In my journey towards finding a more positive outlook on games, one of the struggles I have found most common when writing for Strategy and Wargaming (and doing the whole thing, in fact), is how serious the whole gaming industry takes itself, for no apparent reason, with every small bit and mistake being picked apart by everyone. This led to me, eventually, being a lot more carefully with what I put out there in terms of content, and this is made even more sensitive when you’re one of the few outlets still covering a niche such as this, and there’s not an insignificant number of eyes on your opinions, and I’m always surprised on how my work can impact people, when I get an email or a comment saying that that person bought a game because of what I said about it. Given the impact that my writing can have upon people, I have started to become even more aware of how what I put out there might impact people’s decisions and what they do with their own money.
With that in mind, and with the fact that Strategy and Wargaming is not, in fact, a job, and it’s supposed to be a hobby- even if a work-intensive one- with the constant stress of always having to be on top of what’s going on, reviewing the latest thing, and publishing the most complete articles, I started to find myself needing so time off from time to time. While writing about videogames is fantastic, and being able to get early access to things is amazing and exciting, the fact that this is done not as a job, but as something extra, can get tiresome and repetitive after a while, and I have been doing this for 10 years, even before I got out of University.
So, in those tired days where everything is overwhelming, and the universe has decided that today was the day it was going to test your mettle, it wasn’t just strategy games I was drawn towards, but all other kinds of titles that didn’t require my brain to be fully engaged. In fact, I just wanted something to keep my hands occupied while I was listening to music or a podcast. These, I came to find out, are comfort games, a whole subsection of gaming, with dedicated creators and cozy titles where the main goal is to just relax and make the most of the very limited time we have when a busy life naturally happens.
So, I wanted to talk a bit about these games, and why I think they’re a positive thing in your gaming life, and nothing to be ashamed of or feel guilty about playing. Often, we look at games as money invested versus the time and enjoyment we take out of them. But gaming isn’t a passive medium, like movies and books, where one can just let something play, and enjoy, or fall asleep to. Video games demand that you interact with them, and that interaction can come in many ways, shapes, and forms. From simple interactions of games like Vampire Survivors, where you just move your small character around and see numbers go up, or driving a railcar in Diesel Railcar Simulator, to brain-twisting puzzles, and reflex-trying soulslike or RTSs.
One of the problems with strategy games is that they often fall in the category of games that demand a lot from you, and satisfaction is often delayed, and victory won’t come until a couple of days and weeks later. At least, for the more complex games, and your mileage may vary, of course. My point is that even the least complex of strategy games can feel demanding after a tiresome day. How many times have I promised myself that after a long day of work, I’ll finally arrive at the hotel and that’s going to be the night where I’ll enjoy some complex wargame, even a turn-based one, just to quit after a while and go back to playing MiniMotorways, or ISLANDERS, or just blast DOOM because I just need to unwind for a bit. Even something like playing a round of Counter-Strike 2 with your mates can be relaxing. Maybe all you need is just another run in FTL: Faster Than Light.
When this happened, I ended up feeling a bit bad, because it felt like a wasted opportunity, a perfect night in a hotel, just thrown away mindlessly moving a pixel around a screen. However, there was a positive side to that: relaxing for that night had me anticipating the time I wanted to spend with the game I actually wanted to play, and even relaxed myself even more to free up more headspace to finally get into the mindset necessary to tackle the other monster game I initially intended to.
Anyways, I just wanted to let you know that, while gaming is a serious investment of time and money, and we all have a finite amount of those, don’t feel bad if you ever need to just unplug your head for a while. Instead, relax as much as you can and enjoy the quiet moments as much as you can, because you never know when you might have them again. Recharge your batteries and get ready to start the other day anew. Remember that gaming is all about fun. Go have fun.
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