NYU Designer Creates Game to Heal Disordered Eating

Jenny Jiao Hsia knows what it feels like to obsess over every calorie. Now she's created a video game that helps others recognize and heal from those same harmful patterns.

In "Consume Me," players control a cartoon character named Jenny as she navigates schoolwork and chores. But the real challenge isn't fighting monsters or racing against time. It's managing the constant mental weight of calorie counting and restrictive eating.

Hsia designed the game during her difficult shift from pre-med studies to game design at NYU. She drew from her own experiences with disordered eating as a young teen to create something that felt authentic and healing.

The game tackles a problem Hsia sees in most media portrayals of eating disorders. Too often, she says, these stories only show the most extreme cases.

"I feel eating disorders should not only be depicted in that degree of severity," Hsia said. "Our aim was to depict how it's not black and white. You don't have to end up being rail thin to qualify as having an eating disorder."

Some people dismiss the game because of its soft, playful art style. But Hsia says that's exactly the point. The gentle aesthetic draws players in while delivering trauma-informed interventions that can genuinely help people struggling with disordered eating.

Instead of making restrictive eating look appealing, "Consume Me" reveals how these dangerous habits quietly control a young person's daily choices. The game also guides players toward real resources for getting help.

Why This Inspires

Kishonna Gray, a University of Michigan professor of technology, says the game gives voice to struggles many people can't express. "We feel seen and connected when we play games like this," Gray said. "No, we aren't shooting anyone. It's actually a part of the healing arsenal, and this is where games like this add so much value to human life."

Video games have long been about escapism, but "Consume Me" shows they can also be about recognition and recovery. By transforming her own pain into a tool for healing, Hsia created something that meets people where they are and helps them find a healthier path forward.

Sometimes the bravest games are the ones that mirror our real battles back to us with gentleness and hope.