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Consume Me is a raw and funny memoir in video game form

Consume Me is a raw and funny memoir in video game form

  • Consume Me is an autobiographical video game memoir that explores disordered eating and diet culture through a humorous lens.
  • The game, developed by Jenny Jiao Hsia and AP Thomson, uses a “bites” system to track calories, rendering food as Tetris blocks.
  • The game follows the author’s teenage years as she navigates her desire to shape her life and body through food.
  • Consume Me is described as a “darkly funny, honest peek into the world of disordered eating,” offering a unique perspective on this sensitive topic.
  • The game has been praised for its raw and unflinching portrayal of diet culture, making it a relatable and thought-provoking experience for players.

There’s a lot of math in diet culture. It’s all numbers – calories in, calories burned – and a constant tally running in one’s head. In some ways, disordered eating can be considered a disturbed sort of strategy game, which is precisely why Jenny Jiao Hsia and AP Thomson’s Consume Me works so well. The autobiographical game detailing Hsia’s teenage years is a darkly funny, honest peek into the desire to shape one’s life and body through food.

Food in Consume Me – tomatoes, kale, and pasta rendered as Tetris blocks – are assigned “bites,” a stand-in for calories. Jenny’s (the character, not the developer, who we’ll refer to using her last na …

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Q. What is Consume Me?
A. A raw and funny memoir in video game form.

Q. How does disordered eating relate to strategy games?
A. It can be considered a disturbed sort of strategy game, which is why Consume Me works well.

Q. Who are the developers behind Consume Me?
A. Jenny Jiao Hsia and AP Thomson.

Q. What is the main theme of Consume Me?
A. The desire to shape one’s life and body through food.

Q. How does food in Consume Me work?
A. Food items, such as tomatoes and pasta, are assigned “bites” (stand-ins for calories) that can be managed like Tetris blocks.

Q. What is the tone of Consume Me?
A. Darkly funny and honest.

Q. What type of game does Consume Me resemble?
A. A strategy game.

Q. Who is the character Jenny in Consume Me?
A. The main character, not to be confused with the developer AP Thomson.