when I run the .exe in windows, nothing happens!
Hi, sorry you're having a problem. Is there any info in your log file? On a typical Windows system it will be in a folder like C:\Users\[your user name]\AppData\Local\Playscii\console.log, you should be able to open it in Notepad.
If you don't see anything there, try running the EXE from the command line, and paste any errors you see here.
If you got your build of Playscii from here on itch.io, it should be safe to run. It looks like Bitdefender's submission/appeals process for false positives is limited to "enterprise" customers, so I can't really do anything about the detection from my end. Try telling Bitdefender to add an exception for it: https://www.bitdefender.com/consumer/support/answer/13427/