10 Video Games Based On Real Life Stories

4. That Dragon, Cancer

Ryan and Amy Green's independent art game That Dragon, Cancer isn't based on a famous figure or significant world event which changed history, but is a deeply personal, autobiographical account of the pair coming to terms with their infant son's terminal cancer.

At just 12-months-old, the Greens' third child Joel was diagnosed with an atypical teratoid rhabdoid tumour - a cancer of the brain - with doctors offering a prognosis of four months to live. The 'game' - if such a term is appropriate - isn't about stepping into a historical role with the separation of time or context, but asking the player to experience the despair, grief, and eventually acceptance of losing a child. It's understandably powerful, poignant stuff, and redefined the paradigm for what a video game could be.