What I also found successful was how Gilgenbach managed to relate the terrible aspects of OCD through gameplay. Gilgenbach suffers from intrusive thoughts, which are "terribly unpleasant images that your mind comes up with in order to upset you." People with OCD can't just shrug off these images; "once they get in your head, they are difficult to get out." Haunted by thoughts of self-harm for over a decade, Gilgenbach put these images directly into the game, including one particularly disturbing scene that the player experiences in first-person.
NOW you have my attention.
My whole life, I've had "intrusive" memories of events that sparked regret, embarrassment, fear, or pain. Those "if I had a time machine, I would go back and fix" moments - and they would come crashing in out of nowhere and refuse to leave. I've taken to making weird noises for a bit just to get my mind to "shut up and settle down," but that's hardly a healthy response.
I did not, however, know this was an actual
thing.
The game itself doesn't look much like something I'd play (though I can appreciate the Edward Gorey aesthetic), but the approach of creation-as-therapy/outlet for mental instability is something I can fully support.
