If we're talking about taking games at a slow pace, there's nothing more slow-paced than a real-time responsive game, and the Animal Crossing series from Nintendo certainly knows how to make real-time interesting. There's very little cozier than a well-kept farm. Stardew is not only the gold standard for cozy gaming, but it's also a game with a thriving and active online community that you can tap for advice on everything from the best crops to grow during each season to how to trigger specific special events or woo specific characters. You can spend in-game years just farming or just exploring or just making friends or just fighting monsters, or you can do a little bit of everything all the time. ![]() While there are different paths players can take and milestones they can achieve - saving the community center from destruction or funding a hostile corporate takeover, adventuring into deep mines in the mountains and deserts, discovering the secrets of a tropical island - there's no set progression metric or time limit. In it, your character moves away from a soul-sucking office job in a big city to live on the little farm they've inherited from their grandfather, nestled in Stardew Valley, just outside of Pelican Town. ![]() Created by developer Eric Barone working as Concerned Ape in 2016, this Harvest Moon inspired title is an adorable pixel art mix of farming sim, life sim, dating sim, and adventure game. If you've spent any time at all in the cozy gaming space, or even just googled "cozy games," you've heard of Stardew Valley. Here are some of my favorites to get you started in the genre. There are lots and lots of cozy games out there to explore, all with their own appeal and value. It's designed to help you relax and take a break from the stresses of your world by stepping into the low-stakes world of someone else. The point of a cozy game is to be just that: cozy. Often, the focus is simply to play many of these games have a sort of "play at your own speed" pacing and gameplay loop rather than having distinct and time-sensitive objectives. Sometimes there's magic or minor combat, but nothing too intense or punishing. Usually, you play as an Everyman character (not a superhero or assassin, but Just Some Guy™) and do simple activities like farming, fishing, shop management, and socializing. These games are exactly what it says on the tin they're simulations of realistic events or realistic fantasy. Different people may find different games fit this niche for them, but cozy games typically fall into the simulation category, which has been popular since the early 2000s with the release of The Sims. ![]() Think of this category as games you might play while it's raining and you're drinking a mug of tea curled up on the couch with your favorite blanket and your pets. Basically, a cozy game is a game you can play that is relaxing, has cute elements to it, and isn't too intensely graphic or technical in its gameplay. The definition of cozy gaming is fairly broad. So what exactly is this genre? And where can you start if you want to get into it? Grab your fuzziest socks and join me as I explain and point out a few of my favorites. With the 2020s being.what they are, cozy gaming has taken off dramatically. I can spend hours playing like this, exploring and making no progress but still having the best time. My favorite place to play video games is curled up in my bed, covers over my feet, my little grey tabby cat purring away in my lap.
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