Everything is going to be OK

• Title — Everything is Going to Be OK • Developer — Nathalie Lawhead • Platforms — Windows, macOS • Released — 31 January 2017 • Modes — Single-player

• Illustration — In-game screenshot depicting the work's user interface Everything is Going to Be OK is a non-linear interactive work interspersed between a series of individual animations, games, "silly artistic tools (and) cryptic toys" accessed by the player in separate windows. The sections revolve around the experiences of a cartoon bunny and similar characters who are subject to existential angst and comic violence. Many sections are interactive, with players selecting dialogue choices to progress the animations and text similar to interactive fiction. Players navigate between sections of the work by selecting icons in a user interface imitative of an operating system. Several interactions in sections of the work blur the line between the player's computer and the work's user interface, with some sections allowing the player to export files locally to the player's computer, or connecting to the player's Twitter account.

Everything is Going to Be OK was conceived by California-based independent developer Nathalie Lawhead as a "cathartic" expression of a "collection of very abstract life experiences, things I felt while going through hard times, and how I felt, or moved on afterward", with the work aiming to open a "discussion about alternative views of power from a survivor's standpoint". Lawhead noted that the work was motivated by "really wanting to talk about these topics" to deconstruct the "veil of shame placed over survivors", in order to normalise the "discussion of victimhood" in literature and explore works "that make us feel uncomfortable, vulnerable, admit a level of brokenness, and that maybe we just can't win." The work was developed by Lawhead over one year of "non-stop, completely focused development" following the completion and showcase of their prior work, Tetrageddon Games, at IndieCade in October 2016. The work was created using self-made tools, with individual pages "built from the ground up". Lawhead expressed a preference for Everything is Going to Be OK to be viewed and evaluated beyond the typology of a video game, noting the work conforms with the conventions of a zine. They stated the work was closest to a zine as it consists of "pieces of personal writing and abstract cut-together imagery to convey a theme...they're vignettes, which zines often are." In line with this design, Lawhead described the approach to the work as evoking a "collage art style", with an emphasis on distorted archival stock images that were "cut out, magnified and layered (so) it looks like something else," using their own shaders to create a "pixelated, glitch-y effect". Lawhead also stated that they pursued the design of vignettes to convey the work's messages as they "lend well to life commentary" and are "more personable", citing the games Oikospiel by David Kanaga and Problem Attic by Liz Ryerson as inspirations for this approach. Other inspirations applied by Lawhead included the use of a "net-art" aesthetic influenced by "early computer UIs, citing interest in how their "almost alien" design was evocative of a "fever dream" and allowed "use (of) what people expect about computers to surprise them." From September 2022 to July 2023, Everything is Going to Be OK was showcased at the New York Museum of Modern Art as part of the exhibition Never Alone: Video Games and Other Interactive Design.

Lawhead stated they received harassment following the publication of Everything is Going to Be OK, including in response to their discussion of the reception of the work at Double Fine's Day of the Devs in November 2017. Following the event, Lawhead authored a post recounting their experiences, stating the work was "met with hostility" by younger visitors to the event who were "pretty rude" in their dismissal of the work as "weird". Lawhead suggested that this ridicule reflected an "antagonistic" and reactionary trend against alternative games encouraged by video game livestreaming, and there was a greater need to "carve out the space and understanding" for these works at events and online. Lawhead later clarified their issue was not the dislike their work had faced, but the "outward rudeness" and "intimidating" behaviour of attendees, noting that whilst they "appreciate the exposure" from streamers, they disliked how their "superficial" treatment "invites trolling". Lawhead further discussed that interactive art faces risk when assessed as a video game as "the medium is a consumer medium that's largely (mainstream) incapable of art discourse", and that artistic intent "is a difficult thing to communicate within a medium that expects some sort of entertaining twist." Lawhead's posts prompted discussions about the challenges and risks faced by developers in exhibiting art games to a broader audience. Stephanic Chan of VentureBeat noted Lawhead's experiences in discussing how "developers are frequent targets of abusers online". Writing for Game Developer, independent developer James Cox suggested the incident reflected a "cultural issue" reflected by the "self-serving" nature of streaming culture, stating "as influencers and trendsetters, video-creators demonstrate to young players how to interact and respond to games. The players (at) Day of the Devs learned their behavior from somewhere", and stating "I don't think it's just streamers and YouTubers, I think it's a cycle." Artists Holly Gramazio and Sophie Sampson of Matheson Marcault discussed the challenges of exhibiting a game at an event, noting that whilst "Lawhead's game is in some ways inaccessible and it rejects many of the conventions that make games easy to grasp in a crowded expo or exhibition environment," they suggested several challenges and effective strategies to "prepare the audience" for experimental works and "create a space that encourages respect".