Book part:

Das Spiel mit der Psychose: Das Erleben geistiger Krankheit in WHAT REMAINS OF EDITH FINCH

This article argues that video games carry tremendous potential in furthering public understanding of mental illnesses. WHAT REMAINS OF EDITH FINCH is considered as an example to demonstrate, focusing on the specific sequence of Lewis Finch and which aspects of Lewis’ biography are indicative of schizophrenia. The variant models of comorbidity between addiction and psychosis play a significant theoretical role as, according to the developers, the character’s main trait is a marijuana addiction. The actual narrative, however, indicates causes and consequences of mental illnesses that go way beyond drug abuse, such as traumatic childhood experience and social isolation. Following a biographical approach, this article thus focuses on the ludic construction of Lewis’ psychosis, reaching the conclusion that players may, by virtue of their interactive involvement, experience ›symptoms‹ such as depersonalization and forms of dissociation within the safe framework of play.