There’s nothing quite like a hospital stay to make you appreciate the small things, like silence, privacy, or a decent night’s sleep. Five nights in, and it looks like I’m here for a few more. The highlight of my stay so far? A spinal tap is on the cards. Joy.
Last night was particularly rough. I couldn’t quite put my finger on whether it was the symphony of snores and other, less pleasant noises from my ward-mates, or just my brain refusing to shut down. Either way, sleep was not on the agenda.
So, what’s a guy to do at 3 AM in a hospital ward? Well, if you’re me, you pull out your laptop and tinker with a side project. In this case, a lightweight web game designed for a sight-impaired friend.
The game itself is a simple two-player reflex game. The goal was to make something accessible, private, and functional across both mobile and desktop browsers. No frills, no fuss, just a clean, responsive bit of fun.

If you’re feeling curious (or just bored), you can give it a shot here: https://reflex.douglasireland.com/. I’d love to hear what you think.
And if you’re up for a game against a very bored hospital patient, feel free to drop me a line via https://douglasireland.com/chat/. It’s not every day you get to play-test a game from a hospital bed, after all.
If nothing else, this little project has been a good reminder that even in less-than-ideal circumstances, there’s always something productive (or at least distracting) to be done.