isn't it nice?
isn't it nice?
This bitsy game is based on a situation that I experienced at my hairdresser, a few weeks prior to the release of this game. Players get to relive the situation from my point of view. The narratives depicted within this game are common encounters in my everyday life. Possible trigger themes are transitioning, gender identity, trans-/queerphobia and misogyny. The game also takes on gender stereotypes.
Controls
A / D or arrow keys to advance text. The game also supports controller/gamepad inputs.
On mobile devices, swipe left / right to advance text. It is recommended to play this game on a desktop device.
About
There are a total of three possible ways for the game to end. One of them resembles the actual conversation that inspired me to make this game. The other two endings relate to some of my personal inner conflicts, with one of them being linked directly to one of my partners and their experiences. There is a lot to say about the issues addressed within this game, and I hope that this game will inspire people to question things more - and possibly even find the strength to speak up, whenever it is safe and productive to do so.
'isn't it nice' was made using bitsy, the "gamepad input", "long dialog", and the "dialog choices" hack by Sean S. LeBlanc.
Comments
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nightmare. loved it. simple story-telling from our perspective <3
Ugh, how exhausting to be treated this way. At the end of the day, well-meaning ignorance is still ignorance. Thank you for making this; it’s a really well-made bitsy and it inspires thought and consideration.
i need this hairdresser bc all the ones i find are just something dgahgshjfwjs
Jesus Christ this is horrifying. I hope that you're okay. It's awful that we have to constantly use our pain to transform it into art, but that is our reality. I hope it gets better for us, I hope you are surrounded by love and support, and what an amazing piece you submitted.
Are you not excited not being called slurs?
I'm just so fucking tired. I'm a badass woman and I want to be badass, but every time I don combat boots and cargo pants instead of a pink dress everybody is like "oooh have you changed your mind?"
Thank you for this one. It was amazing.
It is nice, the game that is. Dealing with people, sometimes less so.
Thank you a lot for sharing your experience!
I wanted to have words with the hairdresser by the end of the haircut.
Buzz cut ending too, I just...something smelled right when that choice came up. You did an amazing job at capturing that seething feeling of being trapped under a spotlight and being expected to explain yourself. To fit their ideas, to be one of the 'good ones'.
It just hits hard and hits close, I still claw at the rarified feminine idea but sometimes I rage and hit and spit at it, at the daft pile of performative rubble I'm supposed to climb. When my resolve breaks and I'm shaving my legs at midnight because it's going to be hot the next day and as much as I think that entire exercise is pure fucking bullshit, I can't stand the thought of carrying that masculine signal with me. Trying to negotiate my existence between the 'bite me' feminist who could burn it down and the 'headpats please' trans girl who just wants to be.
This is, this is way, way too real. This is amazing. Thank you.
As usual, I really loved your game. That hairdresser was sooo obnoxious omg. I really like how this game confronts the player with a daily cringe situation you had to face (and that trans women often have to face), and how you give us your thoughts about it in the end. And Bitsy works perfectly for that.
I picked the radical ending and completely cut my hair off. It felt liberating, even if it was just a game. I might do just that some day. I’ve been thinking about a buzz cut for some weeks now. And doing a few piercing. I don’t know if I’ll have the guts to do that but… Your game really made me wanna do it for good.
Thank you for this game. It made me realize how things that are perhaps meant to be supportive can come off as the opposite of that.
As a cis-person you don't always recognize the struggles of non-cis people and how you can actually be a cause of that without intending to be.
Ok, i played this game on my phone so controlls were funny. Again, you made a wonderful bitsy that encapsulated another moment of your life. I feel sorry to hear that this happened to you. One of my biggest concerns is that i wont find a place in the world if i show who i truly am. I only show myself on the internet or when i go somewhere with friends (wich hasn't happened in a while). I hope that we will be able to outlive this problem, one way or another.
I relate to your concerns. Finding a space that is both safe and comfortable is an incredibly difficult task, especially as a person with queer gender expression / gender identity.
Hiding ourselves is not the answer that we should give to the world - but I can not blame anyone who chooses to hide and stay away from confrontation. After all, it is incredibly scary and often draining to face these kinds of situations.
I made this game because I believe that things can get better - if people dare to speak up and address these issues. What I depicted in this game relates to the everyday reality of so many people. There is a lot of progress to be made.