View source for Dys4ia

{{Short description|2012 video game}}
{{Infobox video game
| title         = Dys4ia
| image         = [[File:Dys4ia.png|frameless|upright=1.15]]
| caption       = ''Dys4ia'' title screen
| developer     =
| publisher     = [[Newgrounds]]
| designer      = [[Anna Anthropy]]<ref name="rockpapershotgunsmith"/>
| composer      = Liz Ryerson<ref name="boingbeschizza"/>
| platforms     = [[Adobe Flash]]
| released      = {{vgrelease|NA|9 March 2012}}
| genre         = [[Autobiography]]
| modes         = [[Single-player video game|Single-player]]
}}
'''''Dys4ia''''' (pronounced dysphoria) is an abstract, [[autobiography|autobiographical]] [[Adobe Flash]] [[video game]] that [[Anna Anthropy]], then known as Auntie Pixelante, developed to recount her experiences of [[gender dysphoria]] and [[hormone replacement therapy (male-to-female)|hormone replacement therapy]]. The game was originally published on [[Newgrounds]] but was later removed by Anthropy. In 2023, she republished it on [[itch.io]].<ref>{{Cite web |last=Anthropy |first=Anna |date=13 October 2023 |title=On dys4ia's return |url=https://w.itch.io/dys4ia/devlog/620323/on-dys4ias-return |website=[[itch.io]]}}</ref>
==Plot==
Touching on the 'frustrations' of transitioning, particularly taking [[estrogen]], the game documents a six-month period in her treatment via a succession of [[minigame|mini-games]] that reflect on gender politics, identity, and personal development.<ref name="pennyarcadekuchera"/> While discussing the concept with the ''Penny Arcade Report'', Anna Anthropy remarked, "This was a story about frustration—in what other form do people complain as much about being frustrated? A video game lets you set up goals for the player and make her fail to achieve them. A reader can’t fail a book. It’s an entirely different level of empathy."<ref name="pennyarcadekuchera"/>
==Reception==
After debuting at a [[Toronto]]-based [[art game]] convention between 21 and 23 February 2012, ''Dys4ia'' subsequently appeared on the social media website [[Newgrounds]] on 9 March 2012, and achieved a First Place 'Daily Feature'. ''Dys4ia'' received praise from various sources for its ability to communicate a challenging subject. ''[[The Guardian]]''{{'}}s Will Freeman commented that ''Dys4ia'' offered 'a touching and witty insight into an experience many may never even consider in detail'. In response to the mechanics of ''Dys4ia'', Freeman suggested that the game 'does much to prove the power of games to communicate complex concepts through playful interactions'.<ref name="observerfreeman"/> On the UK gaming blog ''[[Rock, Paper, Shotgun]]'', journalist Adam Smith found the content 'uncomfortable' and inherently private, yet nevertheless 'informative and moving'. Regarding the artistic merits of ''Dys4ia'', Smith remarked that the limited visuals were 'effective communicators of extreme discomfort' and that Liz Ryerson's soundtrack to the game deserved special mention.<ref name="rockpapershotgunsmith"/>
==References==
{{Reflist|refs=
<ref name="rockpapershotgunsmith">{{cite web|url=http://www.rockpapershotgun.com/2012/03/12/life-flashing-by-dys4ia/|title=Life Flashing By: Dys4ia|author=Smith, Adam|date=12 March 2012|work=[[Rock, Paper, Shotgun]]|accessdate=2 August 2012|archive-date=10 June 2012|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120610133035/http://www.rockpapershotgun.com/2012/03/12/life-flashing-by-dys4ia/|url-status=live}}</ref>
<ref name="pennyarcadekuchera">{{cite web|url=http://penny-arcade.com/report/editorial-article/dys4ia-tackles-gender-politics-sense-of-self-and-personal-growth-on-newg|title=Dys4ia tackles gender politics, sense of self, and personal growth… on Newgrounds|author=Kuchera, Ben|date=16 March 2012|work=Penny Arcade Report|accessdate=2 August 2012|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20120915095208/http://www.penny-arcade.com/report/editorial-article/dys4ia-tackles-gender-politics-sense-of-self-and-personal-growth-on-newg|archivedate=15 September 2012}}</ref>
<ref name="observerfreeman">{{cite web|url=https://www.theguardian.com/technology/2012/may/06/dys4ia-roar-rampage-dude-planet|title=Dys4ia; Roar Rampage; Dude, Where's My Planet? – review|author=Freeman, Will|date=6 May 2012|work=[[The Observer]]|publisher=[[Guardian Media Group]]|accessdate=2 August 2012|archive-date=9 October 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151009083130/http://www.theguardian.com/technology/2012/may/06/dys4ia-roar-rampage-dude-planet|url-status=live}}</ref>
<ref name="boingbeschizza">{{cite web|url=http://boingboing.net/2012/03/12/dys4ia.html|title=Dys4ia|author=Beschizza, Rob|date=12 March 2012|work=[[Boing Boing]]|accessdate=2 August 2012|archive-date=18 June 2012|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120618121429/http://boingboing.net/2012/03/12/dys4ia.html|url-status=live}}</ref>
}}
==External links==
*[https://freegames.org/dys4ia/ ''Dys4ia''] at Freegames.org
*[https://w.itch.io/dys4ia''Dys4ia''] at [[itch.io]]
{{Anna Anthropy}}
{{Newgrounds}}
[[Category:2012 video games]]
[[Category:Art games]]
[[Category:Browser games]]
[[Category:Flash games]]
[[Category:Retro-style video games]]
[[Category:Single-player video games]]
[[Category:Video games designed by Anna Anthropy]]
[[Category:Video games developed in the United States]]