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Matt Allen

It’s Not You, It’s M.E (2025)

Videogame, approx. 15 mins. 

This game is based on the lived experiences of those with energy-limiting conditions and explores chronic illness, fatigue, isolation, and depression.

It's Not You, It's M.E. is an interactive point-and-click game based on the artist’s experiences of living with Long COVID and M.E. It is a game you can't win, full of mini-games that often are impossible to complete.

Players experience a fictionalised version of the artist's life in an energy simulator game world. Attempting to keep on top of your workload, as well as doing household chores and trying to find time for personal hobbies, is a delicate balance. All whilst being careful not to push limits too far. Experiences of living with a disability vary greatly, but It's Not You, It's M.E. makes explicit some of the daily challenges that having an energy-limiting condition can bring. 

A Closed Forum Game: Developed by Matt Allen

Sound Design & Music: Jack The Robot of SLAP Collective

Creative Producer: Florence Simms 

Design Consultation: Adam Sas-Skowronski

Access Consultation: Joe Strickland

Special Thanks to Ruth Allen

Commissioned by FACT Liverpool and DaDa Festival through FACT’s Studio/Lab Residency Programme.

Supported by The Fenton Arts Trust , the Granada Foundation, Dada (Disability and Deaf Arts), Art Friends Merseyside and others.

Artists