A Sudbury man is in the process of developing a video game that is designed to raise awareness about opioid addiction and provide options to people looking to survive the addiction.
Patrick Gervais said he was inspired to develop the game — titled Surviving Opioids — a couple of years ago when he was taking an online course in game development. Gervais said one of his classes suggested that students could use life experiences for gaming ideas.
"At the time, I was in the process of weaning off of Methadone to recover from an opioid addiction that started with oxy (Oxycontin, Oxycodone) around 2005," Gervais said.
He said he believes the game can help addicted people through the recovery process while helping friends and family understand the struggles that are faced by the addicted.
"My determination to succeed in this permeated every aspect of my life. With the opioid crisis continuing to escalate with no end in sight, it was abundantly clear to me that this was the perfect topic to explore as a game concept. Not only would it help me review everything I have learnt about recovery, but it could also help others," Gervais said.
Gervais said he felt there was a stigma attached to being addicted and for a while he felt a certain fear about admitting to others that he was in recovery. Once he began his recovery, he said it was like he couldn't get enough information fast enough.
Gervais said the game idea is something that might encourage people to get help sooner, rather than later.
At the moment Gervais said he is in the fundraising mode which includes applying for grant money for game development. He has also launched a website where supporters can buy merchandise to help fund the project.
Gervais said he is targeting the game at three specific groups.
"The first is people who are currently struggling with addiction and considering recovery, but don't know where to start or feel stuck in their progress," said Gervais. "The second is people who have loved ones who struggle with addiction and want to understand what they are going through."
"The third is teens and young adults who are at high risk of being introduced to opioids, but don't fully understand the extent to which they can take over your life and control your thoughts. This group doesn't seem to resonate well with traditional anti-drug campaigns; however, video games tend to get their attention much easier."
In order to reach as wide an audience as possible, Gervais said the game is being developed for mobile devices. He said this could involve either Android or iOS mobile devices and that it would be a free game. He said the game could also be developed as a desktop computer game at some point in the future.
Currently a trailer for the game is on YouTube and Gervais said he is hoping to have a more complete version ready in November.
In terms of gameplay, Surviving Opioids puts the player in the shoes of a person addicted to opioids. The idea is to give player the virtual experience of the daily life of someone who is addicted.
"You control a character who is addicted to opioids and explore an open city while trying to survive one day at a time, Gervais said. “Your life is in disarray with rent due, no money in the bank, and on the verge of being fired for always calling in sick."
He said the game also reflects the real life struggles that go on inside a person's head.
"While in withdrawal your mind is stuck in a rut of anger, depression and anxiety which limits your options while interacting with NPCs (non-playable characters). Around every corner lurk triggering situations that fuel your negative emotions and hijack your behaviour causing you to dive deeper into addiction."
Gervais said the overall goal of the game is for the player to find help and learn skills to get their life back on track and rebuild their capacity to experience positive emotions without using drugs.
He said the gameplay also gives friends and family members a better understanding of what the addicted person struggles with, especially when they are in withdrawal.
"In withdrawal, your entire body and mind are telling you that your life depends on finding drugs to return to normal," he said. "Your ability to eat or sleep is completely subdued by the pain and anxiety. All your logic begins to warp in a way that sees drugs as the solution to any problem."
He said this also creates anger toward anyone or anything that gets in your way.
Gervais said there is also the hope the game will help people with addictions find ways to rebuild relationships with their loved ones by giving them the emotional intelligence they need to to know when their addiction is hijacking their emotions and their ability not to act on impulse.
Gervais said he is also sensitive to the visual impact of the game. Asked whether he was sensitive to the fact some might find the game too graphic, insensitive and exploitative, he acknowledged the game might be regarded as controversial.
"I will need to pay close attention to where the line is and find clever ways to depict some situations without being too graphic. However, I also think it's important to stay true to the lifestyle and deliver a visceral experience," Gervais said.
He added that he doesn't want to depict things as "pleasant and bubbly," which is how he described some of the handout material from outreach workers.
Gervais admits the video game is not the be-all, end-all solution to opioid addiction, but said he believes most of the concepts in the game are derived from content shared with him by professional addiction experts. He said once the demo is complete he will have something tangible to bring to the experts to get feedback and advice.
He said he is trying to make the game look and feel realistic without being too true to reality. Gervais said he does not want situations in the game to trigger any sort of negative reaction or relapse.
Len Gillis covers health care and mining for Sudbury.com.
