My Love for Cozy Combat and Laid-Back Games 

I’ve been playing video games my whole life and have played quite a variety of different types of games. But I’ve always been the type to prefer more laid-back games rather than ones that are intentionally hard to play. Games like Rune Factory, My Time at Portia, Fantasy Life, and Story of Seasons end up being some of my favorite games. I like the leisureness of those games, like simple farming, or if they do have action, a more cozy combat where the fighting doesn’t feel overwhelming.

It’s not that I won’t ever play a complicated game. Sometimes those can be fun too. But if it’s a game that is starting to frustrate me, then am I really having fun at that point? I play video games because I find them enjoyable. They are fun to play. I like to use them to escape the real world after a stressful day. I don’t want the video game to make me stressed as well.

What is a Laid-back Game?

There are some games known for being complicated or hard. And there are games known for just being simple and non-stressful. When it comes to a laid-back game, one of the most obvious examples that comes to mind is Animal Crossing. Other examples could include Story of Seasons or Rune Factory, MySims, Minecraft, and Stardew Valley.

Laid-back games have a lack of urgency in anything you do. There really aren’t required actions that have to be done within set time frames, excluding a few minor chores like if you’re farming and need to water your plants everyday.

As for cozy combat, the best examples that come to mind to me are Rune Factory 4, My Time at Portia, and Fantasy Life. They have monsters in those games and you can fight them. But they never feel exceptionally hard or complicated to defeat. The fighting style is fairly simple and you can do the fighting when you want to. Also, even if you do fail in a fight, there isn’t a particularly harsh penalty.

These games don’t ever stress me out. I don’t ever get angry at them. And we all know what it’s like to get angry at a game, when all you really feel like doing is throwing that controller across the room. Every gamer has had that feeling before. But if I find myself feeling that way, I know it’s time to take a break because I’ve lost the joy of playing in that moment.

Games are Meant to be Fun

The purpose of video games is entertainment. We’re supposed to enjoy playing them, not feel like you want to throw that controller. And that’s what I like so much about those laid-back games. They always stay fun to me because I’m not finding them frustrating.

I especially feel this way because I like to use my hobbies as a escape from reality. When you’re young, you have school. When you’re older, then you’re working every day during the week. And then there’s plenty of other aspects of life, like family, friends, household chores, etc, that can make the day to day very exhausting or even aggravating. We need time to relax and refresh ourselves.

Cozy games are a way to relax and refresh. And I’ll be honest with you, for many of them I still feel a sense of accomplishment even if they have no stressful deadlines or really specific storyline that has to be followed. Even if it’s something as simple as making an upgrade to my house or farm, I find accomplishment and a completeness to it.

Some of them can even let you be creative. I love playing Planet Coaster. It’s pretty laid-back and none stressful. But I also get to be really creative and just build fun amusement parks. I know there are plenty of people who find that enjoyment in a game like Minecraft too.

Laid-Back Games are Still Gaming

I don’t really put myself into a lot of discourse online. It’s just not really my thing. But I know there are plenty of people who think the word “gamer” should only apply to certain people who play certain games. I disagree. If you like to play video games, then you’re a gamer. It doesn’t matter what type of games you’re playing.

You never even have to play some of the most known ones like Halo or Assassin’s Creed, or any of those, to consider yourself into games. If all you only ever play is Sims games, Pokemon, or a variety of the farming simulation games, then you’re still a gamer. And if you enjoy playing them, then you like video games.

We’re all allowed to like different things. So, if someone doesn’t really like spending hours just to attempt to defeat one boss in a game, then that’s okay. That doesn’t not make them a gamer. They still like playing games. They just like playing a different type of game then you.

Honestly, I encourage gamers who haven’t played any laid-back, cozy games to give them a try. You might end up enjoying them too and see why others like playing them. That doesn’t mean you can’t still grab your copy of Dark Souls to play when you want a challenge.

Conclusion

Cozy combat and laid-back games are fun to me. They’ve became my most favorite types of games to play and pretty much all my favorite games fall into that category. I just find them enjoyable to play and are one of the best ways to escape the stresses of daily life. Of course, I still like to play a variety of different games. I’m someone who has played many different kinds of games, like Animal Crossing, Dead or Alive, Halo, Borderlands, Planet Coaster, Pokemon, Lego games, and more.

There’s joy to have in all types of video games. And anyone is allowed to enjoy whatever type of games they enjoy. But I also encourage others to give some different types of games a try, because you might just find more variety you like to play. Perhaps you can spend your time back and forth between a game. Play something complicated and pepper in a laid-back game when you want to take a break from the hard stuff.

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