. That’s what comics does so well, allow us to explore all these different time zones.
But my Dad also had a ton of science fact books. Along with fiction Douglas Adams, Kim Stanley-Robinson, Margaret Atwood, Philip K Dick, Frank Herbert, Isaac Asimov. Then the TV cherry on the cake with Dr Who, Star Trek, Tales of the Unexpected and Blake 7 my cultural influence diet was pretty much science and sci-fi all the way!
I’m writing a few 4-page sci-fi style Future Shocks at the moment. Just for fun working with fellow artists. We’ll see what happens with those…
She Could Fly (a not-for-profit game) is available now on gaming platform STEAM for $5.99 (and £4.99 in the UK), with all proceeds beyond development costs going to further engagement activities around OCD and mental health along with upkeep of the game.
