Scroll to get the Radish out of his house and into a cute little world
February 3, 2025 12:41 AM Subscribe
A growing sector is the subgenre dubbed “cozy games.” They are marked by their relaxing nature, meant to help players unwind with challenges that are typically more constructive than destructive. Recent research explores whether this style of game, along with video games more generally, can improve mental health and quality of life. from Cozy Comfort [Reuters]
A seemingly incredible amount of work for an article on a light subject. Impressive.
posted by Going To Maine at 2:50 AM on February 3 [3 favorites]
posted by Going To Maine at 2:50 AM on February 3 [3 favorites]
Cozy Comfort not recommended for use on PC - scrolling malfunctioning so that text could not always be read, and the display jumps up or down inconsistently while scrolling downward.I had to bail just after the rug merchant.
This "game" (article) is for phone only.
posted by Jane the Brown at 3:26 AM on February 3 [1 favorite]
This "game" (article) is for phone only.
posted by Jane the Brown at 3:26 AM on February 3 [1 favorite]
That might be an issue with your computer or browser, because I read this on a PC without an issue.
posted by NotMyselfRightNow at 3:52 AM on February 3 [5 favorites]
posted by NotMyselfRightNow at 3:52 AM on February 3 [5 favorites]
In fairness to Jane the Brown, the Reuters page is quite obviously formatted primarily for phones. That said, it displays fine on my old iPad, but it’s also an iOS device, so that might be why. Even so, though, none of the seemingly simple interactive features of the page don’t respond to my taps.
As to the subject, I love the idea of cozy games. I faded away from gaming a long time ago due to the direction gaming was heading (in general.) But, now that it looks like there are interesting games more in tune with my personal headspace, I lack the shiny newest devices most of them seem to require to play. Oh well.
posted by Thorzdad at 4:33 AM on February 3 [3 favorites]
As to the subject, I love the idea of cozy games. I faded away from gaming a long time ago due to the direction gaming was heading (in general.) But, now that it looks like there are interesting games more in tune with my personal headspace, I lack the shiny newest devices most of them seem to require to play. Oh well.
posted by Thorzdad at 4:33 AM on February 3 [3 favorites]
It certainly feels like Infinity Nikki (official trailer) is unintentionally tapping into that cozy aesthetic. I've not played a game where so much time is spent on what I call "pure play" - that is, wandering around putting together different outfits and taking photos (my album) in different poses and lighting conditions / lens settings.
So much gameplay nowadays is a "goal" driven treadmill - level up, raise your rank, accumulate money, even in so called cozy games. Sometime I suspect it's because those games fear they aren't attractive enough for you to want to spend your time in them if you aren't feeling like you're making progress towards something. Not saying that Infinity Nikki doesn't have those elements (its a gacha game after all) but it is definitely much lighter in terms of time commitment which frees you up to do whatever else you want in the game.
posted by xdvesper at 4:34 AM on February 3 [2 favorites]
So much gameplay nowadays is a "goal" driven treadmill - level up, raise your rank, accumulate money, even in so called cozy games. Sometime I suspect it's because those games fear they aren't attractive enough for you to want to spend your time in them if you aren't feeling like you're making progress towards something. Not saying that Infinity Nikki doesn't have those elements (its a gacha game after all) but it is definitely much lighter in terms of time commitment which frees you up to do whatever else you want in the game.
posted by xdvesper at 4:34 AM on February 3 [2 favorites]
Sometime I suspect it's because those games fear they aren't attractive enough for you to want to spend your time in them if you aren't feeling like you're making progress towards something.
I think it’s simply that the treadmill you describe has become the established paradigm for modern gaming development across all genres. It’s a business decision.
posted by Thorzdad at 4:56 AM on February 3 [1 favorite]
I think it’s simply that the treadmill you describe has become the established paradigm for modern gaming development across all genres. It’s a business decision.
posted by Thorzdad at 4:56 AM on February 3 [1 favorite]
After it was posted here, I spent a fair amount of time playing Infinity Nikki over Xmas. It's a grinder that funnels you towards paying to progress. It's not a cozy game, even if you can spend time fishing, taking photos, and riding around on a bicycle.
posted by krisjohn at 5:22 AM on February 3 [3 favorites]
posted by krisjohn at 5:22 AM on February 3 [3 favorites]
I wish Infinity Nikki was on Steam so I could tell you my playtime.... anyway I think it is very INtentionally tapping into the 'cozy game' tropes.
I really don't feel you need to pay to PROGRESS. I haven't found anything other than aesthetics that are only obtainable through purchase or pulls. Yes, I am often very tempted to pay to get more than the free number of pulls I can earn ... but I have good self-control on that (have spent years of guiding my kid to develop some level of self-control against buying aesthetics in Fortnite and Roblox) and I don't think it is hindering my game progress in any way. It's possible that I'm not far enough to see it yet, but I don't think so, I am several zones in and far along in the main story and levels, I think.
Some other cozy games I love: Spiritfarer (this game literally helped me cope with grief), Critter Cafe (more on the idle side), I consider Graveyard Keeper cozy-adjacent, Palia as mentioned more below, ACNH of course I feel that one goes without saying, Tiny Glade (I could build little diorama towns all day).
Palia is another cozy game I love, free to play but all outfit changes or pet changes are locked behind purchases (and, IMO, extremely expensive for what they are). Players go back and forth complaining. Unlike Nikki, it's not a gacha - you see something in the store you want, you buy that thing. I prefer that. I often quip that gambling is the only vice I don't have.
Even with Nikki, since its solo player, I don't have to deal with FOMO seeing other players run around with the gacha outfits that may have taken hundreds of dollars (depending on their luck) of resonance purchases to get the complete set. I actual said to my more-a-gamer-than-me husband that if it was multiplayer, I would probably nope out for that reason. Yes you can sometimes see other players' outfits when you view their posted pics at the hourglass, but that's a choice you make (or not).
Now excuse me while I go dress up me and my cat companion to ease my tension while waiting to leave for a medical procedure.
posted by fennario at 5:41 AM on February 3 [5 favorites]
I really don't feel you need to pay to PROGRESS. I haven't found anything other than aesthetics that are only obtainable through purchase or pulls. Yes, I am often very tempted to pay to get more than the free number of pulls I can earn ... but I have good self-control on that (have spent years of guiding my kid to develop some level of self-control against buying aesthetics in Fortnite and Roblox) and I don't think it is hindering my game progress in any way. It's possible that I'm not far enough to see it yet, but I don't think so, I am several zones in and far along in the main story and levels, I think.
Some other cozy games I love: Spiritfarer (this game literally helped me cope with grief), Critter Cafe (more on the idle side), I consider Graveyard Keeper cozy-adjacent, Palia as mentioned more below, ACNH of course I feel that one goes without saying, Tiny Glade (I could build little diorama towns all day).
Palia is another cozy game I love, free to play but all outfit changes or pet changes are locked behind purchases (and, IMO, extremely expensive for what they are). Players go back and forth complaining. Unlike Nikki, it's not a gacha - you see something in the store you want, you buy that thing. I prefer that. I often quip that gambling is the only vice I don't have.
Even with Nikki, since its solo player, I don't have to deal with FOMO seeing other players run around with the gacha outfits that may have taken hundreds of dollars (depending on their luck) of resonance purchases to get the complete set. I actual said to my more-a-gamer-than-me husband that if it was multiplayer, I would probably nope out for that reason. Yes you can sometimes see other players' outfits when you view their posted pics at the hourglass, but that's a choice you make (or not).
Now excuse me while I go dress up me and my cat companion to ease my tension while waiting to leave for a medical procedure.
posted by fennario at 5:41 AM on February 3 [5 favorites]
I didn’t see the article mention Stardew Valley, which strikes me as an odd omission as I believe it is one of the most successful games in the genre. It is certainly the one I have logged the most hours in.
I played through the demo of Spiritfarer on Switch and thought it was beautiful. Perhaps I will pick up the whole game next.
posted by gauche at 5:55 AM on February 3 [7 favorites]
I played through the demo of Spiritfarer on Switch and thought it was beautiful. Perhaps I will pick up the whole game next.
posted by gauche at 5:55 AM on February 3 [7 favorites]
Well, no one is forcing you to grind for anything or pay to progress except yourself (and I concede that's also valid...)
In most games they increase the difficulty of the enemies to force you to spend hours levelling up your characters, gear and weapons, and it keeps you playing because you're afraid you'll fall behind the curve and in some cases outright get gated from content. None of the outfits you unlock in Nikki provide meaningfully different functionality to the base free outfits - it's all cosmetic. There's no artificial push factor that keeps you at the treadmill.
Even Mira Crown, where you need to hit some arbitrary score threshold, isn't even meaningful because, oh, so you get some tiny amount of currency to make some pulls on purely cosmetic things anyway.
posted by xdvesper at 5:57 AM on February 3 [3 favorites]
In most games they increase the difficulty of the enemies to force you to spend hours levelling up your characters, gear and weapons, and it keeps you playing because you're afraid you'll fall behind the curve and in some cases outright get gated from content. None of the outfits you unlock in Nikki provide meaningfully different functionality to the base free outfits - it's all cosmetic. There's no artificial push factor that keeps you at the treadmill.
Even Mira Crown, where you need to hit some arbitrary score threshold, isn't even meaningful because, oh, so you get some tiny amount of currency to make some pulls on purely cosmetic things anyway.
posted by xdvesper at 5:57 AM on February 3 [3 favorites]
just played the whole thing on Edge and had no issues.
(I lament that I said "oh my cat is allergic" as a test for the plant gift and now my room doesn't have that plant. sad)
posted by numaner at 6:02 AM on February 3 [2 favorites]
(I lament that I said "oh my cat is allergic" as a test for the plant gift and now my room doesn't have that plant. sad)
posted by numaner at 6:02 AM on February 3 [2 favorites]
I'd recommend Ostriv, a city builder I've been spending time with. 18th century Ukraine town building! No combat. The game rewards you by playing slow. Not quite the cozy genre but close.
Also Plant Tycoon, Let's Build a Zoo, Viridi (succulent gardening), Koi Farm (breeding koi). And of course classics like Rollercoaster Tycoon 2 and SimCity 4 with lots of user made mods.
posted by tiny frying pan at 6:06 AM on February 3 [2 favorites]
Also Plant Tycoon, Let's Build a Zoo, Viridi (succulent gardening), Koi Farm (breeding koi). And of course classics like Rollercoaster Tycoon 2 and SimCity 4 with lots of user made mods.
posted by tiny frying pan at 6:06 AM on February 3 [2 favorites]
I play a game where I set a bunch of timers for myself, and when they go off I set new ones. It sounds like Taylorism but, because the timers are virtual seeds turning into virtual vegetables, I love them.
posted by gauche at 6:24 AM on February 3 [1 favorite]
posted by gauche at 6:24 AM on February 3 [1 favorite]
Playing the hell out of Stardew Valley lately. I hadn’t tried the new update yet. I did try Infinity Nikki but I had so much trouble with the controls that I got tired of it before the tutorial was done.
Thought of something profoundly sad the other day. The traditional complaint about video games is that they’re a waste of effort – for example, why would you spend ages on Guitar Hero when you could learn to play the guitar? But lately it seems like video games actually reward effort more than life does. You plant crops in Stardew Valley and you get money, you’re nice to people and they like you. You practice platforming, you get better, you win. It’s not much but there it is. Real life, though—you spend your life training for a profession and it gets swallowed up by AI; your economy gets swallowed up by tariffs; your laws are changed because fuck you; even a little cozy baking or crochet can go wrong for no reason you can pinpoint.
Anyway, that’s the clinical depression talking. It’s not a serious position, but I dare say a lot of people feel it in their bones too.
posted by Countess Elena at 6:45 AM on February 3 [9 favorites]
Thought of something profoundly sad the other day. The traditional complaint about video games is that they’re a waste of effort – for example, why would you spend ages on Guitar Hero when you could learn to play the guitar? But lately it seems like video games actually reward effort more than life does. You plant crops in Stardew Valley and you get money, you’re nice to people and they like you. You practice platforming, you get better, you win. It’s not much but there it is. Real life, though—you spend your life training for a profession and it gets swallowed up by AI; your economy gets swallowed up by tariffs; your laws are changed because fuck you; even a little cozy baking or crochet can go wrong for no reason you can pinpoint.
Anyway, that’s the clinical depression talking. It’s not a serious position, but I dare say a lot of people feel it in their bones too.
posted by Countess Elena at 6:45 AM on February 3 [9 favorites]
(erratum: being nice does not work on Shane)
(unless you want to be a doormat for some blue chickens)
posted by Countess Elena at 6:49 AM on February 3 [4 favorites]
(unless you want to be a doormat for some blue chickens)
posted by Countess Elena at 6:49 AM on February 3 [4 favorites]
I play a lot of video games, even very difficult games like Elden Ring, Bloodborne, etc. Stardew Valley gets me crazy to the point that I have to put it down and could never play more than maybe a dozen hours over the last several years. Why? The day/night cycle! It's a TIMER. As soon as you put a timer on anything, I melt into a puddle of anxiety.
I know you don't really have to pay attention to the day/night cycle, but when I play that game I feel compelled to get as much done as possible every Day and try to get in bed at a reasonable time so I have enough energy for the next Day. This drives me into an anxiety spiral.
This is a Me problem, and not a criticism of that game (which is beyond impressive considering it was made nearly single-handedly by one guy). I've tried to just vibe with Stardew, and I've restarted a few different farms. But the timer just makes me whack. It's not Cozy! It's a stressful work simulator!
posted by SoberHighland at 7:12 AM on February 3 [5 favorites]
I know you don't really have to pay attention to the day/night cycle, but when I play that game I feel compelled to get as much done as possible every Day and try to get in bed at a reasonable time so I have enough energy for the next Day. This drives me into an anxiety spiral.
This is a Me problem, and not a criticism of that game (which is beyond impressive considering it was made nearly single-handedly by one guy). I've tried to just vibe with Stardew, and I've restarted a few different farms. But the timer just makes me whack. It's not Cozy! It's a stressful work simulator!
posted by SoberHighland at 7:12 AM on February 3 [5 favorites]
I like cozy games, but my migraines have really limited me on which ones I can play. Right now I've been playing a lot of the picross game, meow tower it has very few things that move so it doesn't irritate my brain as much.
posted by Art_Pot at 8:45 AM on February 3 [1 favorite]
posted by Art_Pot at 8:45 AM on February 3 [1 favorite]
So much gameplay nowadays is a "goal" driven treadmill - level up, raise your rank, accumulate money, even in so called cozy games. Sometime I suspect it's because those games fear they aren't attractive enough for you to want to spend your time in them if you aren't feeling like you're making progress towards something.
I play no man's sky. I don't know if it's cozy per se but once you get past the first couple dozen hours there aren't imposed goals. It's a survival sand box where survival is pretty easy and the penalty for dieing is essential zero. A vocal segment of r/nomanssky absolutely hates this. There are constant threads pleading with the developer to increase combat difficulty, institute grinds, develop quest lines, have leaderboards etc. But I'm happy to just fly around, see new planets, take pictures, dress my character, collect ships and pets. I don't want to jump through hoops.
Luckily Hello Games hasn't charged for an update or DLC since release and there isn't any pay to play. Really takes one of the edges off.
posted by Mitheral at 9:38 AM on February 3 [1 favorite]
I play no man's sky. I don't know if it's cozy per se but once you get past the first couple dozen hours there aren't imposed goals. It's a survival sand box where survival is pretty easy and the penalty for dieing is essential zero. A vocal segment of r/nomanssky absolutely hates this. There are constant threads pleading with the developer to increase combat difficulty, institute grinds, develop quest lines, have leaderboards etc. But I'm happy to just fly around, see new planets, take pictures, dress my character, collect ships and pets. I don't want to jump through hoops.
Luckily Hello Games hasn't charged for an update or DLC since release and there isn't any pay to play. Really takes one of the edges off.
posted by Mitheral at 9:38 AM on February 3 [1 favorite]
I feel like there must have been cozy games before Harvest Moon (1996)--would Little Computer People count?
posted by box at 9:41 AM on February 3 [3 favorites]
posted by box at 9:41 AM on February 3 [3 favorites]
Don't talk to me about cozy games. We had cozy games once upon a time. Quirky, amusing games with beautiful graphics that were short bites of deliciousness. The most iconic of the old cozy game sites was Ferry Halim, with the wonderful zen-like Orisinal Morning Sunshine games.
Then they took away Adobe Flash!
BASTARDS
And don't talk to me about Ruffle emulator. It's the antithesis of cozy because it never works right.
posted by BlueHorse at 9:52 AM on February 3 [5 favorites]
Then they took away Adobe Flash!
BASTARDS
And don't talk to me about Ruffle emulator. It's the antithesis of cozy because it never works right.
posted by BlueHorse at 9:52 AM on February 3 [5 favorites]
What about Alto's Adventure, the downhill skiing game, when played in "Zen mode"? Nothing to do but jump and schuss, with really great music.
posted by wenestvedt at 11:59 AM on February 3 [2 favorites]
posted by wenestvedt at 11:59 AM on February 3 [2 favorites]
Almost any game with a Zen Mode, probably—good eye.
And, because I’m thinking about it, y’all can think about it too: what tabletop board/card games qualify as cozy?
posted by box at 5:58 PM on February 3 [1 favorite]
And, because I’m thinking about it, y’all can think about it too: what tabletop board/card games qualify as cozy?
posted by box at 5:58 PM on February 3 [1 favorite]
The most activity my Flickr album is seeing these days is my Infinity Nikki photos. I definitely pay to play in the beginning (indulged in FOMO) but it's pretty chill if you're not really chasing for anything. The achievements needed to complete the quests are achievable in F2P mode imo, and even then the grind is pretty bearable with no pay.
posted by cendawanita at 1:32 AM on February 4
posted by cendawanita at 1:32 AM on February 4
Also another vote for Monument Valley (3rd one just released). I should've paced myself, I was done within 2 days.
What about Alto's Adventure
Oh, thanks for the reminder to pick it up again. Before Infinity Nikki I was an exclusively mobile/touchscreen player and that game frustrated me to no end. Then I got a phone game controller... And so I just restarted Laya (from the same studio iirc), whose mechanics is more on flying and gliding. Now I'm properly chilling with that game as intended.
posted by cendawanita at 1:38 AM on February 4 [1 favorite]
What about Alto's Adventure
Oh, thanks for the reminder to pick it up again. Before Infinity Nikki I was an exclusively mobile/touchscreen player and that game frustrated me to no end. Then I got a phone game controller... And so I just restarted Laya (from the same studio iirc), whose mechanics is more on flying and gliding. Now I'm properly chilling with that game as intended.
posted by cendawanita at 1:38 AM on February 4 [1 favorite]
« Older Space Vikings from Norway are no longer bound by... | How to do everything Newer »
posted by paduasoy at 2:25 AM on February 3 [3 favorites]