Brycen's mom, Kylee, said that "he is a sweet and generous redhead who has a huge heart for people and animals. He loves dragons and cats." Brycen also has an amazing imagination and an enthusiasm for gaming.

He was diagnosed with leukemia in August 2023 and was referred to Make-A-Wish® Idaho that same month.  Although his battle with leukemia has been difficult, —so difficult, in fact, that there was a chance that his video launch party would have to be postponed due to illness—his prognosis is good. He's expected to make a full recovery. Right now, he's just finishing up the hardest part of chemotherapy. 

When Brycen was first diagnosed, he suspected that he might be eligible for a wish. His mom wasn't certain, believing wishes were only for kids with a smaller chance of recovery, but they investigated it, and Brycen was right. He was referred for a wish and was eligible. Brycen has told this story on several occasions.  

Right away, he knew he wanted to be a video game designer, making the decision so fast that his parents asked him to take a little bit of time to consider all the options, but Brycen was adamant. 

In order to make a wish like this a reality, Make-A-Wish Idaho teamed up with the Boise State University Games, Interactive Media, and Mobile Technology Lab. Director of the GIMM Lab Dr. Anthony Ellertson provided Brycen with a staff and resources with which to create his vision, a turn-based roleplaying game inspired loosely by Dungeons and Dragons, 8-bit Japanese role-playing games as well as several experiences from his own life.  Students from Meridian Technical Charter School also worked on the game. 

Brycen was the "idea man" for the game, and the GIMM lab staff would bring those ideas to life.  For the last several months, when Brycen was feeling well enough, he'd come to the lab and oversee the game, providing ideas and guidance for the team. After months and months of hard work, his game, Gods and Shadows, was finished on August 1. 

The game follows protagonist, Sven, and his companions who are trying to save a town from a mysterious and powerful force. The game boasts multiple storylines, randomly generated maps, secrets, and plenty of thrilling combat. The current play time for the game is one to three hours, but future updates are expected as the team will continue to work with Brycen to add content and fix bugs for the foreseeable future. 

A key aspect of Brycen's wish was a desire for other kids to be able to play his video game. With that in mind, the game is slated to be released on Steam sometime after August 15 and it's currently available for download on itch.io here: https://gimmworks.itch.io/gods-and-shadows

Brycen said that the wish gave him something to look forward to while he underwent chemotherapy, and he is very happy with the game. At the launch party, several of Brycen's friends attended and played the game for the first time. 

Now that his wish has been granted, Brycen still has a lot to look forward to. He told Make-A-Wish Idaho that one of the worst parts of his whole ordeal is that he can't eat sushi while he's undergoing chemo. (Raw foods carry more germs which can make a person undergoing chemo more likely to be affected by said germs.) His parents have repeatedly promised him a sushi party once he finishes his treatment.