Software:Consume Me
| Consume Me | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Developer(s) | Jenny Jiao Hsia, AP Thomson, Jie En Lee, Violet W-P, Ken "coda" Snyder[1] |
| Publisher(s) | Hexacutable[1] |
| Director(s) | Jenny Jiao Hsia, AP Thomson |
| Engine | Unity |
| Platform(s) | Windows, MacOS[1] |
| Release | September 25, 2025 |
| Genre(s) | Life simulation |
| Mode(s) | Single-player |
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Consume Me is a video game by Jenny Jiao Hsia and AP Thomson. It received the Seumas McNally Grand Prize, Nuovo Award, and Wings Award, and was nominated for the Excellence in Design, Excellence in Narrative, and Excellence in Visual Art awards[2] at the 2025 Independent Games Festival.[3][4]
The game centers primarily around the player character's daily schedule, with a particular emphasis on the effects of an eating disorder on their day-to-day life.[5]
Gameplay
Consume Me has a semi-autobiographical story, revolving around the daily, teenage life of developer Jenny Jiao Hsia.[6] The gameplay consists of a series of minigames that simulate everyday activities, such as eating, exercising and applying makeup.[7][8] The player needs to manage Jenny's schedule by strategically allocating her limited time throughout the day. In addition, the player must maintain different character attributes, including energy, mood and money, which are affected by the outcomes of the minigames.[9]
Development
Jenny Jiao Hsia and AP Thomson co-directed the game. They met as students in the NYU Game Center program and have collaborated on multiple projects, including Beglitched. Consume Me began as Hsia's capstone project for her undergraduate degree. Hsia prototyped the minigames, created the art direction and narrative, and built the non-interactive sequences. Thomson programmed most of the game, designed its systems, and contributed its text and musical scene. They were joined by Ken "coda" Snyder (soundtrack) and Violet W-P (sound design). Jie En Lee created much of the game's art.[10]
Prototypes of two minigames were playable at the Victoria and Albert Museum's Videogames: Design/Play/Disrupt exhibitions in Kensington and Dundee between 2018 and 2019[11][12], exhibited alongside objects from Hsia's moodboard and her sketchbook[13]. The game was built with the Unity game engine[10] and released on September 25, 2025 for Windows and MacOS.[14]
References
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 "Consume Me on Steam". https://store.steampowered.com/app/2359120/Consume_Me/.
- ↑ "'Consume Me' Leads with 5 Nominations at 2025 IGF Awards". 2025-01-15. https://igf.com/article/consume-me-leads-5-nominations-2025-igf-awards.
- ↑ Maas, Jennifer (2025-03-20). "'Balatro' Wins Game of the Year at Game Developers Choice Awards; 'Consume Me' Takes Top Honor for Independent Games Festival" (in en-US). Variety. https://variety.com/2025/gaming/news/game-developers-choice-awards-winners-2025-1236343326/.
- ↑ Elderkin, Beth (2025-03-20). "'Consume Me' Wins Grand Prize, Nuovo Award at the 2025 IGF Awards" (in en). Game Developer. https://www.gamedeveloper.com/design/consume-me-wins-grand-prize-nuovo-award-at-the-2025-igf-awards.
- ↑ Liao, Shannon (September 26, 2025). "She Counted Calories as a Teen, Then Created a Game About It" (in en). The New York Times. https://www.nytimes.com/2025/09/26/arts/consume-me-jenny-jiao-hsia.html.
- ↑ Bea, Robin (September 24, 2025). "'Consume Me' Masterfully Portrays Teenage Trauma But Leaves Its Most Important Chapter Out" (in en). https://www.inverse.com/gaming/consume-me-review.
- ↑ Colantonio, Giovanni (September 24, 2025). "Coming-of-age horrors cut deep in Consume Me" (in en). https://www.polygon.com/consume-me-review/.
- ↑ Carpenter, Nicole (October 4, 2025). "Consume Me is a raw and funny memoir in video game form" (in en-US). https://www.theverge.com/games/791220/consume-me-review-steam.
- ↑ Taylor, Mollie (September 30, 2025). "Consume Me is a devastatingly accurate insight into diet culture and how all-consuming it is trying to attain the perfect lifestyle" (in en). PC Gamer. https://www.pcgamer.com/games/sim/consume-me-is-a-devastatingly-accurate-insight-into-diet-culture-and-how-all-consuming-it-is-trying-to-attain-the-perfect-lifestyle/.
- ↑ 10.0 10.1 Couture, Joel (2025-03-20). "The bleak humor and desperate power of Consume Me". https://www.gamedeveloper.com/design/the-bleak-humor-and-desperate-power-of-consume-me.
- ↑ Williams, Rihannon (8 September 2018). "Videogames: The V&A exhibition putting game design on an artistic pedestal". The i Paper. https://inews.co.uk/culture/victoria-and-albert-museum-videogames-exhibition-video-games-art-design-195182.
- ↑ Dornan, Russell (6 March 2019). "Videogames: what to expect in Dundee". https://www.vam.ac.uk/blog/news/videogames-what-to-expect-in-dundee.
- ↑ Valade, Damien (26 October 2018). "Videogames: Design/Play/Disrupt at the V&A, an exhibition not to be missed". https://medium.com/societe-generale-design/videogames-design-play-disrupt-at-the-v-a-an-exhibition-not-to-be-missed-18a8b7b4803c.
- ↑ Tran, Edmond (September 24, 2025). "Consume Me Review" (in en-US). https://thisweekinvideogames.com/review/consume-me-review/.
Further reading
- Baines, Josh (2018-11-16). "Jenny Jiao Hsia's game designs are as delightfully weird as they are weirdly delightful" (in en). It's Nice That. https://www.itsnicethat.com/articles/jenny-jiao-hsia-consume-me-digital-161118.
- Hetfeld, Malindy (2019-03-25). "Overthinking Games: the achievable goals of Wobble Yoga" (in en). Rock, Paper, Shotgun. https://www.rockpapershotgun.com/overthinking-games-the-achievable-goals-of-wobble-yoga.
- Gordon, Lewis (2023-11-22). "Sizzling Dishes and Stressful Meals Give Video Games Warmth" (in en-US). The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. https://www.nytimes.com/2023/11/22/arts/venba-video-games-food.html.
- Green, Holly (2019-04-09). "Consume Me and the Line Between Thought-Provoking and Triggering" (in en-US). Paste Magazine. https://www.pastemagazine.com/games/consume-me/consume-me-and-the-line-between-thought-provoking.
- Haigney, Sophie (2018-10-01). "Are Video Games Art?" (in en-US). VICE. https://www.vice.com/en/article/are-video-games-art/.
- Interview: H, Quentin (2025-03-28). "GDC 2025 INTERVIEW: Jenny Jiao Hsia and AP Thomson Talk About Consume Me" (in en-US). Operation Rainfall. https://operationrainfall.com/2025/03/28/gdc-2025-interview-jenny-jiao-hsia-and-ap-thomson-talk-about-consume-me/.
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