As gamers continue to discuss immersive storytelling complemented by complex and intricate art direction, video games as an art form are increasingly being treated with great reverence. Similar to television, film, and music, video game developers and studios are using their talents and lived experiences to imagine the unimaginable and engulf players in a narrative worth remembering. And then some have taken the medium even further by blending advocacy and artistry to tell audacious and deeply vulnerable tales. It took less than five minutes with Bub from Paperfrog to see not only why this heartfelt project was made, but why its existence is necessary, especially for disabled gamers. 

The stop-motion narrative adventure follows a painter and sculptor named Bub, based in New York City, who is documenting his chronic illness through his art. Bub, voiced by actor and comedian Whitmer Thomas (Weapons), narrates the tale of escaping an overprotective mother, memories of a late childhood friend, and the ramifications of a religious upbringing. 

Following their presentation at this year’s Summer Game Fest, the two-person studio, composed of stop-motion animator Case Jernigan and software artist Todd Anderson, left a riveting, unforgettable mark on my experience compared to other titles presented (in my humble opinion). Its striking art style, pieced together through hand-drawn scenes and 3-D paper dioramas, caught my eye in passing and only demanded more of my attention once I learned about its unique premise and production. 

Jernigan told BGG that Bub, slated to release late 2027 on Steam, is about diving into your memories to “find the material that you need to make art that could potentially be healing for yourself.” Between the whiff of Bub’s religious upbringing and a harrowing tale of a tortured artist, I was already prepared for Jernigan’s next statement.

“We firmly believe in the healing nature of having practice in something you care about,” he shared, “but the game is also about how that can be a trap sometimes if we look for too much validation through our art, which leads us back to square one.”

Jernigan, an artist himself who lives with multiple sclerosis, confirmed that Bub is an autobiographical story. Multiple sclerosis is a chronic autoimmune disorder of the central nervous system. According to a 2017 study by the National Multiple Sclerosis Society, the neurological condition affects nearly one million Americans and twice as many people across the globe. Symptoms can include mobility issues, numbness, inflammation, and fatigue. In the game’s announcement trailer, Jernigan opens up about the limitations his diagnosis caused his body and how that influenced much of Bub’s journey navigating NYC, outside and behind closed doors. 

“During that time, I lost a lot of my vision, my dexterity in my hands, and it was basically impossible for me to make art,” he recalled, adding that he and Todd focused on their friendship and he focused on healing rather than escaping the newfound realities the disorder caused. “Little by little over time, the old connections that had always existed in my brain, the ones that told me how to make things and how to use my hands, they started to come back.”  

Bub’s humane outlook of artists dealing with chronic illnesses felt personally resonant. Similar to Jernigan, I moved to New York City from the South to thrive in my creative career, but I didn’t expect to struggle with an endometriosis diagnosis that affected my daily routine, let alone my identity and craft. Endometriosis, a chronic disease that causes severe menstrual and pelvic pain, is debilitating and isolating, especially in a metropolis with a pedestrian-friendly infrastructure. Last year, I learned about my condition after an already distressing myomectomy from my surgeon, which sent me on the downward and equally haunting spiral of learning more about yet another understudied illness that has alarming racial disparities for Black women, girls, and menstruating folx. 

Noticeably, the locations for Bub beautifully tie the autobiographical storytelling together. Alongside the NYC backdrop, a pivotal scene takes place on a beach in Charleston, South Carolina, Jernigan’s hometown, which is depicted in the game with a rainbow in the sky and palm trees overlooking a body of water for him and his brother to swim. “Through the contrast between life’s beautiful, colorful moments and the darker ones, there’s great beauty,” he said. That juxtaposition was immediately demonstrated as we played and witnessed his brother begin to submerge underwater and remain in that chapter, unable to accompany him to the next level.

As players move through unmistakably relatable coming-of-age moments in Bub’s life, the game’s art style moves just as succinctly, carrying the narrative forward. According to the game’s description on Steam, “Bub’s journey through his past is mirrored by changes in artistic style and mood, from ink drawings to rough cut paper puppets to abstracted slashes of paint.” It’s quite evocative to see the rough edges and “thousands of cut paper pieces” in the art direction, perhaps mimicking the reality of an artist with an untraditional trajectory.

Paperfrog’s appreciation for complementary art extends to the game’s soundtrack which includes talented artists like Grammy-nominated frontman of Landlady and Japanese Breakfast band member Adam Schatz (keyboard and saxophone), producer Asher Kurtz, and Somepoint Sound on sound design and foley.

Shortly after premiering the debut trailer with SGF attendees, Paperfrog shared its excitement for the emotional game, noting the development progression and its potential impact for players. “This project is not finished by any means but we’ve got momentum and can’t believe how far it’s come over the years,” the studio wrote in a June Instagram post. “It’s an intimate and vulnerable portrait and we can’t wait to share it with a wider audience.” 

Bub’s intimate storytelling and intentional mechanics are bound to touch the hearts of a widespread audience, across the artistic, the disabled, and anyone carrying their grief with soft hands and a heavy heart.

For more information on multiple sclerosis, visit www.nationalmssociety.org. For more information on endometriosis, visit www.endometriosis.org.