As Long As You’re Here is a short yet impactful narrative experience that puts you in the perspective of someone in the early stages of Alzheimer’s. Annie knows that things aren’t quite right, and you get to experience some of the trials that she faces throughout her daily life as her Alzheimer’s progresses.
There are several games that tackle brain change and brain failure, and As Long As You’re Here is one of the more direct and unsensational of the sub-genre. The early game has cups of tea misplaced and the occasional forgetfulness. Over time, Annie’s situation deteriorates, causing her to feel lost in her home and sometimes lost in time. The game shows this expertly by having you seamlessly move around your flat in unconventional, impossible ways, creating mazes and unfamiliar structures as Annie moves around. She might not even know something is wrong on the surface, but as the player, we do, and it’s enlightening to participate as an active fly-on-the-wall. Most of the game takes place in your flat, doing mundane chores and tasks, which helps you track the downhill slope over time.
To keep Annie grounded, she is creating a family tree from old photos. Annie’s son and daughter play important roles in the game. The son lives out of town and thinks Annie should be in a home, whereas her daughter moves Annie into her apartment block to keep an active eye on her and finds things increasingly overwhelming. Annie’s grandson doesn’t fully grasp what’s going on and, through his innocence, asks some great questions that cut through the adult tippy-toeing. Whilst they aren’t voice-acted, the characters are well-rounded and important, leaving you, as Annie, to choose your replies to their statements and demands. I really sympathised with the daughter as it was a similar trajectory I had with my dad when he had dementia and then a brain injury.
There is one key message that As Long As You’re Here rings out loud and clear. Someone with brain change or brain failure may not remember what exactly happened, but they will remember how they felt, or still feel. The emotional imprint is left on that person, and that’s often what causes them to be fearful or concerned about something. The emotional side means that there are still pieces of that person left, and so long as there are flashes of them, no matter how brief, sometimes that’s enough. As Long As You’re Here is a title that has many layers. As long as Annie’s children are still here, she feels some safety. As long as Annie’s memories are here, she can access them and relive previous events and maybe resolve issues in her mind. As long as some of Annie’s personality remains, her family know it’s worth the effort to grit through the bad times. It’s sobering, but written in a way that will move people, without perhaps getting lost in the harsh realities of brain change, too.
I’m in two minds about the softer approach. I found my own personal experience so very visceral. Even though my dad passed away 18 months ago, not a day goes by that I don’t think about whether I could have handled things better. I think having resources like this game around would have helped me see things from a slightly different perspective. As a caregiver, your patience is tested, and I’d have perhaps been a bit more resilient and more observant in the earlier stages of the disease.
To say that As Long As You’re Here could be used as a resource speaks highly about how impactful and thought-provoking I think that game is. After playing this, I’d strongly recommend anything from Teepa Snow’s GEM states or seminars for more actionable things for day-to-day living. You’ll have more empathy for the person with brain failure, having played this game and learnt more about it from the other side.
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