Can You Survive 14 Days with Migraine Disease? (It’s just a game…)

Don’t worry, it’s not necessarily a constant migraine attack. And you can worry even less – it’s only a game.

No, I don’t mean that migraine is a game – I mean that “14 Days” is literally a board game about migraine. And before you start typing angry emails to the makers of “14 Days”, take a moment to reflect on what may actually be a useful tool for discussing migraine disease with friends and family.

The game was created by lead designer Hannah Shaffer, designer and illustrator Evan Rowland, and editor Joshua Yearsley. Hannah actually has dealt with migraine herself for many years, and so the game is a personal one for her especially.

Now we know that migraine really isn’t something that can be simulated successfully, although it’s been tried. How do you really express migraine to those who don’t have it? The “Mind Over Migraine Campaign” actually created a “migraine ride” many years ago. There are excellent books like Migraine Expressions, which show migraine through art and prose, or movies such as Lily’s Mom. And there are simple tools that many people with chronic illness have used, such as the Spoon Theory (now available in posters and necklaces and clothing as well!).

So how is this migraine game different?

The game is “14 Days: A game about life with migraines”. It’s a two player role playing board game.

You pick a character, and head into the game with high hopes of conquering life.

Now you choose how you’ll spend your day, and what you’ll work on. But then – what if you have a migraine attack? Will it be possible to fulfill your plans? How will you prioritize?

The interesting thing about 14 Days is that it’s not all “game” (it encouraged discussion and reflection), it’s not all “positive” (it shows how difficult it is to live with migraine), but it’s not all “negative” either. It is possible to have victories, and even if these victories are small, you’ll see how important they are.

The second “week” (of the 14 days) also includes a special event that you need to try to get to.

Obviously no matter how complex the game is, it’s still very simple compared to actually living with migraine.

However, there are a couple of big benefits to a game like this. First, as a discussion starter. It’s certainly designed that way. It brings up a lot of issues such as use of medication, choices and priorities, dealing with advice from others, and pain itself.

There may also be another benefit – for a person with migraine, it’s an opportunity to think through some of these issues outside the pressure of real life.

And even if the game misses some things that are important in your life, this is a great chance to express those things: “Actually, drugs don’t work for me at all”. Or “When I have an attack, I especially avoid…”. Or “Actually, in my life it’s not like the game portrays it – here’s how it really is”.

14 Days, originally a successful Kickstarter project, is now for sale as a print & play. You can get an immediate download, print it out, and see how you do! To purchase or just learn more, visit the 14 Days page here.