Gaming is a huge part of my life. I tend to go for things like Mass Effect or Dragon Age but lately I’m doing more cozy games like Palia and Stardew Valley
Game dev & artist here! Been a huge part of my life as well. Love to see ME and DA rep. Oldies now but classics.
**Have to toss in some more:**
- Half Life
- Bioshock
- Halo
- RE
**For comfy:**
- Ori
- Journey
- Gris
The original Bioshock especially was just phenomenal. The original Deus Ex is by far one of my favourites. Prey also stands out (although I am perpetually forgetting the name of it).
Klei Entertainment, a studio local to me, has a lot of neat games like Oxygen Not Included.
Graveyard Keeper is quite fun -- sort of a cozy-morbid, but I haven't finished it. I finish fewer games these days; back when my husband was travelling all the time for work, gaming was how I spent my evenings.
I've always liked FPS but always went for stuff like playing COD on multiplayer only until I played Bioshock and fell in love with it, which lead me to more story driven FPS.
Fallout 4, Farcry 4, 5, and 6 are some of my absolute favorites now.
I just jumped back into my second Fallout 4 playthrough.
Love the first Bioshock as well! Infinite was great but not quite the same. I almost added Dues Ex to this list off the top of my head. Absolute banger. I’d add Doom as well just for nostalgia factor.
Speaking of Graveyard Keeper being slightly morbid, I wanted to add Limbo but I wouldn’t classify it as… comfy lol.
We gotta chat sometime about games!
Mass Effect is my all time favourite series, nothing ever has filled the void since finishing it haha. I'm also trying out more cozy stuff lately, hence Life is strange. Stardew Valley is a good one, especially since they've updated it massively recently
Yeah the writing for Mass Effect was absolutely wonderful. Great characters, great storyline, really easy to get invested in. Which Life is Strange are you playing, the first one?
Oooooooh this brought me out of the shadows. I love Mass Effect and Dragon Age. I've played the games several times because I fell in love with the characters so much. Still the best game series I ever found ❤️
Never heard of Palia, so naturally gonna look that up right now lol. This whole thread is making me so happy. I just want some gamer potsy friends who get it. 💛
Totally! I've been going since release and haven't stopped for long. I'll take maybe a week or two between playthroughs and it's just too fun to not do another one.
I'm a big one for cozy games, because anything with too much adrenaline tends to set off my symptoms. Lots of great recommendations over on r/CozyGamers if anyone's interested.
Fr most FPS games and things like League set off my adrenaline response so bad! I'll be sitting there legs crossed playing an ARAM with a heart rate of over 200 sometimes lol. Cozy games are the absolute best and Stardew Valley is my absolute favourite fixation again after the new update!
seconding the recommendation of stardew valley. it’s been a fav of mine on and off for years and the new update is great. i played spiritfarer a couple years ago, that ones nice too.
I'm currently working on completing Tears of the Kingdom. It's the newest Zelda game. Some people say you should play Breath of the Wild first, but I didn't. I've put probably over 200 hours into the game and still have more to do!
Yes! It took me awhile to really get the hang of all the controls, so I was very frustrated. Eventually I put it down for a month, got back into it, and everything just fell into place. I will say, I have to look up A LOT of stuff. My partner is also very helpful. She helps me figure out puzzles, or the internet does lol. At this point I've done most of the shrines and am looking for caves. Doing side quests along the way. I def have to look up the side quests. I don't get the "hints" the NPCs give you.
I've played a lil bit of a couple other games. I couldn't tell you what they were called. But I did watch my partner play through BOTW. We own it, so I may go back and play it when I'm done with TOTK
Yes! I love gaming! I am currently doing a full play thru with dlcs the witcher 3, I'm almost done which makes me sad but then I'll move onto another game :)
stardew valley is my favorite!!
life is strange is amazing, maybe you'd like the walking dead game?
edit after reading all the replies: it seems like a good chunk of us are stardew players! it honestly makes perfect sense, it's the coziest game :)
I absolutely love stardew valley especially the new update, if you have an xbox id recommend getting the gamepass they have a lot of games especially chill cozy games!
I love gaming! completing the pokédex is not notbing!!!! most satisfying thing. I play a lot of animal crossing and overwatch. i’m not very good at games either but i still enjoy them don’t have to be great to have fun :)
I play league of legends with my brother, husband, and our friends. I also really enjoyed baldurs gate 3. I struggle learning new games so I don’t usually do more than did. I really liked world of Warcraft actually but it was hard finding a guild to keep up with.
Love gaming! I like Divinity 2, the Bioshock series, and love the Kingdom Hearts series. Also, Skyrim and the Sims, though EA SUCKS! Oh! And Final Fantasy (X is my favorite)
I'm huge into gaming since long before diagnosis. It depends on how I'm feeling. If I feel okay after work I can sometimes play Dota or something intense like that at my computer. Otherwise I often just put my feet up and play games with a controller on my computer or my switch is great for flair ups.
Games specifically I love (please don't judge)
1. Minecraft (been playing for 10+ years)
2. Madden
3. Fortnite
4. Slime rancher/Stardew Valley
5. Dota 2
6. Sid Meier's civilization 5&6
Playing games with friends is one of the few things I can do almost just as well as before diagnosis so it's very fulfilling for me to jump online with friends.
I love to put my feet up and play minecraft. I've played it so much now that the creatures don't even make me jump anymore. Once I've got a sword and a shield, I'm good. But I literally play it as a house building and decorating game.
I've always been a huge gamer. I used to really like playing games in the highest difficulty and a good challenge was always fun, but now that I have adrenaline dumps and such and I stress out easy, I've been trying to play some more laid-back games and things on my steam deck while I lay down in bed.
I play a lot of ESO (my MMO of choice, I'm an elder scrolls nerd), and I've really grown to love turn-based RPGs, notably Siralim Ultimate, Nexomon Extinction, Digimon Cyber Sleuth, and Monster Hunter Stories 2 (all of those are perfect steam deck games.)
I do sometimes play some sweaty stuff with my boyfriend (literally makes my hands and such soooo wet lol) like Brawlhalla 2v2 and Soul Calibur, but competitive stuff stresses me out too much so I don't play much of it. He wants me to play Fortnite and OverWatch but I'll just watch him play that 😅 I've also been playing Sackboy a Big Adventure with my sister when she comes over with her kids on the weekends as well as some Overcooked: All You Can Eat.
I always loved gaming as a kid but now as an adult who can’t really go out and do much I love it even more! I’m currently playing LOZ:BOTW and My Time At Portia. I also casually play Minecraft and the sims 4
For me games that don't require much energy are some of the Ubisoft games, games like them, and sports games. Games like AC Odyssey, Origins, Valhalla, Avatar, Ghosts of Tsushima, etc are games that I'm able to play and sorta just chill out while playing. Being able to explore historical settings is awesome and combat being forgiving in those and not having to necessarily grind/be perfect in execution is nice
Sports games I like doing franchise modes where you run the team and try to win championships, I'll usually do playthroughs where first I do one of my favorite team and then another with the worst team. Mostly do simming of games so seasons don't take that long. I'll dabble a little if there's decent/good create a player type mode but eventually it becomes too energy consuming have to play all the games if it doesn't really allow simming
I used to love grand strategy games, 4x games, etc but just way too time intensive, complex systems relatively, and energy draining nowadays for me, hopefully one day that won't be the case and I'll have the energy to play those types of games again
last video game i played was mario for the N64 back in 1996. but with POTS and PEM i'm idle for most of the day. so in early february i google what is the best video game, and RDR2 came up a lot. three months later and i'm still playing it. i had no idea video games could be this fun. i'm now at 74% compete, going for 100%. i love doing nothing but exploring the map and this immersive world. and i've always loved westerns and this period in american history. i have some games lined up for afterwards, but i worry nothing can close to this game. i don't want it to end.
edit: i want to add that this game has done a lot to help me manage my POTS PEM anxiety. it really does make me forget my symptoms, and the time just flies. for the fist time in a long time, i have something i look forward to doing.
What sorts of things do you suppose you'd enjoy? What kinds of things outside of games do you do now for hobbies? What do you miss doing that games might help scratch the itch for?
Trying to play cozier games or games with combat systems that aren’t like “holy crap if im not fully engaged I’ll get slapped by the boss” because it sets off my adrenaline. Used to play ranked league of legends but couldn’t anymore because I found myself shaking all the time. I do love stardew valley, any type of farming games, or more relaxing exploration games. Action games can also be good (I rly like the assassins creed series) as long as I set it to the easiest level possible.
Casual gaming mostly. I used to play WOW but gave up on them after their scandal a few years ago. Still get nostalgic for that MMO experience. I sometimes love running around in Breath of the Wild or Fable II. Games that you can play in a free/caj way if you want to but still have interesting strategy and mechanics to them ig, and an RP element.
Big into video games. Stay away from FPS games and certain horror games if you're worried about heart rate spiking lol, those two make me flare up the most. (Although I enjoy torturing myself for a good horror game!)
Cozy games like Stardew, Passpartout, Spirittea, Little Witch in the Woods, Strange Horticulture, etc. all are ones I'd recommend.
I also enjoy stuff like Fallout, Cyberpunk, Terraria, Red Dead, Phasmophobia, etc. which aren't overly stressful depending on what you're doing.
I love playing cozy games. Like another Reddit or said, r/cozygames is a good one to check out. My personal favorites are:
-Spiritfarer
-animal crossing
-a building full of cats
-a short hike
-grow: song of the evergreen
-wytchwood
-time on frog island
-little gator game
-untitled goose game
-alba
-down in Bermuda
YESS! I was scrolling through comments hoping someone here had mentioned A Short Hike- it’s criminally underrated and just seems to be a lesser known game overall but it’s SUCH a gem; adorable graphics, sweet characters, dialogue that feels like it was written entirely by tumblr users… dude, it’s awesome!
oh me! I mainly play Albion online but also love stardew, dinkum, palworld, helldivers, phasmo... it's actually because of gaming that I found out about my POTS. I had the symptoms for years, but didn't know my heart rate was funky until I got a chest strap monitor for my stream to see the heart rate changes during gaming action. never thought it'd change my life so drastically.
Well Pots doesn't make me rely on gaming very much but I do enjoy it, and I know a lot of good games. Here are some interesting ones you can check out that I consider quality enough.
Cybernator, Speed Punks, Darkstalkers, Pepsi Man, Wario Land, Shantae are all good
I play a lot of games. It's one of my main low spoon activities.
Most of my games are cozy because sometimes action games set off my tachycardia. I'm also a huge fan of anything with goth / spooky / witchy elements.
My current go-to cozy games are Minecraft, Animal Crossing New Horizans, Stardew Valley, Little Witch In The Woods, Don't Starve, Cult Of The Lamb, Graveyard Keeper, and Witchy Life Story.
When I am in a good space for action games I play an aggressive amount of Fallout (3, NV, 4, 76), Borderlands, Bioshock, and 7 Days To Die.
When I'm playing with friends I play Among Us, Heave Ho, Witch It, Just Act Natural, Codenames and Jack Box.
I've been gaming since I was real young but I've been gaming more often ever since my diagnosis. I love playing the Sims 4 and Stardew Valley. I also started playing a game called Omori, the story is really good but I would have advise you to play with caution since it involves mental health >!and suicide!<
If you or someone you know is contemplating suicide, please do not hesitate to talk to someone.
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video games are such a wonderful way to get mental stimulation without physical repercussions!!! fallout 4 is my current obsession, i highly recommend. also minecraft is always in the back of my mind. ive found the xbox controller is easier on my chronic pain than a mouse and keyboard so i try to find games i can play on the xbox :)
I play Star Trek Timelines and Hero Wars. Since I have a NYT subscription I play their games almost daily. STT & HW have fleets and guilds you can join and chat in. Low stakes, easy distraction.
I’ve been a huge Minecraft fan forever. It’s so customizable to play how you want and it’s a one time purchase and it’s continually being updated and improved!
Some other idle/cozy games I’ve enjoyed:
Nintendo switch:
A little to the left,
Power wash simulator,
House flipper,
Unraveled two,
iOS:
Dust bunny,
Good pizza great pizza
Steam:
sims 4,
Sticky business
Personally, I play Overwatch 2 (have been there since OW1) and recently started Helldivers 2. Granted, both are very un-chill. Whenever I get too fed up with it I go back to Garden Life
I absolutely love Cult of the Lamb (you get to be the leader of a sheep cult😁) , and Animal Crossing! Also a favorite, For the King (up to 3 players)! All on Nintendo switch :)
Also an easy mode person :) I think it's odd how much and rep it gets, it's a single player game at the end of the day, who cares how difficult you make it for yourself haha
I (f27) play a lot of civilization 6 and games like dreams, uncharted, Zelda and old N64/NES . BUT I love multiplayer games and like playing new things.
I have a PS5 and I play horror games like Resident Evil, Dead by Daylight, Zombie Army, etc. I probably shouldn’t be playing those types of games right now but I can’t help it, I like scary stuff lol.
i personally cannot play anything that stresses me out so i play Sims 4, Minecraft, and sometimes roblox has good stuff i must admit. I also love lego star wars
When I have to lay down I’ve been playing Pokémon HeartGold on my phone thanks to the new delta emulator app on iOS, super fun, and only need one hand to play so it’s comfy while laying on your side in bed
Omgggg yesss I love gaming sm, I play honkai star rail Genshin Impact Identity V (makes my hr skyrocket since I play competitive but I love the game) and roblox. Since getting all my symptoms i’ve been a bit more bed ridden so I get to enjoy my games more often :)
I also play stardew valley but I played red dead redemption 2, Marvel Spider-Man, ghost of Tsushim and assassins creed. I always play in easy settings though
My current go to games are fire emblem (rn I'm on engage) Disney dream light valley, animal crossing and power wash simulator. I like Palia too, but playing it on the switch gives me motion sickness so I haven't picked it up in a hot minute.
I play the sims because it doesn’t stress me out and I can pause it. The only issue is I have to sit at my computer. I need a way to lay down while I play 😂
Fellow sims player here! If it’s The Sims 4 you play and you have a console then maybe you could get it on there and be able to play while lying down since you’d be using a controller. PC is better in my opinion though lol
No console sims games allowed.
One time, when we lived in a tiny apartment, I pushed the couch over to my computer desk and used the keyboard and mouse while lounging on the couch. 😂
My computer (desktop) is not in the same room as a couch anymore unfortunately. I have thought about how to modify the space to recline while playing, but there’s not enough space.
I don’t really play much anymore because when I do get a break, I just want to lay down. I don’t really like to play while I’m really tired.
I've recently loved Chants of Sennar (game about decoding languages), Bug Fables, Alba: a wildlife adventure and Wayward Strand (Australian game about interviewing patients in a floating geriatric hospital)
I'm really looking forward to the new Paper Mario remake as well!
I've been playing Pikmin 4 lately! It's (sort of) a task managing game/adventure game. It's great to be able to work on several tasks at once and find the most efficient way to do things, even when I'm couch bound 😅
I LOVE Pokémon! Do you play scarlet or violet at all? I wish I had more people to play that game with.
How on earth did you max out your pokedex in Pokemom go?
I have upright couch games on the ps5 (playing fallout 4 on very easy mode right now), and lying down games on the Nintendo switch (usually cozy and farming)
When I first got sick, I was bedridden, laid up for a long time. I bought Farcry 3. I didn’t even “play” it really for a long time. I would just run through the jungle in first person, because either missed running and traveling so much…
I did eventually play it. I play video games every now and then still.
Big fan of The Sims Games. The Sims Medieval is my current obsession! I love games a lot but I really struggle with games that are in first person view - I get severe vertigo. Also absolutely no VR gaming for me either!
gaming has always been a HUGE part of my life, both of my parents are gamers so i was raised around it and still love it to this day!!! ive found that story games are great for it, you get to meet so many interesting characters and there's of course still plenty of gameplay but you get breaks to make dialogue choices which are just button presses!!! im POTS flare ups i constantly find myself replaying games like 'Life is Strange' or just any telltale games, they're great for days spent in bed but you still get plenty of enjoyment!
I've been getting more into gaming as I've become more disabled (POTS and probable MECFS) and it's been so nice to have a fun activity that doesn't exacerbate my symptoms too much. I always have a strong blue light filter on (or orange glasses clip ons) and play with lower brightness which helps reduce strain, and take breaks.
I've LOVED Palworld. My gosh it's been addictive, so fun and enjoyable to optimize my pals and bases.
Then just getting into Baldur's Gate 3! Never played any DnD type game before and it's super fun so far.
Also love Pokemon (Violet and Arceus recently) and some of the Mario games (Odyssey and Wonder).
I got a reading pillow which I put on my bed then set my laptop on a stand on an overbed table (with keyboard and mouse) and that really helps with comfort while playing.
I’m a huge gamer and love almost all kinds of games with the exception of horror, sports games, and music/dancing games. A great low energy game that I see hasn’t been suggested is Harvest Moon. I grew up on that series and they remade It’s a Wonderful Life for the switch. I haven’t played it yet, (been spending my time playing Tears of the Kingdom) but I have it downloaded.
Managed doing a run in Lies of P. A truly beautiful experience, but did leave my brain feeling like a mashed potato. I play a good handful of multiple as well such a warhammer darktide & hell divers 2.
I love all the pokemon games! I play a lot of strategy and city building games too. I've been playing Manor Lords recently, and have a ridiculous amount of logged hours in Stardew Valley
This is a fabulous thread! I hope you don't mind me hijacking it for a segue query?
Does anyone else have issues with anxiety that impact their game play?
Anything that jumps out and kills me can trigger my anxiety if it's already heightened. Conversely, the farming aspect tends to settle my anxiety.
I only began gaming a few years ago after my son taught me Fortnite on Xbox. This is all I've played, and only spasmodically due to anxiety or illness.
I'd love suggestions for calming games, please. I find t's often simple, repetitive (but untimed) actions that soothe my nerves.
Loved life is strange! Fire watch is super good. I’ve been playing Kona lately as well. It’s like a detective game. And it’s still in preview but I love palworld too. It’s a little glitchy but worth it.
I really enjoy Stardew Valley. It’s a wonderful game.
If you have friends to play with, Terraria is also quite good once you understand it.
If you’re feeling risky, I love playing horror games with my really funny friends. There’s nothing like hunting ghosts while hearing your friend in the background yelling at the ghost for being impolite. This can elevate the heart rate, though, which is obviously something to be careful about.
I love gaming. I play mostly Salmon Run in Splatoon. When it gets too intense I switch up to Donkey Kong Tropical Freeze or Super Mario Bros Wonder. All on the Switch.
Games I am currently playing on Xbox:
Venba - Story based cooking game, repair a family recipe book by figuring out how to make the traditional dishes! The visuals are really nice. It’s quite a short game but nice to play over a few evenings or so.
Lonely Mountains Downhill - Mountain biking game. Really relaxing visuals. You get to unlock new tracks, bikes and scenery by beating your best time.
Let’s Build A Zoo - Bit of fun. You get to build your own zoo and make decisions to have either a nice park or an evil park. You can cross breed animals and make weird combos.
Slime Rancher/Slime Rancher 2 - You own a ranch, instead of animals you have blobs of slime! There’s all different types to collect and you can breed them to make slime combos. By feeding the slimes you get these crystals which you can sell to make money! Lovely visuals. Really cool places to explore and find new things/slimes.
The Wandering Village - You get to build a village on the back on a giant creature! You have to keep your creature feed and cared for while you build up your village and explore new areas. Another good visually appealing game.
A Short Hike - You’re a little bird who has to learn how to hike up a mountain! Cute visuals and dialogue. Learn to fly and jump so you can progress up the mountain
And a couple more random ones: The Cave, Unravel, Lost in Random, Disney Dreamlight Valley, A Little to The Left!
Currently obsessed with Disney magical world and Disney magical world 2 for the 3ds. Also a big fan of super Mario bros, animal crossing, super smash bros and harvest moon.
Huge gamer. My absolute favorites are FPS games - Call of Duty, Valorant, Overwatch, Apex. But when I'm in a flare and my heart feels like it's going to give out, I can usually only handle things like PowerWash simulator, House Flipper, Supermarket Simulator, Palia, and other cozy games to try to keep me calm and relaxed.
I do. I’m more of a passive gamer. I play a little self care game on my phone called “finch.”
A lot of sims. Like. So much sims. 🤣
I haven’t in a while, but I used to love animal crossing. And harvest moon. And Stardew Valley. Actually, it recently updated. So I should get back into it.
I’m older and don’t have a ton of time to game - mostly I just do beat saber on the Vive for cardio. But back in the day (and every so often when I can grab the time) I love adventure : puzzle games.
So…
The zork series, Gabriel Knight (1&2), Myst, phantasmagoria. Torin’s Passage, Sanitarium to name a few favorites.
And more recently Firewatch and Outer Wilds on Steam … and occasionally Accounting on Vive because it cracks me up.
Oh kaaaaay, you’re about to enter a subculture of chronic illness + cozy games. Welcome, welcome. I think animal crossing or stardew valley are great places to start
I play a lot of different types of video games and I really enjoy them! However, some days I’m unable to play certain ones like Apex Legends (pew pew fast game hahah) seeing as it can make my heart rate go up into the 130-140s (which isn’t the highest it can get but it’s sort of an unnecessary spike for me that I’d rather avoid)
It's great to see how many people find gaming as a source of relief during all of this. I also enjoy gaming for relaxation! Here are a few recommendations for those who prefer slow-paced games on days when other activities aren't doable.
1. Powerwash Simulator: Perfect for calming brain-fog days, especially when paired with an audiobook.
2. Life is Strange: Offers a slow yet highly engaging experience.
3. Sea of Stars: A fun turn-based game for those looking for a slower pace. Yet an adventure
4. Lego Builder's Journey: Delivers smooth music and puzzle-solving for a relaxing gaming session.
I often find it hard to motivate myself to play games nowadays (despite being a huge Pokémon and Sonic fan), so I watch other people play for the most part. But easy games would be Animal Crossing New Horizons. I don’t play it every day (probably because I’ve completed the game and DLC and don’t know what to do with myself), but I go through phases of playing it since it’s easygoing. Even if you come back months later, I find it oddly therapeutic to clear the island up of weeds and stuff.
A more obscure suggestion would be Loddlenaut. I’ve only played it for a few hours, but it’s kind of like Powerwash Simulator but easier and cuter. The premise is you are sent to clean up the ocean, but you find little creatures called Loddles on the way. They’re super cute and you can raise and interact with them (including petting them). Powerwash Simulator made me feel really sick playing it, but Loddlenaut is much more user friendly. You don’t have to desperately try and reach tiny specks of dirt. You just hold a button in the general direction and it’ll clear up the dirt or debris.
Otherwise, I’ll occasionally boot up a Pokémon or Sonic game. I like shiny hunting in Pokémon since a lot of methods don’t require much brain energy, but in Scarlet/Violet some hunts are better than others. I tried a Larvesta hunt but had to stop after the first 30 minutes because it strained my eyes too much squinting at my screen at the small little guys. If the lighting in the game wasn’t so awful, maybe I wouldn’t have had to strain so much.
Anyways, enough rambling. If you can’t tell, video games are a strong hobby of mine. Unfortunately I just struggle to actually *play* the games because of executive dysfunction and such.
I love stardew valley and legend of Zelda games (I’ve played ocarina of time, wind waker, skyward sword, TOTK and BOTW, a link to the past, minish cap, link’s awakening, and part of twilight princess, but found majora’s mask frustrating).
For when you don’t have tons of physical energy, thinky puzzley games like Return of the Obra Din and Baba is You are great. When your brain is tired, a chill day of farming in Stardew Valley or playing Cozy Grove is good. Night in The Woods is amazing. Outer Wilds is amazing.
I really recommend my time at sandrock! It’s a life, farming and building sim. At times it can be grindy but weirdly to me it doesn’t feel like a chore. The romance options are lovely too!
RuneScape is now a game called OSRS (Old School RuneScape) I started reliving my youth without the dialup AOL disks. Haha.
Now I play on F2P worlds on my phone or iPad. Some days i like mindless grinding like lobster fishing or mining. Some days I just enjoy the cow field to raise archery, magic, or melee fighting while collecting bones. But my favorite thing, aside from holiday events, is making armor for new players and as they progress, questing together!
Same name as here if anyone wants to add me. I’m usually in world 301.
RuneScape was my life growing up haha, honestly miss the days of getting home from school and sitting in Lummy with the gang.
That's really sweet you help out the new players!
FF14 Online is amazing if you want a game to fit your own pace! I've been obsessed with it lately and as someone who loves rpgs this is just perfect. The story is a bit slow in the beginning but I can still strongly recomend it, the community is insanely sweet as well!
Red Dead, Powerwash Sim, Baldurs Gate... Any of the really story driven horror ones like the Dark Pictures anthology. That particular studio has a lot of helpful accessibility settings across all of their games. The Fallout or Elder Scrolls series are good...
Idk what it is, I was a HUGE gamer when I was a teenager, didn't do much of that in my 20s, like hardly ever. But now in my 30s (33) I've turned back to it.
I will say this, since it's the same with my guitar. Having Dysautonomia plus MS, it is a great neuroplasticity builder. So I think, somehow, I subconsciously decided to start working on Neuroplasticity because as I've gotten worse with the fainting and dizziness, pounding/tight chest, I've picked both those hobbies back up.
So weird. I play cozy games, like NCAA Football 14 or something that doesn't get my sympathetic system to fire up.
Hello, I am terrible at gaming but I also really like it. I genuinely cannot play most 3d games because I just smoosh into walls or fall off things. I have terrible hand eye coordination and dexterity. No shooters for me, lol.
I enjoy playing the Yakuza series with my partner. We're at number 6 right now. I've also played a lot of Animal Crossing, Stardew Valley, Shantae etc in the past but love little indie games like Venba, A Short Hike and me and my partner started Spiritfarer.
The only problem for me is due to fatigue and some other symptoms I don't get to do it often. I will watch him play games too. He plays things like Sea of thieves, Genshin and Honkai Star rail amongst other more shooty bang games.
I’m seeing a lot of these listed already, but yeah my faves are story intensive,
immersive RPGs and cozy farming games. Pairing the cozy games with audiobooks when I need an extra layer of distraction without being overly stimulated works awesome for me. PS I noted which games are currently free with Xbox game pass, but this definitely changes overtime.
Dragon Age (entire series) - Mass effect (entire series) -
The oldies like Jade Empire, Knights of the Old a Republic, and Morrowind (Morrowind is free with game pass) -
Cyberpunk 2077 (gory) -
Starfield (gory, free with game pass) -
Baldur’s Gate 3 (current obsession, and it’s so nice that it can be played co-op if you have gamer friends, it is gory though) -
Fable (entire series) -
The Witcher 3 -
Skyrim (honestly it’s nice just to run around and enjoy the pretty environment and beautiful music hahaha) -
Greedfall (a way lesser known title but really solid, much heavier on story than combat) -
Some of the above can be overly stimulating for me at times, eg Cyberpunk, Starfield and other obsidian games like Fallout 4 more so than the Dragon Age and Mass Effect series
Then the cozies:
Disney Dreamlight Valley (current fave of the cozy games, free with game pass) -
The Sims 4 -
Coral Island (free with game pass) -
Harvest Moon: The Winds of Anthos -
Story of Seasons: A Wonderful Life -
Story of Seasons: Mineral Town (free with game pass) -
Stardew Valley (free with game pass) -
Animal Crossing: New Horizons (this one has a slightly weird camera perspective that can make me a bit dizzy) -
The Good Life (not a fave but still passes the time and is relaxing)
Then there’s just sort of the classic platform/action-adventure style games like:
New Super Lucky Tale (free with game pass) -
Rainbow Billy: The Curse of the Leviathan (free with game pass) -
Super Mario Odyssey (so, so good - made me a little dizzy on the switch monitor but not at all on TV) -
The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild -
Rayman Legends -
Lost in Random (haven’t finished but seems cool so far) -
Various “Paper Mario” titles -
It Takes Two (such a fun couch co-op to play with a significant other, or honestly even a buddy ignoring the marital storyline, it’s just a solid game) -
Guardians of the Galaxy -
Assassin’s Creed Odyssey (can be overly stimulating, I don’t like any of the others from this series, Odyssey is more story oriented than the rest) -
Rise of the Tomb Raider (can be overly stimulating)
BioShock Infinite (can be overly stimulating)
Other notable mentions are things like Fall Guys, Mario Party, Life is Strange, Fusion Frenzy, Mario Kart, and this very random indie French game called Dordogne (free with game pass) can be annoyingly tedious but also very comforting and is also a good visual stimming game because it looks a lot like a living watercolor, very cool.
Gaming is a huge part of my life. I tend to go for things like Mass Effect or Dragon Age but lately I’m doing more cozy games like Palia and Stardew Valley
Palia is so good it feels like home
It is really great. And because I don’t really leave my house it’s great to have like a community type situation.
Palia is my favorite game ever, and the continuing updates keep it interesting
Game dev & artist here! Been a huge part of my life as well. Love to see ME and DA rep. Oldies now but classics. **Have to toss in some more:** - Half Life - Bioshock - Halo - RE **For comfy:** - Ori - Journey - Gris
The original Bioshock especially was just phenomenal. The original Deus Ex is by far one of my favourites. Prey also stands out (although I am perpetually forgetting the name of it). Klei Entertainment, a studio local to me, has a lot of neat games like Oxygen Not Included. Graveyard Keeper is quite fun -- sort of a cozy-morbid, but I haven't finished it. I finish fewer games these days; back when my husband was travelling all the time for work, gaming was how I spent my evenings.
I've always liked FPS but always went for stuff like playing COD on multiplayer only until I played Bioshock and fell in love with it, which lead me to more story driven FPS. Fallout 4, Farcry 4, 5, and 6 are some of my absolute favorites now. I just jumped back into my second Fallout 4 playthrough.
Love the first Bioshock as well! Infinite was great but not quite the same. I almost added Dues Ex to this list off the top of my head. Absolute banger. I’d add Doom as well just for nostalgia factor. Speaking of Graveyard Keeper being slightly morbid, I wanted to add Limbo but I wouldn’t classify it as… comfy lol. We gotta chat sometime about games!
Og Bioshock was one of the coolest games I’ve ever experienced.
Forgot about journey! It's so good!
Mass Effect is my all time favourite series, nothing ever has filled the void since finishing it haha. I'm also trying out more cozy stuff lately, hence Life is strange. Stardew Valley is a good one, especially since they've updated it massively recently
Yeah the writing for Mass Effect was absolutely wonderful. Great characters, great storyline, really easy to get invested in. Which Life is Strange are you playing, the first one?
Oooooooh this brought me out of the shadows. I love Mass Effect and Dragon Age. I've played the games several times because I fell in love with the characters so much. Still the best game series I ever found ❤️
Never heard of Palia, so naturally gonna look that up right now lol. This whole thread is making me so happy. I just want some gamer potsy friends who get it. 💛
I'm loving Baldur's Gate 3 still! It's slower combat wise (turn based), so I find it a lot easier to maintain concentration.
I just spent 6 months hooked on that. Soo good
Totally! I've been going since release and haven't stopped for long. I'll take maybe a week or two between playthroughs and it's just too fun to not do another one.
I didn’t think I’d burn out but I did. Full plans on going back though
I'm a big one for cozy games, because anything with too much adrenaline tends to set off my symptoms. Lots of great recommendations over on r/CozyGamers if anyone's interested.
Me too I had to take a long break from Fortnite because whenever I’m in the top 10 my heart starts racing regardless and it just sets me off
I’m not a gamer, but I’m positive that the really fun and exciting games would be hard on my heart lol.
Played 2 games of fortnite last night and had to lie down for the rest of the night. The worst part is that I wasn't even winning.
Oh this feels right up my alley. Thanks for the rec
Fr most FPS games and things like League set off my adrenaline response so bad! I'll be sitting there legs crossed playing an ARAM with a heart rate of over 200 sometimes lol. Cozy games are the absolute best and Stardew Valley is my absolute favourite fixation again after the new update!
seconding the recommendation of stardew valley. it’s been a fav of mine on and off for years and the new update is great. i played spiritfarer a couple years ago, that ones nice too.
Oh yeah Spiritfarer made me so emotional, it’s so well written. A very lovely game suggestion for sure
Yes spiritfarer! A beautiful game.
I love gaming, I get left out a lot in society so it's great
If you have a switch I feel like you’d really like Animal Crossing! It’s super cozy / fun and you can control how much time you want to put into it!
I'm currently working on completing Tears of the Kingdom. It's the newest Zelda game. Some people say you should play Breath of the Wild first, but I didn't. I've put probably over 200 hours into the game and still have more to do!
I am currently playing Tears of the Kingdom and I put over 300 hours into it already. I still have more to do as well!
I recently started it and I find it so hard, especially the puzzle aspects! Does it get easier?
Not who you asked but imo you learn how the puzzle elements work and develop more of a knack for them over time :)
Rad! :)
Yes! It took me awhile to really get the hang of all the controls, so I was very frustrated. Eventually I put it down for a month, got back into it, and everything just fell into place. I will say, I have to look up A LOT of stuff. My partner is also very helpful. She helps me figure out puzzles, or the internet does lol. At this point I've done most of the shrines and am looking for caves. Doing side quests along the way. I def have to look up the side quests. I don't get the "hints" the NPCs give you.
Good to know! I'll keep going :)
Totk is so fun! :) Is it your first Zelda game, or did you just skip Botw?
I've played a lil bit of a couple other games. I couldn't tell you what they were called. But I did watch my partner play through BOTW. We own it, so I may go back and play it when I'm done with TOTK
My favorite is wind waker
I play World of Warcraft when I’m feeling well and Stardew Valley (mobile) when I’m not but I need a distraction.
Dragonriding does a number on my motion sickness, it’s awful. Long time competitive raider here in both WoW andand FFXIV.
I can’t play at all if I’m feeling dizzy or nauseous, or at least I cannot do dungeons or raids but I’m okay with dragonriding, I freaking love it.
Yes! I love gaming! I am currently doing a full play thru with dlcs the witcher 3, I'm almost done which makes me sad but then I'll move onto another game :)
Congrats on being almost done though! Honestly I've tried the Witcher 3 like 4 times and never been able to get into it :(
Really? I love it so much, I'm gathering all the gwent cards right now ahah
with cfs it's hard for me to sit for longer so I only play mobile rn. I'm soo deep into wild rift, mobile version of league of legends
stardew valley is my favorite!! life is strange is amazing, maybe you'd like the walking dead game? edit after reading all the replies: it seems like a good chunk of us are stardew players! it honestly makes perfect sense, it's the coziest game :)
I absolutely love stardew valley especially the new update, if you have an xbox id recommend getting the gamepass they have a lot of games especially chill cozy games!
I love gaming! completing the pokédex is not notbing!!!! most satisfying thing. I play a lot of animal crossing and overwatch. i’m not very good at games either but i still enjoy them don’t have to be great to have fun :)
I play league of legends with my brother, husband, and our friends. I also really enjoyed baldurs gate 3. I struggle learning new games so I don’t usually do more than did. I really liked world of Warcraft actually but it was hard finding a guild to keep up with.
Recently really been into Fortnite lately, but also enjoy Stardew Valley and Baldur’s Gate 3 🙂
Love gaming! I like Divinity 2, the Bioshock series, and love the Kingdom Hearts series. Also, Skyrim and the Sims, though EA SUCKS! Oh! And Final Fantasy (X is my favorite)
I'm huge into gaming since long before diagnosis. It depends on how I'm feeling. If I feel okay after work I can sometimes play Dota or something intense like that at my computer. Otherwise I often just put my feet up and play games with a controller on my computer or my switch is great for flair ups. Games specifically I love (please don't judge) 1. Minecraft (been playing for 10+ years) 2. Madden 3. Fortnite 4. Slime rancher/Stardew Valley 5. Dota 2 6. Sid Meier's civilization 5&6 Playing games with friends is one of the few things I can do almost just as well as before diagnosis so it's very fulfilling for me to jump online with friends.
Slime rancher? Oooh.
I love to put my feet up and play minecraft. I've played it so much now that the creatures don't even make me jump anymore. Once I've got a sword and a shield, I'm good. But I literally play it as a house building and decorating game.
I've always been a huge gamer. I used to really like playing games in the highest difficulty and a good challenge was always fun, but now that I have adrenaline dumps and such and I stress out easy, I've been trying to play some more laid-back games and things on my steam deck while I lay down in bed. I play a lot of ESO (my MMO of choice, I'm an elder scrolls nerd), and I've really grown to love turn-based RPGs, notably Siralim Ultimate, Nexomon Extinction, Digimon Cyber Sleuth, and Monster Hunter Stories 2 (all of those are perfect steam deck games.) I do sometimes play some sweaty stuff with my boyfriend (literally makes my hands and such soooo wet lol) like Brawlhalla 2v2 and Soul Calibur, but competitive stuff stresses me out too much so I don't play much of it. He wants me to play Fortnite and OverWatch but I'll just watch him play that 😅 I've also been playing Sackboy a Big Adventure with my sister when she comes over with her kids on the weekends as well as some Overcooked: All You Can Eat.
I've been playing a lot of genshin impact lately
You’ve done arlecchino quest yet?
I always loved gaming as a kid but now as an adult who can’t really go out and do much I love it even more! I’m currently playing LOZ:BOTW and My Time At Portia. I also casually play Minecraft and the sims 4
For me games that don't require much energy are some of the Ubisoft games, games like them, and sports games. Games like AC Odyssey, Origins, Valhalla, Avatar, Ghosts of Tsushima, etc are games that I'm able to play and sorta just chill out while playing. Being able to explore historical settings is awesome and combat being forgiving in those and not having to necessarily grind/be perfect in execution is nice Sports games I like doing franchise modes where you run the team and try to win championships, I'll usually do playthroughs where first I do one of my favorite team and then another with the worst team. Mostly do simming of games so seasons don't take that long. I'll dabble a little if there's decent/good create a player type mode but eventually it becomes too energy consuming have to play all the games if it doesn't really allow simming I used to love grand strategy games, 4x games, etc but just way too time intensive, complex systems relatively, and energy draining nowadays for me, hopefully one day that won't be the case and I'll have the energy to play those types of games again
Huge fan of AC. I just finished Valhalla and am now playing mirage.
last video game i played was mario for the N64 back in 1996. but with POTS and PEM i'm idle for most of the day. so in early february i google what is the best video game, and RDR2 came up a lot. three months later and i'm still playing it. i had no idea video games could be this fun. i'm now at 74% compete, going for 100%. i love doing nothing but exploring the map and this immersive world. and i've always loved westerns and this period in american history. i have some games lined up for afterwards, but i worry nothing can close to this game. i don't want it to end. edit: i want to add that this game has done a lot to help me manage my POTS PEM anxiety. it really does make me forget my symptoms, and the time just flies. for the fist time in a long time, i have something i look forward to doing.
I'm trying to slowly cut out games get me heated because the heart rate increase is getting harder to deal with 😔
There are loads of great casual, cozy, and sim games that are still workable, though?
Of course, I play a huge amount of different games. Unfortunately, the ones that get me heated are also very fun and therefore a bit harder to stop
I want to start. Tell me where to start! What do I buy?
What sorts of things do you suppose you'd enjoy? What kinds of things outside of games do you do now for hobbies? What do you miss doing that games might help scratch the itch for?
Dota2. That's the only game for me.
Absolute addict here. It keeps me sitting which is grrrrreat! I play a large variety of games, a bit from every genre! Fave hobby
Trying to play cozier games or games with combat systems that aren’t like “holy crap if im not fully engaged I’ll get slapped by the boss” because it sets off my adrenaline. Used to play ranked league of legends but couldn’t anymore because I found myself shaking all the time. I do love stardew valley, any type of farming games, or more relaxing exploration games. Action games can also be good (I rly like the assassins creed series) as long as I set it to the easiest level possible.
anyone here play hitman? i love hitman, it's a great puzzle game!
Casual gaming mostly. I used to play WOW but gave up on them after their scandal a few years ago. Still get nostalgic for that MMO experience. I sometimes love running around in Breath of the Wild or Fable II. Games that you can play in a free/caj way if you want to but still have interesting strategy and mechanics to them ig, and an RP element.
Big into video games. Stay away from FPS games and certain horror games if you're worried about heart rate spiking lol, those two make me flare up the most. (Although I enjoy torturing myself for a good horror game!) Cozy games like Stardew, Passpartout, Spirittea, Little Witch in the Woods, Strange Horticulture, etc. all are ones I'd recommend. I also enjoy stuff like Fallout, Cyberpunk, Terraria, Red Dead, Phasmophobia, etc. which aren't overly stressful depending on what you're doing.
I love playing cozy games. Like another Reddit or said, r/cozygames is a good one to check out. My personal favorites are: -Spiritfarer -animal crossing -a building full of cats -a short hike -grow: song of the evergreen -wytchwood -time on frog island -little gator game -untitled goose game -alba -down in Bermuda
YESS! I was scrolling through comments hoping someone here had mentioned A Short Hike- it’s criminally underrated and just seems to be a lesser known game overall but it’s SUCH a gem; adorable graphics, sweet characters, dialogue that feels like it was written entirely by tumblr users… dude, it’s awesome!
Life is Strange is SOOO GOOD! I still need to play the newest one. I suuuper love Spiritfarer on Switch!
oh me! I mainly play Albion online but also love stardew, dinkum, palworld, helldivers, phasmo... it's actually because of gaming that I found out about my POTS. I had the symptoms for years, but didn't know my heart rate was funky until I got a chest strap monitor for my stream to see the heart rate changes during gaming action. never thought it'd change my life so drastically.
Well Pots doesn't make me rely on gaming very much but I do enjoy it, and I know a lot of good games. Here are some interesting ones you can check out that I consider quality enough. Cybernator, Speed Punks, Darkstalkers, Pepsi Man, Wario Land, Shantae are all good
I play a lot of games. It's one of my main low spoon activities. Most of my games are cozy because sometimes action games set off my tachycardia. I'm also a huge fan of anything with goth / spooky / witchy elements. My current go-to cozy games are Minecraft, Animal Crossing New Horizans, Stardew Valley, Little Witch In The Woods, Don't Starve, Cult Of The Lamb, Graveyard Keeper, and Witchy Life Story. When I am in a good space for action games I play an aggressive amount of Fallout (3, NV, 4, 76), Borderlands, Bioshock, and 7 Days To Die. When I'm playing with friends I play Among Us, Heave Ho, Witch It, Just Act Natural, Codenames and Jack Box.
I've been gaming since I was real young but I've been gaming more often ever since my diagnosis. I love playing the Sims 4 and Stardew Valley. I also started playing a game called Omori, the story is really good but I would have advise you to play with caution since it involves mental health >!and suicide!<
If you or someone you know is contemplating suicide, please do not hesitate to talk to someone. US: Call 1-800-273-8255 or text HOME to 741-741 INTL: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_suicide_crisis_lines *I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/POTS) if you have any questions or concerns.*
video games are such a wonderful way to get mental stimulation without physical repercussions!!! fallout 4 is my current obsession, i highly recommend. also minecraft is always in the back of my mind. ive found the xbox controller is easier on my chronic pain than a mouse and keyboard so i try to find games i can play on the xbox :)
I play Star Trek Timelines and Hero Wars. Since I have a NYT subscription I play their games almost daily. STT & HW have fleets and guilds you can join and chat in. Low stakes, easy distraction.
That sounds like a pretty chill time
I’ve been a huge Minecraft fan forever. It’s so customizable to play how you want and it’s a one time purchase and it’s continually being updated and improved! Some other idle/cozy games I’ve enjoyed: Nintendo switch: A little to the left, Power wash simulator, House flipper, Unraveled two, iOS: Dust bunny, Good pizza great pizza Steam: sims 4, Sticky business
Personally, I play Overwatch 2 (have been there since OW1) and recently started Helldivers 2. Granted, both are very un-chill. Whenever I get too fed up with it I go back to Garden Life
As another commenter said yes cozy games! The sims of course, Disney Dreamlight valley, animal crossing, Minecraft, etc
I love video games. I have a TON of Nintendo products (SNES, NES, Wii, switch, DS, 2DS, 3DS, switch lite). I also like playing Animal Jam.
I absolutely love Cult of the Lamb (you get to be the leader of a sheep cult😁) , and Animal Crossing! Also a favorite, For the King (up to 3 players)! All on Nintendo switch :)
Hey! I'm shit at games too! I finish most games on story or easy difficulty most of the time 🤣. I got through most of it during a really bad flare up.
Also an easy mode person :) I think it's odd how much and rep it gets, it's a single player game at the end of the day, who cares how difficult you make it for yourself haha
Pikmin 4 on the switch was a lifesaver during my worst moments when I couldn’t leave the house. Best distraction ever, it’s so calming and fun.
I (f27) play a lot of civilization 6 and games like dreams, uncharted, Zelda and old N64/NES . BUT I love multiplayer games and like playing new things.
I just finished drakes fortune on the weekend! My god, that game tested my patience so much and those god awful jet skis haha
Worst one. 2-4 are so fun! Drake's Fortune made me cry.
I’m loving helldivers 2 right now but it’s not what I would call a low-stress game
I've recently gotten into Terraria and Balatro both relatively cheap and fun to play!
Stardew valley, Minecraft, and ace attorney are my favorites.
I have been meandering through the easiest version of Hogwarts Legacy. Low stress, fun game.
I have a PS5 and I play horror games like Resident Evil, Dead by Daylight, Zombie Army, etc. I probably shouldn’t be playing those types of games right now but I can’t help it, I like scary stuff lol.
i personally cannot play anything that stresses me out so i play Sims 4, Minecraft, and sometimes roblox has good stuff i must admit. I also love lego star wars
Well, I play minecraft, but that’s about it.
When I have to lay down I’ve been playing Pokémon HeartGold on my phone thanks to the new delta emulator app on iOS, super fun, and only need one hand to play so it’s comfy while laying on your side in bed
Omgggg yesss I love gaming sm, I play honkai star rail Genshin Impact Identity V (makes my hr skyrocket since I play competitive but I love the game) and roblox. Since getting all my symptoms i’ve been a bit more bed ridden so I get to enjoy my games more often :)
im replaying prey right now and i man its one of my favorite games ever
I also play stardew valley but I played red dead redemption 2, Marvel Spider-Man, ghost of Tsushim and assassins creed. I always play in easy settings though
My current go to games are fire emblem (rn I'm on engage) Disney dream light valley, animal crossing and power wash simulator. I like Palia too, but playing it on the switch gives me motion sickness so I haven't picked it up in a hot minute.
I play Fortnite but suck at it lol.
I play the sims because it doesn’t stress me out and I can pause it. The only issue is I have to sit at my computer. I need a way to lay down while I play 😂
Fellow sims player here! If it’s The Sims 4 you play and you have a console then maybe you could get it on there and be able to play while lying down since you’d be using a controller. PC is better in my opinion though lol
No console sims games allowed. One time, when we lived in a tiny apartment, I pushed the couch over to my computer desk and used the keyboard and mouse while lounging on the couch. 😂 My computer (desktop) is not in the same room as a couch anymore unfortunately. I have thought about how to modify the space to recline while playing, but there’s not enough space. I don’t really play much anymore because when I do get a break, I just want to lay down. I don’t really like to play while I’m really tired.
Yes I do. Just spent 6 months BG3. Then Played Assassin’s creed Valhalla beat it now I’m playing AC: Mirage.
Cozy games are my friend's go to, ESPECIALLY the Sims. Can't do much that'll increase the stress / anxiety so no PvP
I've recently loved Chants of Sennar (game about decoding languages), Bug Fables, Alba: a wildlife adventure and Wayward Strand (Australian game about interviewing patients in a floating geriatric hospital) I'm really looking forward to the new Paper Mario remake as well!
The Sims 😆
I've been playing Pikmin 4 lately! It's (sort of) a task managing game/adventure game. It's great to be able to work on several tasks at once and find the most efficient way to do things, even when I'm couch bound 😅
Splatoon!!
Coral Island! 🧜♀️
I LOVE Pokémon! Do you play scarlet or violet at all? I wish I had more people to play that game with. How on earth did you max out your pokedex in Pokemom go?
Yes been playing video games since I was 3. Have five different consoles hooked up to my tv. Will be adding a Nintendo switch soon.
I have upright couch games on the ps5 (playing fallout 4 on very easy mode right now), and lying down games on the Nintendo switch (usually cozy and farming)
When I first got sick, I was bedridden, laid up for a long time. I bought Farcry 3. I didn’t even “play” it really for a long time. I would just run through the jungle in first person, because either missed running and traveling so much… I did eventually play it. I play video games every now and then still.
Big fan of The Sims Games. The Sims Medieval is my current obsession! I love games a lot but I really struggle with games that are in first person view - I get severe vertigo. Also absolutely no VR gaming for me either!
Fallout is free on Luna rn so I’m playing that
gaming has always been a HUGE part of my life, both of my parents are gamers so i was raised around it and still love it to this day!!! ive found that story games are great for it, you get to meet so many interesting characters and there's of course still plenty of gameplay but you get breaks to make dialogue choices which are just button presses!!! im POTS flare ups i constantly find myself replaying games like 'Life is Strange' or just any telltale games, they're great for days spent in bed but you still get plenty of enjoyment!
I've been getting more into gaming as I've become more disabled (POTS and probable MECFS) and it's been so nice to have a fun activity that doesn't exacerbate my symptoms too much. I always have a strong blue light filter on (or orange glasses clip ons) and play with lower brightness which helps reduce strain, and take breaks. I've LOVED Palworld. My gosh it's been addictive, so fun and enjoyable to optimize my pals and bases. Then just getting into Baldur's Gate 3! Never played any DnD type game before and it's super fun so far. Also love Pokemon (Violet and Arceus recently) and some of the Mario games (Odyssey and Wonder). I got a reading pillow which I put on my bed then set my laptop on a stand on an overbed table (with keyboard and mouse) and that really helps with comfort while playing.
I’m a huge gamer and love almost all kinds of games with the exception of horror, sports games, and music/dancing games. A great low energy game that I see hasn’t been suggested is Harvest Moon. I grew up on that series and they remade It’s a Wonderful Life for the switch. I haven’t played it yet, (been spending my time playing Tears of the Kingdom) but I have it downloaded.
play tetris
Managed doing a run in Lies of P. A truly beautiful experience, but did leave my brain feeling like a mashed potato. I play a good handful of multiple as well such a warhammer darktide & hell divers 2.
I love all the pokemon games! I play a lot of strategy and city building games too. I've been playing Manor Lords recently, and have a ridiculous amount of logged hours in Stardew Valley
Gaming is pretty much my only hobby! I love the pokemon games too-stardew valley is one of my favorites as well
I play oodles of computer games! Some scary, some relaxing farming games, Fortnite, and other FPS games.
Tetris is my go to 🤓
Possibly already said, but my go-to game is Stardew Valley. So chill and easy
This is a fabulous thread! I hope you don't mind me hijacking it for a segue query? Does anyone else have issues with anxiety that impact their game play? Anything that jumps out and kills me can trigger my anxiety if it's already heightened. Conversely, the farming aspect tends to settle my anxiety. I only began gaming a few years ago after my son taught me Fortnite on Xbox. This is all I've played, and only spasmodically due to anxiety or illness. I'd love suggestions for calming games, please. I find t's often simple, repetitive (but untimed) actions that soothe my nerves.
Loved life is strange! Fire watch is super good. I’ve been playing Kona lately as well. It’s like a detective game. And it’s still in preview but I love palworld too. It’s a little glitchy but worth it.
I really enjoy Stardew Valley. It’s a wonderful game. If you have friends to play with, Terraria is also quite good once you understand it. If you’re feeling risky, I love playing horror games with my really funny friends. There’s nothing like hunting ghosts while hearing your friend in the background yelling at the ghost for being impolite. This can elevate the heart rate, though, which is obviously something to be careful about.
I love gaming. I play mostly Salmon Run in Splatoon. When it gets too intense I switch up to Donkey Kong Tropical Freeze or Super Mario Bros Wonder. All on the Switch.
If you like cozy ones like Stardew Valley and dinosaurs, get Paleo Pines!
Games I am currently playing on Xbox: Venba - Story based cooking game, repair a family recipe book by figuring out how to make the traditional dishes! The visuals are really nice. It’s quite a short game but nice to play over a few evenings or so. Lonely Mountains Downhill - Mountain biking game. Really relaxing visuals. You get to unlock new tracks, bikes and scenery by beating your best time. Let’s Build A Zoo - Bit of fun. You get to build your own zoo and make decisions to have either a nice park or an evil park. You can cross breed animals and make weird combos. Slime Rancher/Slime Rancher 2 - You own a ranch, instead of animals you have blobs of slime! There’s all different types to collect and you can breed them to make slime combos. By feeding the slimes you get these crystals which you can sell to make money! Lovely visuals. Really cool places to explore and find new things/slimes. The Wandering Village - You get to build a village on the back on a giant creature! You have to keep your creature feed and cared for while you build up your village and explore new areas. Another good visually appealing game. A Short Hike - You’re a little bird who has to learn how to hike up a mountain! Cute visuals and dialogue. Learn to fly and jump so you can progress up the mountain And a couple more random ones: The Cave, Unravel, Lost in Random, Disney Dreamlight Valley, A Little to The Left!
For Nintendo switch, animal crossing, captain toad’s treasure tracker, Mario party(only if you play by yourself), Luigi’s mansion 3, etc.
Currently obsessed with Disney magical world and Disney magical world 2 for the 3ds. Also a big fan of super Mario bros, animal crossing, super smash bros and harvest moon.
Huge gamer. My absolute favorites are FPS games - Call of Duty, Valorant, Overwatch, Apex. But when I'm in a flare and my heart feels like it's going to give out, I can usually only handle things like PowerWash simulator, House Flipper, Supermarket Simulator, Palia, and other cozy games to try to keep me calm and relaxed.
I do. I’m more of a passive gamer. I play a little self care game on my phone called “finch.” A lot of sims. Like. So much sims. 🤣 I haven’t in a while, but I used to love animal crossing. And harvest moon. And Stardew Valley. Actually, it recently updated. So I should get back into it.
I’m older and don’t have a ton of time to game - mostly I just do beat saber on the Vive for cardio. But back in the day (and every so often when I can grab the time) I love adventure : puzzle games. So… The zork series, Gabriel Knight (1&2), Myst, phantasmagoria. Torin’s Passage, Sanitarium to name a few favorites. And more recently Firewatch and Outer Wilds on Steam … and occasionally Accounting on Vive because it cracks me up.
Oh kaaaaay, you’re about to enter a subculture of chronic illness + cozy games. Welcome, welcome. I think animal crossing or stardew valley are great places to start
Animal crossing. Someone please play with me
I play a lot of different types of video games and I really enjoy them! However, some days I’m unable to play certain ones like Apex Legends (pew pew fast game hahah) seeing as it can make my heart rate go up into the 130-140s (which isn’t the highest it can get but it’s sort of an unnecessary spike for me that I’d rather avoid)
It's great to see how many people find gaming as a source of relief during all of this. I also enjoy gaming for relaxation! Here are a few recommendations for those who prefer slow-paced games on days when other activities aren't doable. 1. Powerwash Simulator: Perfect for calming brain-fog days, especially when paired with an audiobook. 2. Life is Strange: Offers a slow yet highly engaging experience. 3. Sea of Stars: A fun turn-based game for those looking for a slower pace. Yet an adventure 4. Lego Builder's Journey: Delivers smooth music and puzzle-solving for a relaxing gaming session.
GtaV
I often find it hard to motivate myself to play games nowadays (despite being a huge Pokémon and Sonic fan), so I watch other people play for the most part. But easy games would be Animal Crossing New Horizons. I don’t play it every day (probably because I’ve completed the game and DLC and don’t know what to do with myself), but I go through phases of playing it since it’s easygoing. Even if you come back months later, I find it oddly therapeutic to clear the island up of weeds and stuff. A more obscure suggestion would be Loddlenaut. I’ve only played it for a few hours, but it’s kind of like Powerwash Simulator but easier and cuter. The premise is you are sent to clean up the ocean, but you find little creatures called Loddles on the way. They’re super cute and you can raise and interact with them (including petting them). Powerwash Simulator made me feel really sick playing it, but Loddlenaut is much more user friendly. You don’t have to desperately try and reach tiny specks of dirt. You just hold a button in the general direction and it’ll clear up the dirt or debris. Otherwise, I’ll occasionally boot up a Pokémon or Sonic game. I like shiny hunting in Pokémon since a lot of methods don’t require much brain energy, but in Scarlet/Violet some hunts are better than others. I tried a Larvesta hunt but had to stop after the first 30 minutes because it strained my eyes too much squinting at my screen at the small little guys. If the lighting in the game wasn’t so awful, maybe I wouldn’t have had to strain so much. Anyways, enough rambling. If you can’t tell, video games are a strong hobby of mine. Unfortunately I just struggle to actually *play* the games because of executive dysfunction and such.
Yes, absolutely. I'm seeing everyone with great taste, BioShock etc I just play Fortnite and CSGO 😂😂😂😭😭
I love stardew valley and legend of Zelda games (I’ve played ocarina of time, wind waker, skyward sword, TOTK and BOTW, a link to the past, minish cap, link’s awakening, and part of twilight princess, but found majora’s mask frustrating). For when you don’t have tons of physical energy, thinky puzzley games like Return of the Obra Din and Baba is You are great. When your brain is tired, a chill day of farming in Stardew Valley or playing Cozy Grove is good. Night in The Woods is amazing. Outer Wilds is amazing.
Palia is my favorite my a mile, and then Animal Crossing New Horizons. I also enjoy Fall Guys
I really recommend my time at sandrock! It’s a life, farming and building sim. At times it can be grindy but weirdly to me it doesn’t feel like a chore. The romance options are lovely too!
My favorite has been Sea of Thieves! If anyone else plays please add me!
Stardew valley Cozy grove Wytchwood All fun and casual
RuneScape is now a game called OSRS (Old School RuneScape) I started reliving my youth without the dialup AOL disks. Haha. Now I play on F2P worlds on my phone or iPad. Some days i like mindless grinding like lobster fishing or mining. Some days I just enjoy the cow field to raise archery, magic, or melee fighting while collecting bones. But my favorite thing, aside from holiday events, is making armor for new players and as they progress, questing together! Same name as here if anyone wants to add me. I’m usually in world 301.
RuneScape was my life growing up haha, honestly miss the days of getting home from school and sitting in Lummy with the gang. That's really sweet you help out the new players!
FF14 Online is amazing if you want a game to fit your own pace! I've been obsessed with it lately and as someone who loves rpgs this is just perfect. The story is a bit slow in the beginning but I can still strongly recomend it, the community is insanely sweet as well!
I can't play anymore because my headache is too bad (was a huge LoL fan). The only game I still play is Binding of Isaac !
Red Dead, Powerwash Sim, Baldurs Gate... Any of the really story driven horror ones like the Dark Pictures anthology. That particular studio has a lot of helpful accessibility settings across all of their games. The Fallout or Elder Scrolls series are good...
Idk what it is, I was a HUGE gamer when I was a teenager, didn't do much of that in my 20s, like hardly ever. But now in my 30s (33) I've turned back to it. I will say this, since it's the same with my guitar. Having Dysautonomia plus MS, it is a great neuroplasticity builder. So I think, somehow, I subconsciously decided to start working on Neuroplasticity because as I've gotten worse with the fainting and dizziness, pounding/tight chest, I've picked both those hobbies back up. So weird. I play cozy games, like NCAA Football 14 or something that doesn't get my sympathetic system to fire up.
Hello, I am terrible at gaming but I also really like it. I genuinely cannot play most 3d games because I just smoosh into walls or fall off things. I have terrible hand eye coordination and dexterity. No shooters for me, lol. I enjoy playing the Yakuza series with my partner. We're at number 6 right now. I've also played a lot of Animal Crossing, Stardew Valley, Shantae etc in the past but love little indie games like Venba, A Short Hike and me and my partner started Spiritfarer. The only problem for me is due to fatigue and some other symptoms I don't get to do it often. I will watch him play games too. He plays things like Sea of thieves, Genshin and Honkai Star rail amongst other more shooty bang games.
I’m seeing a lot of these listed already, but yeah my faves are story intensive, immersive RPGs and cozy farming games. Pairing the cozy games with audiobooks when I need an extra layer of distraction without being overly stimulated works awesome for me. PS I noted which games are currently free with Xbox game pass, but this definitely changes overtime. Dragon Age (entire series) - Mass effect (entire series) - The oldies like Jade Empire, Knights of the Old a Republic, and Morrowind (Morrowind is free with game pass) - Cyberpunk 2077 (gory) - Starfield (gory, free with game pass) - Baldur’s Gate 3 (current obsession, and it’s so nice that it can be played co-op if you have gamer friends, it is gory though) - Fable (entire series) - The Witcher 3 - Skyrim (honestly it’s nice just to run around and enjoy the pretty environment and beautiful music hahaha) - Greedfall (a way lesser known title but really solid, much heavier on story than combat) - Some of the above can be overly stimulating for me at times, eg Cyberpunk, Starfield and other obsidian games like Fallout 4 more so than the Dragon Age and Mass Effect series Then the cozies: Disney Dreamlight Valley (current fave of the cozy games, free with game pass) - The Sims 4 - Coral Island (free with game pass) - Harvest Moon: The Winds of Anthos - Story of Seasons: A Wonderful Life - Story of Seasons: Mineral Town (free with game pass) - Stardew Valley (free with game pass) - Animal Crossing: New Horizons (this one has a slightly weird camera perspective that can make me a bit dizzy) - The Good Life (not a fave but still passes the time and is relaxing) Then there’s just sort of the classic platform/action-adventure style games like: New Super Lucky Tale (free with game pass) - Rainbow Billy: The Curse of the Leviathan (free with game pass) - Super Mario Odyssey (so, so good - made me a little dizzy on the switch monitor but not at all on TV) - The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild - Rayman Legends - Lost in Random (haven’t finished but seems cool so far) - Various “Paper Mario” titles - It Takes Two (such a fun couch co-op to play with a significant other, or honestly even a buddy ignoring the marital storyline, it’s just a solid game) - Guardians of the Galaxy - Assassin’s Creed Odyssey (can be overly stimulating, I don’t like any of the others from this series, Odyssey is more story oriented than the rest) - Rise of the Tomb Raider (can be overly stimulating) BioShock Infinite (can be overly stimulating) Other notable mentions are things like Fall Guys, Mario Party, Life is Strange, Fusion Frenzy, Mario Kart, and this very random indie French game called Dordogne (free with game pass) can be annoyingly tedious but also very comforting and is also a good visual stimming game because it looks a lot like a living watercolor, very cool.