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Morgan Pinder
Dr Christian Hayes
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Many people turn to gaming to relax or unwind. Well-known gaming genre’s include sports, action, adventure, and role-playing games. However, there is a lesser-known genre known as cosy gaming.
Cosy gaming has always been popular, however most people who play cosy games wouldn’t even realise that the game they’re playing is classified as ‘cosy gaming’.
So, what is cosy gaming?
There are several cosy games hosted across a range of platforms. The most popular cosy games include Animal Crossing, Stardew Valley and A Short Hike.
They earned their ‘cosy game’ classification due to their impact on the player. They are designed to make you feel comfortable, warm and safe. A key component of these games is relationship building, and the games are often set in a natural world with lots of greenery.
Cosy games lead players on adventures through different worlds (typically based in a forest or a remote island environment). For example, Stardew Valley revolves around a main character who leaves their corporate job to take over a family member’s farm.
Hobbies are also key in cosy games; in Animal Crossing: New Horizons, for example, you will learn to farm and fish.
Deakin University PhD student Morgan Pinder says one of the key benefits of cosy games is that they provide a safe and comfortable space for play without the persistent threat of failure.
‘If there is a failure state, it is not as brutal and confronting as in fast-paced first-person shooter and adventure games that require advanced fine motor skills to avoid the death or injury of the character,’ she explains.
Morgan believes some cosy games explore challenging real-life issues, such as mental illness, through specific aesthetics.
‘Cosy games use “cuteness” and pleasing aesthetics to provide a safe space for exploring potentially confronting issues such as mental illness in A Night in the Woods, and environmental crisis in Terra Nil.’
Cosy games can often offer a sense of belonging as some games can allow you to meet likeminded people and develop relationships through participating in these games.
Believe it or not, gaming can increase your IQ while you play!
While cosy gaming has been around for many years, it has risen in popularity in the post-lockdown world.
Lockdown meant people had more free time than usual, and with out-of-the-house activities off limits, many turned back the clock to games they’d played years earlier. Many people found the sense of nostalgia and escapism comforting. This trend reignited the genre.
So, who is participating in cosy gaming? Nintendo Life reports that the typical age bracket of people who play Animal Crossing are users in their 20s and 30s.
While Animal Crossing is different to The Sims, the two games are often compared, with The Sims being widely known as the most popular cosy game since 2000 with more than 70 million players worldwide.
Cosy games allow players to sit back and relax. Many game players report that cosy gaming allows them to escape the real world (and real-world responsibilities). As Deakin University’s Dr Christian Hayes posits, it’s also a refreshing, calming alternative to fast-paced video games.
‘Cosy games embrace soft aesthetics, safety and abundance to offer emotionally fulfilling experiences that engage our desires to belong, connect, and grow.
‘In contrast to video games’ stereotypical focus on competition and conflict, cosy games focus on the fulfilment of higher order needs,’ says Dr Hayes.
Cosy gaming also allows users take part in a reality that is different from their own. For example, Stardew Valley gives you the chance to role-play running a farm. Dr Hayes suggests it is a way to source needs that haven’t been satisfied.
‘The enjoyment of cosy games is generally considered to stem from two ideas: the idea that play is a form of safe practice, and the concept that video games are a means of satisfying unmet needs.’
Cosy games then provide the opportunity to practice fulfilling higher order needs, such as connectedness, esteem, and self-actualisation.’
Do you have a long commute home from work or university? These cosy games for your iPhone allow you to immerse yourself in an alternate world. They include:
Your long ride home will be over before you know it.
Are you a Nintendo Switch user looking to take on a new world with a cosy game? These games are for you:
It may come as a surprise, with many PlayStation users opting for titles like Call of Duty, FIFA, Grand Theft Auto or Red Dead Redemption, but PlayStation also has several cosy games available, including:
It’s safe to say people are always going to be drawn to these types of games because of the relaxation and comfort they provide, as well as the escape from society and daily stresses.
So, which cosy reality will you choose to immerse yourself in?
