Upcoming documentary depicts development of That Dragon, Cancer

Documentarian duo David Osit and Malika Zouhali-Worrall are currently working on Thank You For Playing, a documentary about the development of Ryan and Amy Green's autobiographical game That Dragon, Cancer. According to a blog post published this week by Ryan Green, the filmmakers contacted the Green family in June of 2013 after reading about That Dragon, Cancer on the Kill Screen Tumblr. "We flew out to Colorado to meet the Greens last summer, and we've been filming with them ever since," Osit and Zouhali-Worrall tell Gamasutra via email. "We hope that Thank You For Playing can help capture an exciting moment in the evolution of the popular perception of gaming. Ryan, Amy and their development team are true artists, and That Dragon, Cancer is a unique work of art - we've never seen anything like it before." "[The] game represents a fascinating way of being able to not only express grief and emotion, but to share it with others in a constructive and beautiful way," write Osit and Zouhali-Worrall. That Dragon, Cancer is an autobiographical adventure game that aims to help players understand Ryan and Amy Green's struggles to raise and support their son, Joel Green, who developed terminal cancer at the age of one. Sadly, Joel passed away last month at the age of five. "Before this project, we did not know David and Malika, but we decided it was important that people see the parts of our lives in-between the scenes of the game," writes Green. "Life happens in the middle and so does death. David and Malika were with our family the three days leading up to Joel’s passing." Both That Dragon, Cancer and Thank You For Playing are still in production.