Life is difficult. Sometimes we get sad. Sometimes people die. Such is a reality we are often unwilling to accept. And yet we must. Yet we must persevere. That is the idea behind the board game “real life,” now on Kickstarter.

Think the Game of LIFE meets Cards against humanity. No longer do you collect happy LIFE tokens and amass a fortune. Now you collect trauma cards and build up an overwhelming amount of debt. If you don’t take therapy to manage your trauma, your character commits suicide before they make it to old age.

Over one hundred trauma cards written based on personal or second hand stories. Board spaces about real and terrible things that will happen to you over the course of your imperfect lifetime. Homes that cost way too much and put you in serious debt. Emotional flaws that hinder you the entirety of your lifespan. World events that completely upset everything going on in the game. These are just some of the horrifying but amusing things you’ll find in real life.

But why? Why make a game that is everything but nice? Well, for many reasons. First, because in an abstract setting it allows us to make fun of our misfortunes and look at them from a different point of view. It gives us the opportunity to laugh at the absurdness with which we live our lives. And second, because this stuff is real. This stuff matters.

I, the creator of the game, have long suffered from suicidal tendencies, so I know. You need to deal with your mental health. You need to practice wellness. real life supports that. If you don’t take therapy, you die. If you aren’t able to handle your trauma, you die. Sometimes you die anyway. Get used to it. Deal with it. Don’t push it under a rug.

And have a laugh about it. Life is terrible at times, yes, but it’s nicer when you can identify with everyone else having a terrible time and support each other through it.

So, have a little bit of fun with your life’s sadder moments. You can buy real life on Kickstarter until June 9th. Early bird special ends May 16th.

You can find out more at reallifethegame.com

Remember. Life is suffering. But it can be so much more, if you just let it. Don’t force yourself to be happy.