- Q
Help disabled game dev Dad get back to work.
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$265 raised of
6 donations
Support Indie gamedev with Head Injury finish his JRPG
My name is Joel Heath. I am a husband, a father of four amazing children (three of whom live with disabilities), and the founder of Ash Born Interactive. This campaign isn’t about asking for a handout or an easy way out. It’s about building a physical way forward.
The Impact: My Neurological Journey
As a teenager, a violent bicycle accident threw me onto the ground and my head struck the pavement. I vividly remember seeing a bright green flash at the moment of impact. While I am still navigating the medical system to confirm a formal TBI confirmation from a specialist, the physical trauma of that day fundamentally changed my life’s trajectory.
In the years following that impact, a cascade of severe, life-altering functional challenges emerged:
• Focal Impaired Awareness Seizures (Complex Partial Seizures)
• Frequent Dissociative Episodes: Sudden, overwhelming moments where my mind disconnects from my surroundings.
• Severe Memory & Communication Barriers: Sudden gaps in short-term retention and heavy cognitive fatigue.
• Impaired hand-eye coordination & a chronic facial tic
For years, I fought to build a stable career through traditional employment. I exhausted state Vocational Rehabilitation resources and worked extensively with business mentors. But traditional 9-to-5 environments simply cannot accommodate the unpredictable nature of my seizures and cognitive symptoms.
Instead of giving up, I asked myself a critical question: What is one thing I can still build with my own hands? The answer was game development.
The Project: “A Demon Hunter’s Guide to Passing Finals”
Over the last several years, I have invested thousands of hours learning RPG Maker MZ despite the challenges I faced: learning to code custom plugins, writing narrative branches, and designing gameplay systems. The game isn’t just a hobby—it is my economic opportunity. It is my avenue to replace systemic dependence with financial independence, providing for my family of six through work I can realistically perform during my healthy hours.
The project is already alive. You can play the free demo right now here: https://joelheath42.itch.io/a-demon-hunters-guide-to-passing-finals
What Your Support Deeply Impacts
I have developed most of the existing demo alone. Now, I need your help to cross the finish line and turn this project into a sustainable family business. Your donations go directly toward overcoming my physical barriers by funding:
• Custom Engine Plugins: Software tools that automate complex coding tasks made difficult by my cognitive fatigue.
• Professional Assets: Commercial licenses for high-quality artwork, character sprites, and musical compositions.
• Quality Assurance: Independent testing to ensure a flawless experience for players.
• Launch Marketing: Targeted outreach to the indie JRPG community so the game reaches its audience.
How to Help (Even for $5)
If a crowd of people who believe in self-determination each contribute just $5, the aggregate effect will completely fund this launch.
• Donate $5: Click the button to help fund a specific asset or plugin.
• Play the Demo: Download the game, test it out, and leave your honest feedback.
• Share the Story: Copy this link to social media or online communities (r/TBI, r/Epilepsy, r/RPGmaker). Sometimes, a single share reaches the exact person who changes everything.
Thank you for refusing to let circumstances dictate my family’s future. Thank you for believing in Ash Born Interactive.
— Joel Heath
Founder, Ash Born Interactive
My name is Joel Heath. I am a husband, a father of four amazing children (three of whom live with disabilities), and the founder of Ash Born Interactive. This campaign isn’t about asking for a handout or an easy way out. It’s about building a physical way forward.
The Impact: My Neurological Journey
As a teenager, a violent bicycle accident threw me onto the ground and my head struck the pavement. I vividly remember seeing a bright green flash at the moment of impact. While I am still navigating the medical system to confirm a formal TBI confirmation from a specialist, the physical trauma of that day fundamentally changed my life’s trajectory.
In the years following that impact, a cascade of severe, life-altering functional challenges emerged:
• Focal Impaired Awareness Seizures (Complex Partial Seizures)
• Frequent Dissociative Episodes: Sudden, overwhelming moments where my mind disconnects from my surroundings.
• Severe Memory & Communication Barriers: Sudden gaps in short-term retention and heavy cognitive fatigue.
• Impaired hand-eye coordination & a chronic facial tic
For years, I fought to build a stable career through traditional employment. I exhausted state Vocational Rehabilitation resources and worked extensively with business mentors. But traditional 9-to-5 environments simply cannot accommodate the unpredictable nature of my seizures and cognitive symptoms.
Instead of giving up, I asked myself a critical question: What is one thing I can still build with my own hands? The answer was game development.
The Project: “A Demon Hunter’s Guide to Passing Finals”
Over the last several years, I have invested thousands of hours learning RPG Maker MZ despite the challenges I faced: learning to code custom plugins, writing narrative branches, and designing gameplay systems. The game isn’t just a hobby—it is my economic opportunity. It is my avenue to replace systemic dependence with financial independence, providing for my family of six through work I can realistically perform during my healthy hours.
The project is already alive. You can play the free demo right now here: https://joelheath42.itch.io/a-demon-hunters-guide-to-passing-finals
What Your Support Deeply Impacts
I have developed most of the existing demo alone. Now, I need your help to cross the finish line and turn this project into a sustainable family business. Your donations go directly toward overcoming my physical barriers by funding:
• Custom Engine Plugins: Software tools that automate complex coding tasks made difficult by my cognitive fatigue.
• Professional Assets: Commercial licenses for high-quality artwork, character sprites, and musical compositions.
• Quality Assurance: Independent testing to ensure a flawless experience for players.
• Launch Marketing: Targeted outreach to the indie JRPG community so the game reaches its audience.
How to Help (Even for $5)
If a crowd of people who believe in self-determination each contribute just $5, the aggregate effect will completely fund this launch.
• Donate $5: Click the button to help fund a specific asset or plugin.
• Play the Demo: Download the game, test it out, and leave your honest feedback.
• Share the Story: Copy this link to social media or online communities (r/TBI, r/Epilepsy, r/RPGmaker). Sometimes, a single share reaches the exact person who changes everything.
Thank you for refusing to let circumstances dictate my family’s future. Thank you for believing in Ash Born Interactive.
— Joel Heath
Founder, Ash Born Interactive
Organizer
