Hell Hath No Insulin
Hell Hath No Insulin was an alternative Indie game I did for the University of Utah's Alt Game Dev class during the pandemic in 2021. It was a solo-project done in Gamemaker Studio 2, and the game simulates the stress of Type One Diabetes through resource management of Health, Money, and Medication. Money and Health are managed through minigames simulating exercise and "odd-jobs" contract work. Medication is bought with money, and then used to control health (as Diabetes cannot be managed through exercise alone). This game is very personal to me as I am diabetic myself, and have had to go through some of the struggles featured in the game.
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Contribution: Engineering
My proudest accomplishment was the health-management system in the form of blood-sugar and insulin simulation in the player's body. It uses exponential decay and time-based systems to simulate the real-world effects of diabetes. I also implemented the several minigames, each featuring their own mechanics and effects on the player's health uniquely.
Pictured below is the player Bolusing (taking) insulin with an insulin pump, while a CGM reads their blood sugar (It is attached to the body of the player).
Contribution: Design
Being a Solo Project, I handled all of the design for the game. The cost of Medication I designed off of real-world costs for meds, the UI layout I designed to be intuitive and consistent, while the actual playable game UI I designed to be minimal to not overcomplicate things. I also designed the minigames to be based on real world exercise and contract jobs that people do, to make the game feel more realistic as a concept.
Pictured below is the "Catering" minigame used to earn the player money
Contribution: Art
I am not an artist by trade, but being a solo project I had to hand draw all of the assets used in the game. I am most proud by my drawings of the medications used in the game, as they are reflective of what some real world diabetic medications look like, such as insulin pens and pumps.
Pictured below is the medication shop featuring all of the medications and resources a diabetic uses to stay healthy in the game. From Left-Right Top-Bottom: Test Strips, Constant Glucose Monitor, Bolus Pen, Basal Pen, Pen Needle Cap, Insulin Vial, Insulin Pump, Glucose Tab, Glucagon Kit
