Playing cards. With no devices and screens. Multi-player. Lots of fun.

If it must be computer, then I go for good old Microsoft games - sweekend puzzle, motorbike madness or midtown madness (I have a Win7 PC with no internet). I also enjoy driving around with Forza and enjoying the scenery of the country side.

I can't even dare to look at the title imagery of these new games on xbox while scrolling through list of games on app store. It's gory, weirdness and insanity being portrayed as high quality.

I guess, humanity in the West craved for some excitement in their lives, due to post-war peace time being devoid of any survival struggle. And the media - movies, music, internet - kept on dumping loads of it. Even the music, which is supposed to flow with soft, pleasant and melodious tunes and beats, has turned into a cacophony of loud shouting and hysteric expressions and acts of the artists.

Similar to how a military band is designed to dispense alert and agility, western music appear to have evolved to dispense fear and anxiety which was missing in their daily lives.

Not only that. Lack of such frantic craziness is seen as boring (I never heard of this word boring in my childhood). Slow life in general is being viewed as socially unacceptable. We are frogs in a boiling pot.

You don't have to join the mad crowd running around ferociously. Just sit back, power on your old computer, pull out the internet cable, enjoy the slow, old games.

You’re referring to a lot of mainstream games, but it’s not hard to find relaxing (cozy) games.

Also, many of Nintendo’s first party titles still have the same charm as their old school titles.

I’m not a fan of a lot of the gory, hyper, crazy games you’re referring to, either, but there are no shortage of games that stick to the traditional charm, and I can always find something to enjoy.

I’m playing through Unicorn Overlords right now, and while I wouldn’t consider it “cozy”, it’s none of the adjectives you use, and reminds me a lot of Ogre Battle on SNES, or Final Fantasy Tactics on PS1.

Having said that, I’m also a huge fan of breaking out a deck of cards or board game and enjoying a quiet game with family/friends.

Heck, I’ll even spend a couple days playing through a solo game of 1862. [1]

[1] https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/66837

>Even the music, which is supposed to flow with soft, pleasant and melodious tunes and beats, has turned into a cacophony of loud shouting and hysteric expressions and acts of the artists.

Ironically, this only shows closed-mindedness and limited view of music (and other entertainment as well).

Seriously though, what is up with people here that go "entertainment is bad (cause i don't know better)", and seemingly have so many people agree with them as well. It's not even funny, it's just kinda sad, if this is even a sincere view and not just obtuse trolling slash some bizarre 'culture war', 'current culture is bad' shit takes. "the gory games", this is some "parents being scared of Doom (1993 videogame)" nonsense, are we seriously recycling all of that idiocy? Just barely new puritanism. Feeling traumatized by the Xbox games catalog is kind of a hilarious image though.

> music, which is supposed to flow with soft, pleasant and melodious tunes and beats…

This is very subjective.

And as you earlier say, e.g. military band music is supposed to do the opposite.

> …has turned into a cacophony of loud shouting and hysteric expressions and acts of the artists.

Chill music is actually very popular these days, especially on streaming media and youtube but it’s also accessible via traditional media.

That's just like, your opinion, man.

There's something incredibly cathartic about ripping heads off of demons to the cacophony of heavy metal (Doom).

> Even the music, which is supposed to flow with soft, pleasant and melodious tunes and beats

There's quite a lot of research that our music exposure between roughly 13 and 16 creates our formative taste.

Everyone has a first time hearing (e.g.) Beethoven's 5th, Autumn Leaves, Bohemian Rhapsody, Killing in the Name, and Blank Space. Their reactions will be different depending on their age, taste, emotional state, musical interests, social context, and so on.

I had a dinner with a friend which is a doctor and one which is a dentist.

They famously consume movies/series that perfectly fit your description.

They told me after a full day being kind and empathetic while also spending a lot of time standing, you just want to see the world burn.

Very enlighting, especially since most of our society works in services

Nintendo has the Animal Crossing series which are certainly relaxing (cozy) games and it's latest one is multiplayer.

I don't know if Pikman counts. Feels a little stressful to me. But of course there's several 3rd party games, the obvious one being Stardew Valley. Lots of other non-streesful games.

I think the rise of cozy games is kind of a counter-response to exactly the overload you're talking about. Not everything in gaming today is high-octane chaos or gritty realism

I agree but you're exaggerating.

Millions if not billions are playing cozy "boring" games like Candy Crush.

In defense of gory games - blood and gore can be framed in different ways. Some of my favorite early PC games were quite "gory", but the violence had a funny element to it. Carmageddon 1 and 2 are still pretty hilarious today because the poor pedestrians can meet such outlandish and ridiculous fates. Half Life also makes me chuckle with its low poly gibs. Gore can be quite silly.

I would suggest you start looking into independent games.

Just this month Blue Prince came out, a puzzle game à la mist but mixed with elements from modern rogue-lite games like Binding of Isaac. It is designed and directed by one guy, Tonda Ros, and it is thoughtful and rewards playing slowly and taking plenty of notes.

>I can't even dare to look at the title imagery of these new games on xbox while scrolling through list of games on app store. It's gory, weirdness and insanity being portrayed as high quality.

>I guess, humanity in the West craved for some excitement in their lives, due to post-war peace time being devoid of any survival struggle. And the media - movies, music, internet - kept on dumping loads of it. Even the music, which is supposed to flow with soft, pleasant and melodious tunes and beats, has turned into a cacophony of loud shouting and hysteric expressions and acts of the artists.

This is just plain wrong, and a sign you are not looking good enough. Never in the history of the world have we been producing the amount much art and culture as we are doing right now, the only problem is that the good stuff will not passively reach you, you will have to take initiative and seek it out.

> Lack of such frantic craziness is seen as boring (I never heard of this word boring in my childhood). Slow life in general is being viewed as socially unacceptable. We are frogs in a boiling pot.

Reminds me of this clip of Jeff Bezos being a total dick to William Shatner.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9GQoHIBDogU

Shatner later realized that 11 minutes in space wasn't really anything to write home about and that billionaires are assholes.

Ah come on. While you have a point, it’s been bread and games, public executions, and sad classical music in D minor for hundreds of years.

> I can't even dare to look at the title imagery of these new games on xbox while scrolling through list of games on app store. It's gory, weirdness and insanity being portrayed as high quality.

What an absolutely stupid generalisation. Play what you want but don't be ignorant. I actually love a good gory or "insane" game but the last 5 played games on my Steam list are Factorio, Overcooked 2, Planet Coaster 2, Pico Park 2 and F1 2023. It's absolutely fine if you don't like video games but to class every mainstream video game as "gory, weirdness and insanity" is ignorant.

Or play Wizardry and be so full of despair. :)

That's a funny way of looking at it... we finally have peace, and most the guys I know spend their free time rehearsing killing!

Yes! I’m always wanting to play with my wife, but she finds it really boring. I find it super fun. Haha

Which Forza would you recommend for doing that?

balatro