Your Own Enemy - The Isolation Edition is a game-like experience that takes a look at life in the strange world of isolation that we have all been living in.

Your Own Enemy was originally intended to be a larger game about maintaining mental health and keeping irrational thoughts at bay, by personifying the unhealthy voice in one's head as the game’s narrator who instigates the push and pull gameplay dynamic.

After the pandemic outbreak and ensuing isolation Maddy decided to use the existing project to simulate how she (and lots of others) have been living in the last few months. The piece takes inspiration from the short game ‘Everyday the Same Dream’ by Molleindustria and it’s 'Groundhog Day'-like qualities.

The project shown for the Thesis show is set in her own little New York City apartment, made in the original 2D art style that was devised for the larger, pre-CoronaVirus game.

This version of the project is less of a game and more an experience to reflect on. A day in the game's apartment is sixty seconds long after which the calendar date goes up and the day restarts, this time progression can go on indefinitely. There are numerous activities that the player can do in the piece. Some of which increase your well-being and of course some that are detrimental to well-being. There is no winning or losing in the game, as in real life. The piece functions to remind players, in the future, of this crazy time in our lives and, for now, ways that we can make it a little better for ourselves. For Maddy, the piece serves as a reminder for her to keep healthy, stable and prioritise wellbeing.