5 Calming Video Games That Can Improve Your Mental Health

Give yourself a chance to kick back, relax, and find some solace in these five calming games that can improve your mental health.

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Video games have long served as an escape from the anxieties of the real world into the virtual. With so much uncertainty and stress surrounding society during these unprecedented times, now is the perfect occasion to give yourself a chance to kick back, relax, and find some solace in these five calming games that can improve your mental health.

5. The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild

The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild tells the story of the hero Link following a 100-year slumber as he awakens to defeat the monster Calamity Galon. The open-world action-adventure game was released back in 2017, where critics and fans alike praised the depth of the game’s open-world design which made gamers feel like their exploration was endless as they ran around the world of Hyrule. With quarantine keeping everyone locked inside their houses to keep safe, what better way to combat the anxieties of confinement than running around a vast virtual world?

While Breath of the Wild has its own story that players can follow, there is also an abundance of side quests, characters to meet, and beautiful views to take in to keep you busy. And without any game-imposed deadlines to be found, you can take as much time as you need as you travel through this expansive world. You can even forgo Link’s quest and just explore all of Hyrule if you so choose.

The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild is available for the Wii U and Nintendo Switch.

4. Persona 5 / Persona 5 Royal

The original Persona 5 (2017) told a story high schoolers who form a vigilante group called The Phantom Thieves of Hearts and decide to “change the hearts” of the corrupt adults in their society. They do this by utilizing the fictional “cognitive psience” to go into their target’s hearts to alter their cognitions. While this obviously is a fictional subject made for the world of the game, there are many similarities between this and the study of cognitive psychology.

Persona 5 Royal (2020) tells essentially the same narrative but improved on the original game’s subtle mental health emphasis by introducing a guidance counselor character who explicitly acts as the therapist for various characters in the game, including the Phantom Thieves. Combined with the game’s detailed social simulations, beautiful open-world renderings of Tokyo, and emphasis on friendship and emotional bonds between others, it’s a great reminder of all the blessings and good things we have to look forward to once this quarantine ends.

Persona 5 is available for the PlayStation 3 and 4 and Persona 5 Royal is available for the PlayStation 4.

3. The Sims 4

Anxiety can often manifest itself in overwhelming feelings of helplessness as if you aren’t in control. Life simulators like The Sims 4, which give players complete control over every single aspect – including their avatar’s appearance and personality, their world’s design and layout, and the life story they want to live out – have the potential to ease and quell those feelings in a productive way.

With The Sims 4, the possibilities are endless. Want to live out a dream island vacation? Build your dream beach house and lounge on the beach. Sad your graduation was canceled and miss your college friends? Go back to university and earn your degree at the historical University of Britechester or modern Foxbury Institute. Feeling lonely and looking for love? Dress up for a night on the town and head out to the best bars and clubs the city has to offer. Real-life may have taken a pause, but you can still live your life in The Sims.

The Sims 4 is available for Microsoft Windows, Mac, PlayStation 4 and Xbox One.

2. Stardew Valley

An indie farming simulator may seem pretty unassuming at first glance, but since the game’s release in 2016, Stardew Valley has earned a reputation for its calming aesthetic that has the potential to ease players’ anxieties. Some of the aforementioned games, with an expansive array of places to explore and choices to be made, might be a bit overwhelming for players. However, Stardew Valley is very low-maintenance, with players free to live their farming lives as they see fit. And if they mess up a bit – like forgetting to water their plants – the in-game consequences are extremely minor.

Additionally, Stardew Valley relies on a routine structure that players can find comforting, especially now when the majority of society’s “normal” routines have been stalled or disrupted. Plus, the game’s setting of a rural town filled with villagers places a strong emphasis on community, something that many people surely miss during this time of social distancing.

Stardew Valley is available for Microsoft Windows, Mac, Linux, PlayStation 4, Xbox One, Nintendo Switch, iOS, and Android.

1. Animal Crossing: New Horizons

Finally, there’s the ever-popular beacon of light – Animal Crossing: New Horizons. Released just a week and a half after the world seemingly turned upside down, this game has been praised and lauded as a gift in these unprecedented times. And while these praises seem to be never-ending, they’re far from undeserved.

If you aren’t familiar with the game, Animal Crossing: New Horizons is a life simulator that follows the player (you!) as they move to a remote island to start their new life. You have the potential to turn your island into a paradise, filled with friends, businesses, gorgeous views, and more. What separates this game from other life simulators is that it operates in real-time – meaning that you’ll never be lost about what day of the week it is. Plus, with a simple online feature that makes it easy to visit friends’ islands, it’ll be like you never had to say goodbye to all the people you haven’t seen in a month.

Animal Crossing: New Horizons is available for the Nintendo Switch.

Link Source : https://www.thegamer.com/5-calming-video-games-that-can-improve-your-mental-health/