Consume Me: A Whimsical Memoir in Interactive Game Format

Through a quirky and poignant puzzle game, Jenny Jiao Hsia and AP Thomson delve into the intricate issues of eating disorders and the culture of dieting.

The Mathematics of Dieting

Diet culture involves relentless calculations—tracking every calorie consumed and expended. Much like a strategy game gone awry, it’s a mindset of perpetual numerical analysis. This concept perfectly suits the narrative style of 'Consume Me,' developed by Jenny Jiao Hsia and AP Thomson. The game is an autobiographical glimpse into Hsia’s teenage years, offering a raw and humorous take on the struggle for self-image and control through dietary choices.

Food as Puzzle Blocks

Within 'Consume Me,' foods like tomatoes, kale, and pasta appear as puzzle pieces akin to Tetris cubes, each attributed 'bites' similar to calorie counts. The character, Jenny (depicted in the game with the same first name as the developer), strategizes her meals by organizing these blocks on her plate, carefully choosing and placing each piece to satisfy her hunger while adhering to her self-imposed calorie cap. This approach mirrors traditional video game logic yet flips it on its head by introducing the theme of compulsive dietary control.

Games, Power, and Perception

Typically, in gaming, food equates to strength—enhancements or health restoration. However, in 'Consume Me,' food is stripped of its empowering attributes, reduced to numbers to be manipulated and feared. Jenny’s dietary aspirations are introduced as initial stepping stones towards achieving an ideal life, reflecting not just a desire for a certain image but an endeavour to control every facet of her existence.

A Life Ordered by Bytes

The journey starts with Jenny’s mother critiquing her physique, leading her towards dieting—a theme cleverly entwined with the game's structure. Dining becomes a rigorous balancing act of calculating and adjusting, forcing players into the headspace of someone obsessively fixated on managing their intake. Missteps, such as indulging too much, necessitate sacrifices in other life areas, showcasing the intricate balancing required to navigate Jenny's existence.

Living the Minigame Lifestyle

Everyday activities, depicted as engaging minigames, represent Jenny's real-life interactions. Reading involves managing distraction, and exercising requires precision in movement. These fast-paced, chaotic minigames mirror the anxiety that shadows Jenny’s journey, where every day involves critical choices that potentially impact various aspects of her life—each decision fraught with tangible consequences, capturing the teen woes with accuracy.

Over time, Jenny's objectives evolve, guided by a distorted self-image reflective in her perception. Yet, the central theme of controlling dietary choices remains steadfast, embodying the persistent struggle of those affected by disordered eating—a reality where maintaining control over food symbolizes the illusion of controlling life’s chaos.

A Leap Through Time

The game concludes with a leap forward by a decade, skipping over resolutions concerning Jenny's eating disorder. However, the implication is that she has eventually altered her relationship with food—a change implied through various narrative elements, such as a shift in spiritual awareness. Now, food holds no numerical value in her psyche; it's neutral.

Though 'Consume Me' ends without a conclusive remedy, this open-ended finale reinforces the game's authenticity. It serves as a candid memoir that embraces the complexities and unresolved facets of life, offering a deeply personal exploration that refuses to gloss over the messiness of reality.