The new Virtual Reality game recreating the experience of OCD

Dichotomy is an innovative Virtual Reality game in which players navigate an abstract environment, choosing which paths to take. Fast choices will make their route easier, but making the same decision obsessively will hinder progress.

The experience aims to give a sense of what it's like to live with Obsessive Compulsive Disorder. Five different levels mimic the five most common types of obsessive compulsive disorder, and users must work out how to navigate each to complete the game.

For artist Cody Wren, the project has huge personal significance. "I myself am an OCD sufferer and have spent a decade trying to learn how to control and overcome its effects on my life."

"One of the things I have found very difficult when talking to people about OCD is very few people seem to actually understand what it is, let alone what it’s like living with it", he said. "Dichotomy illustrates the breadth that the condition covers and how it can affect many areas of daily life."

"People don’t see the constant and often debilitating mental aspects underpinning the condition, how it can leave you paralysed when confronted with innocuous choices."

"I want people to have fun trying to beat the game but I also want them to feel pressured, perhaps even frustrated or anxious at some of the mechanical scenarios being imposed on them."

Cody Wren has worked on various interactive artworks, and was a lead developer on Singularity by Jingjing Shen. He has a Bachelor’s degree in games art from The University of Hertfordshire.

Cody worked on the project with artist Jonathan Pearce, producer David Tree and composer Marli Wren.

If you are worried about any aspect of your mental health, the BBC's Actionline website has a list of places where you can find support.