3 Video Games To Relax To
Take some time to yourself
Let’s be blunt, sometimes life just gets too much. Whether it’s stress from work or studies, sometimes you just need a break from it all. Sure, you could do something responsible like take a walk, speak to friends, or even meditate. But where is the fun in that? Games are a great way to escape the responsibilities of the real world, whilst having fun. Interestingly, one study found that there is a correlation between games and positive mental health.
This particular study comes from researchers from Lero, the Science Foundation Ireland Research Centre for Software (a bit of a mouthful). Glen Platt, PHD states that “Games provide a connection, a critical aspect of mental health, feeling like you are a part of a community of like-minded people who value your participation and share your goal within the game.” With that, here are 3 of my personal favourite relaxing games that are great for winding down after a long day:
- Animal Crossing: New Leaf
If you haven’t heard of Animal Crossing, then you might have been living under a rock. When it comes to recommending Animal Crossing entries, most would suggest the most recent title in the series. Animal Crossing: New Horizons, was released on the Nintendo Switch in March 2020. It had a huge release, with over 1.88 million physical copies sold at launch in Japan. As for the UK, the physical sales of the game had approximately quadrupled since New Leaf (the previous entry in the series.)
However, like many others, I think New Leaf is the perfect game to wind down and relax to, which was released in November 2012 for the Nintendo 3DS. For those who have no previous knowledge of the series, Animal Crossing sees you become part of a community, with adorable animal villagers. There are a ridiculous amount of things to do in the game, and it often ends up with you losing track of your play time. You can see this below in my (slightly) embarrassing stats.
What makes the game so addictive, is the fact the game doesn’t have a set objective. You can take part in activities such as fishing, bug catching, gardening and fossil hunting. If that’s not your thing, you can collect furniture, and use it to customize your own house, or interact and make friends with your villagers. In New Leaf, it added the feature that allows you to become mayor of the village. This enables you to have a lot more freedom than the previous games, as you can design your town how you please. You can even travel to a tropical island and play with your friends, the possibilities are endless.
The game runs in real time, meaning it aligns with the actual time of day that you are playing. This and the freedom of the game, is the key to its relaxing atmosphere. Games tend to have specific objectives, often getting from point A to point B. But in animal crossing, you can make your own objective. With it’s rewarding gameplay, serene music, cute aesthetics and non-linear gameplay, you should definitely check it out if you already haven’t.
2. Minecraft
Another very popular game, Minecraft was released in November 2011 by developer Mojang Studios. Having fairly similar mechanics to animal crossing, the game doesn’t have a set objective. The game also focuses more primarily on building. The game starts by throwing you into randomly generated world, with varying terrains. There are two game modes, these being ‘survival’ and ‘creative’. In survival (as the name suggests), your aim is to survive. You are put to the task of using the worlds resources to craft tools, find food, make shelter and even fight types of monsters (known in game as ‘mob’).
Now I know what you’re thinking, how on earth does the pressure of having to survive equate to relaxing gameplay? This is where creative mode comes in. In this mode, you are immediately given access to every single object and building block in the game. From this you are given unlimited freedom, and you can let your creativity roam free. You can build almost anything you can think of, and like Animal Crossing, you can also play with friends.
I’ll admit, the animals in the game are my guilty pleasure. I’m the type of player who avoids creating grand buildings and putting actual effort in the game. Instead, you’ll often see my easily pleased brain fawning over the adorable virtual creatures. My favourite thing to do in the game is create my own farm, and fill it with all kinds of animals, from pandas to parrots.
With all the different possibilities in this game, there is something for everyone. If you’ve somehow skipped past this classic, I would highly recommend giving it a try.
3. New Art Academy
The third and final game on this list is a lesser known title, and that game is New Art Academy. The game was released in Europe on the Nintendo 3DS in August 2012. The game has two modes, ‘lessons’ and ‘free paint’. In free paint you are given multiple art tools (pencils, paints and oil pastels), as well as different types of backgrounds (canvases, paper and card). With these tools, you can use the 3DS as a digital art tool, and create your own pieces.
As for the lessons, there is a ‘standard’ set, and an ‘advanced’ set, for when you have gained some practice. In these lessons, you are given step-by-step instructions in order to create a work of art. The lessons range from portraits, fruit, landscapes, animals and many more.
The great thing about this game is its simplicity. Creating art is quite a daunting process, especially when you are not an expert. But the game breaks it down into easy parts, and like me, you will genuinely surprise yourself with the art you create. If you’re like me, and you are someone who loves creating art, but doesn’t have the resources to purchase professional equipment just yet, this is a great starting point.
As you create art, you are treated to background noise of calming music, and sounds such as rainfall. Whether you’re interested in art, or just want some time to sit back and unwind, get yourself a copy of this game.
There were so many games I could have put on this list, but these are my top 3. I hope somewhere throughout this list, you find a game that takes your interest. Now, go sit back and relax, you deserve it.
