Everything is Going to Be OK
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About
Everything is Going to Be OK is a video game created by video game designer Nathalie Lawhead. Described by Lawhead as an "interactive zine," the game retains a collection of games, vignettes, and animations that express the developer's personal experiences with trauma, depression, and anxiety.
History
Everything is Going to Be OK was first uploaded in its beta stages as early as February 1st, 2017. After multiple updates, the zine was officially released on October 17th, 2017 on the platforms itch.io and GameJolt.[1][2]
Reception
Everything is Going to Be OK was met with intrigue by journalists, and was covered by multiple gaming media outlets, including PCGamer and Mashable.[3][4] Journalists commented on the game's bizarre presentation and themes pertaining to depression, trauma and anxiety. Wired[7] compared the game to a Newgrounds flash game, writing, "Lawhead's expressive, rough-hewn animals, along with her penchant for implied gore and audiovisual noise, give it the flavor of an old-school Flash animation or Newgrounds game--internet art designed to confront and shock as much as entertain." Nathalie Lawhead would receive awards for her work on Everthing is Going to Be OK, including Indiecade's "Interaction Award" and A MAZE's "Digital Moment Award."
Double Fine Day of the Devs controversy
Everything is Going to Be OK was showcased at the 2017 Day of the Devs showcase hosted by Double Fine. Nathalie Lawhead received harassment online after expressing criticism towards the audience reception towards the game. After publishing an article discussing YouTube culture ridiculing art games, Lawhead became the recipient of more harassment online and offline by detractors.[5] Nathalie Lawhead would later publish a blogpost discussing said harassment.[6]
Online Presence
Everything is Going to Be OK caught the attention of streamer Vinny of Vinesauce who streamed the game. The YouTube upload garnered over 185 thousand views as of November 2019 (shown below). The game also caught the attention of YouTuber jacksepticeye, with his video garnering over 1.8 million views as of November 2019 (also shown below).
Search Interest
External Links
[1] itch.io – Everything is Going to Be OK
[2] GameJolt – Everything is Going to Be OK
[3] PCGamer – Everything is Going to Be OK is about the circus performance of being all right
[4] Mashable – Beautifully bizarre art game 'Everything is going to be OK' is about how not OK everything is
[5] VentureBeat – YouTube culture is turning kids against art games
[6] alienmelon.itch.io – [Devlog] observations about my "Day of the Devs" article & thoughts after harassment over a post that's about harassment
[7] Wired – A Madcap Fantasy Game All About Survival. And Bunnies
