Life is stressful enough. Shouldn’t video games slow that down?

Oftentimes, games can bring a lot of stress whether it’s the frustration at a level or boss fights, or difficult challenge we put on ourselves. Either way, video games can result in unnecessary stress.

That is why it is imperative to have a relaxing game that we can fall back on to help balance out these stressful moments.

When I say relaxing game, I mean one that has a sole purpose of calming your mind and body in a similar way that certain music may. This game can range in genre but is should act as one that purely calms your soul.

This is different from a palette cleanser game as its purpose is not to mix up the way you play. Rather, it is to give you a break by maybe offering a slower pace or something that helps calm you rather than stress you out.

For me, that game New Pokémon Snap. This on-the-rails photography game was a nice change of pace from some of the challenges I tend to face in my more adventure-based gaming.

I didn’t realize how important a relaxing game was until I booted it back up. There was something about rolling along this course and just snapping photos.

There were stressful parts such as capturing photos in a certain way, but overall, I always felt more relaxed when I played. I have a stressful life right now so having that relaxing game helped me to regroup and recharge during a play session.

It served its need for a moment and I’m back to playing my usual RPGs or action-adventures but I left the game in a way that would allow me to return when I need a recharge.

Though the game’s main quest is complete, there are still plenty to do when I need to escape for a bit.

As I’ve talked to friends, I’ve found this type of game is different for everyone.

For many, it can be a farming sim such as Animal Crossing, Stardew Valley, or My Time at Portia. For others, it may be building or sim games such as The Sims, Minecraft, or Civilization.

Even within myself, I have a few games that serve this purpose that I can return to at any given moment just to relax. I think this idea really formed during the COVID-19 Pandemic and led to the popularity of Animal Crossing: New Horizons.

Whatever that game is, I think it’s important to all gamers to at least identify one that really resonates with you. Again, this will look different for everyone as there may be some out there who really relax to an Elden Ring-type game.

Having one not only gives you a place to escape, but also helps you know that when life feels too hard, you have a place to go to calm your mind.

Sometimes, we might not even realize we have a game like this. Either way, it’s vital to our mental health and can bring so many benefits to your life.

What about you? Do you have a relaxing game? What game brings you the most relaxation? How does it differ from your usual lineup. Let us know in the comments below or head over to our Discord channel to join the conversation.

Featured Image: The Pokémon Company (via NME)

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