​This presentation explores how we communicate experience through media and how we communicate with others when we do not understand their facial expressions or tone.

In 2014, I suffered a serious brain injury and am still relearning real-life social skills. I was quarantined for basically 2 years after it happened as I was so physically weak and immunocompromised. Without being able to interact with my peers, I had to relearn social cues and protocols through fictional media. In this unconventional, interactive presentation, I will explore communication and the effects of making seemingly meaningless choices. I examine the impacts of social incompetence and isolation on myself and how I’ve overcome that through the use of gaming.

The Keystone is a text based adventure visual novel video game about my time here at Quest and the friends I’ve made along the way. It focuses on communicating about myself and my friends and the way our minds work, while also offering insight to what it is like to struggle with neurological disorders that make communication and understanding difficult. It has been useful in learning more about the people around me and in developing my ability to overcome my social anxiety and just ask if people are being sarcastic.