The games in this are those that include the chance to get your character to actually stop and meditate themselves. We have other lists of games that players use to gain a sense of calm or meditative state. However, some games create space for us to pause the action, sit, and take in the environments they have created. They invite us to continually engage and interact with the worlds they create. They invite us onto a ride that takes us to all sorts of places. Games like A Short Hike, Alba A Wildlife Adventure or even No Man's Sky. Other games, like Everything and Proteus, offer a huge world to poke and prod without getting embroiled with progression.Įven games that do offer a strong sense of story and development often include post-game play or side-quest distractions that are simply there for you to spend time fiddling with rather than winning or losing. Then there are other games, like Townscaper and Pok Pok Playroom, that let you craft your own structures but with none of the usual video game emphasis on score and winning. Some games, like The Longing, Animal Crossing and Adopt Me, simple slow down the need to progress, so all you do is check-in, fiddle around with the game world and then leave. It's no surprise that there are a number of video games that have picked up on this style of play. The enjoyment comes from doing something that isn't learning or achieving anything. While that initial trend subsided, the interest and enjoyment of tactile objects to fiddle with are very much with us.įidget toys are like the yo-yo or Rubik's cube but without the focus on skill. In some ways the resurgence of retro games could be seen in a similar light, although here the sentimental nostalgia is for virtual entertainment rather than rural lifestyle.įidget spinners burst into the hands of children a number of years ago. Unsurprisingly this has become more popular on social media during the COVID-19 pandemic. These games emphasize simplicity and the slow pace of pastoral life as an escape from the modern world in favour of the bucolic.
The Guardian called it a "visual and lifestyle movement designed to fetishize the wholesome purity of the outdoors." The New York Times described it as a reaction to hustle culture and the advent of personal branding. However it plays out in the game, Cottagecore aims to satisfy a desire for aspirational nostalgia and an escape from stress or trauma. Others use Cottagecore as a guide to how they look and feel, like Everybody's Gone to the Rapture, The Stillness of the Wind and Mutazione.
Games sometimes use these rural pursuits as play mechanics, like Stardew Valley, Potion Craft, Terraria and Fantasy Life. Although games are usually considered to be hard, harsh and technological, many of them play to this aesthetic that is sentimental about traditional skills and crafts such as foraging, baking, and pottery. Fitness games also complement this, particularly those games that give us a reason to get outside.Ĭottagecore is an online term celebrating an idealised rural life. We may not play these games for long, but they help structure other things around them. Games that help build routine are helpful. Games that generate serotonin are those that give to regular simple activities you can complete each day. This can mean that we worry more and find it harder to learn and remember things.Īlong with getting outside for exercise, eating well and nurturing conversations, video games can also help. With low serotonin it is hard to feel confident in who we are. It's a chemical that helps us with routines where we accept ourselves and find calm.
Without serotonin you can feel unstable and find your mood changing rapidly. Serotonin for significance and importance. Oxytocin for trust and building relationships. You can aid the happiness of your brain by taking on activities that generate key experiences and chemicals:ĭopamine for motivation, learning and pleasure.
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