Animal Crossing, Harvest Moon, and Stardew Valley
Once upon a time, the go-to “life simulator” game would have been The Sims. It probably still is for many people. For a huge number of gamers, though, puttering around in Animal Crossing or Stardew Valley is the ultimate comfort food gaming experience. On the other hand, all those games are addictive enough that they move from comfort food to “way of life.” I imagine many gamers need a comfort food game as a break from their full-time gaming job in Stardew Valley. Surprisingly, no one mentioned one of the best new games in the genre, Disney’s Dreamlight Valley.
Call of Duty Modern Warfare 2 and League of Legends
Armchair warriors unite! While playing a few minutes of a battle royale game or shooter is a great stress reliever and the perfect, bite-sized gaming experience for some, others find it rage-inducing. It’s yet another reminder that people relax with a huge variety of games.
Diablo 3, Hades, Path of Exile, and MMORPGs
For all the ugly controversy around its launch, Diablo 3 and other isometric action RPGs/hack-and-slash games provide the perfect end-of-day dopamine drip. In addition to their relaxing gameplay mechanics, they’re all great podcast games. It’s like the peanut butter and jelly of gaming combos. Two chill ways to kill some extra time. While it might not seem like it, millions of gamers still enjoy MMORPGs. A lot of recent ones like Lost Ark provide a ton of content for solo players, too. That allows for time-crunched gamers to dip in, grind for a few minutes, and log out.
What the Pros Play…and Everyone Else, too
While multiple people list the above games as their favorite comfort food experience, it’s hardly a complete list. You name the game, and it’s a sure bet someone plays it when they need to unwind. Composer Austin Wintory (Journey, Assassin’s Creed Syndicate, Alien Fireteam Elite) cites XCom 2 and Hardspace Shipbreaker as his go-to comfort food gaming snacks. Others developers we talked to listed building sims like the venerable Rollercoaster Tycoon. COGconnected staffers also like to dine on games like Returnal, Death Stranding, God of War, or a timeless favorite like Super Mario World.
Did we forget your favorite comfort food gaming snack? Let us know!
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