An upcoming video game draws from its creator’s high school experiences to craft a poignant narrative about adolescent self-image. “Consume Me,” scheduled for September release on PC, transforms personal struggles with body image and relationships into an interactive coming-of-age story.
The game originated from developer Jenny Jiao Hsia’s teenage diaries containing calorie charts and dieting notes. “I looked at these records and realized they resembled game mechanics,” Hsia explained. She collaborated with co-designer Alec Thomson, with whom she had previously created games during their university studies.
What began as minigames about dietary concerns evolved into a broader exploration of teenage life. The narrative addresses feelings of inadequacy, complicated family dynamics, and the challenges of early relationships. One segment features a mother character whose appearances are accompanied by dramatic battle music, reflecting the tension in their interactions.
The development process represented a significant step up from the team’s previous projects. “Our earlier work was essentially a student game,” Thomson noted. “This required a completely different approach to game development.” Hsia acknowledged the challenges of taking greater creative responsibility, contrasting it with their previous collaboration where roles were more clearly defined.
Hsia clarified that the game doesn’t serve as therapeutic processing of past issues, as she had moved beyond those struggles before development began. Instead, she believes drawing from lived experience creates more compelling storytelling. “Inventing scenarios purely from imagination feels less authentic,” she said. “The protagonist combines traits from both developers—her goal-oriented nature reflects my collaborator’s personality more than my own.”
The game’s scenarios resonate with universal adolescent experiences. Players might recognize themselves in sequences where concentration wavers during reading, or in the constant financial pressures faced by the main character. The developers incorporated real-life elements, including the protagonist’s habit of finding money on city streets, drawn from Hsia’s own experiences.
“Creating something this personal involves selecting specific life moments to share with strangers,” Hsia reflected. “The most fascinating part is observing how different players connect with various aspects of the story.”
Having received recognition at this year’s Independent Games Festival, “Consume Me” demonstrates how personal narratives can create meaningful connections through interactive media when it launches on September 25th.
