While I love being in college, making time for yourself as a college student can be extremely hard. On top of this, figuring out how not to feel guilty for being unproductive takes forever to master. Luckily, around 2021, I found a way to deal with the pull to relax while still progressing toward something: cozy games.
The genre of “cozy game” is relatively new. Cozy games are characterized by being open-world and non-violent, all while still being challenging. Some common examples are games like The Sims, Animal Crossing, Unpacking, A Little to the Left and Stardew Valley.
Despite games like this having existed for a long time, they’ve recently become more popular as the world moved through the pandemic, namely credited to the release of Animal Crossing: New Horizons. These games provide an alternative for people who want to be a part of the gaming sphere without the stereotypical associations of violent or overly competitive nature. Don’t get me wrong — all video games can be fun for anyone. But having a different avenue of pursuing games that don’t have the typical negative connotations or toxic communities is a great thing. They lower the barrier to entry within gaming and open it up to people who may have otherwise never pursued it.
Although these are ‘wholesome’ games, many of them still have underlying objectives, whether it’s solving a puzzle, managing a town or going on an adventure. They also allow for collaboration through co-ops and coordination on communication outlets like Instagram, TikTok and Discord.
For me, cozy games offered a means to participate in gaming and deal with stress. As I went through college, I realized that I wasn’t taking time for myself. At first, I thought it was simply because of how busy I was. My Google calendar barely had any white space, I was on campus for hours every day, and the only things I could bring myself to read were my textbooks. However, I realized that a large part of me did everything I could to keep myself busy. I would pile on things to feel productive because I feared being “lazy” or losing valuable time.
Cozy games, at least the ones I enjoy the most, have helped me remain “productive” while also feeling relaxed. They give me something to do that doesn’t just feel like work but instead feels like a calm break from everything that stresses me out. Like reading a book or writing, it offers another opportunity to feel relaxed throughout the week. This has proved to be really beneficial and important to me throughout my undergraduate career. Being able to relax, while still making an active effort toward a goal, is so important to me as someone who thrives on making progress. It also helped me not feel the need to overschedule myself or add more things than necessary just to feel busy.
Although gaming is just a hobby, I’ve found that playing this genre in particular has helped me cope with my stress. Some of my favorites are Stardew Valley, The Sims, and Animal Crossing. If you are interested in video games, I highly recommend these titles for your next cozy night in.