izigame.me

This game can unfortunately feel like crisis hotline simulator 2019 when that's not what it's meant to be.
I wish there was a way to post a review that was neither positive nor negative, just informational. I'm going to make the review positive partly because I'd feel like a heartless monster if I wrote a negative review. The game has a cutesy aesthetic, but can often be quite distressing. Being exposed to constant hopelessness can wear away at you, and if you're suicidal and are an imminent danger to yourself, I can't in good conscience recommend this game. I doubt anyone will read this review so I guess it doesn't matter and helps no-one, but I just think in a way it's sort of irresponsible to have game like this? I'm not sure how to word it. I've had a largely positive experience with the game, maybe even overwhelmingly positive. I have never had anyone say anything that was unhelpful, upsetting, or not empathetic, but I still think being exposed to the constant negativity this game can have due to people using it as a support system could just push people over the edge. I'm torn on how I feel about this, I think it's a lovely idea, but warm and fuzzy feelings are also mixed in with borderline suicide notes that can make you feel even worse. It reminds me of the mental health forums I used to frequent. Everyone was suffering but in a way it was comforting because we were all suffering together.
I wish I could just say something simple like "see a therapist" but obviously there's issues with dismissing people with stuff like that. So yeah, I don't even know what to say about this. If you feel like you have a volatile mental state, it might be best to avoid this game, it's one of the few games I feel could potentially be very damaging to someone's mental health unexpectedly. It's not just "triggering" per se, some people (me, evidently) find it hard not to carry this sort of us with us all the time. So you can't just switch it off and forget all the people that you somehow formed a connection with through just a few words.
I know this isn't the game's fault, but I also feel guilty. I've only ever played this game at the lowest points in my life. What if something I said bothered someone the way I was bothered by the message that prompted me to write this review? I'm mostly thinking out loud here. I don't think this is the fault of the game, but it facilitates this. I think it's irresponsible to disregard this. There will always be people that lack connection in other aspects of their life looking to this game to fix that. It's much easier to anonymously confess how you're feeling to people that aren't a part of your life. I couldn't burden those I actually know, and it's not selfish to look for other ways to get things of your chest. That being said, there's so much exposure to negativity, like I've said before, because of using the game in this way. A lot of people won't be equipped to deal with it.
tl;dr I don't even know at this point. I'm almost too emotional to articulate my feelings about this game properly, but I just think it has the potential to be harmful to people that aren't doing well mentally, despite being a sweet and heart-warming idea filled with positive sentiment. I want to recommend it so badly but I think it could have the possibility to cause material harm for some people. Unfortunately I think it's most harmful to the type of people most likely to be drawn to this sort of thing. I don't think it's just my fault I feel like this, I don't think the game caused this either, I just don't think it's the sort of game a lot of people should be playing. I don't seek the deny the positive experiences people have had with this, and I'll probably keep playing it anyway so maybe me vocalising my issues with it is pointless.
I'll update this review later when I'm composed, or maybe not.