Although we traditionally think of video games as mere entertainment, some developers deliberately work on creating healthy titles that will bring joy or respite to their players at critical life moments. They are called wholesome games . The Cambridge dictionary definition of wholesome itself explains well what this genre is about: it is everything that "is good for you, and is likely to improve your physical, mental and emotional life."
The most recent example may be Animal Crossing: New Horizons , the popular Nintendo title. Precisely, the relaxing atmosphere of some of its settings -such as the beach, the gardens and the town we visit- and its adorable characters -such as Canela, who is a dog of the Shih Tzu breed- are common in this type of games, in those that predominate the soft color palettes and the simple strokes.
However, although their visual appearance may make us think of them as simple and naive, wholesome games also deal with delicate and committed subjects. Be it the loss of a loved one, the breakdown of a relationship or the care of the flora and fauna of an ecosystem.
Sofía Francisco is the author of several books on video games and collaborates in specialized media on the same subject. In his case, he relates that the video game A Short Hike , by Adamgryu, "partially healed" the guilt he felt for not being able to be with his mother in a cancer operation. "It was impossible for me to attend due to an agoraphobia problem that prevented me from leaving the house, so I felt that I had failed my mother," she explained.
Due to the great similarity between what Sofía Francisco lived and what the protagonist of A Short Hike faces , the author felt connected and "that made me open but at the same time heal the wound." For Sofia, this self-improvement title, in which we climb a mountain, explore what is in it freely and talk to other hikers seeking comfort or help, talks about real things. "Perhaps too real," he says.
Along the same lines, the creators of these games also want traditionally discriminated groups to feel represented, such as people belonging to the LGTBI + group or with functional diversity.
To learn about the latest wholesome games projects , a community of developers and players called precisely Wholesome Games, founded in February 2019 and curated by independent developer Matthew Taylor, issued a YouTube direct on May 26 presenting the latest news from some developers independent. With nearly 120,000 views, the video featured up to 50 healthy video games and various statements from its creators. With no editors or sponsors, the project already has more than 35,000 members.
In addition to the YouTube channel, Wholesome Games has a small website where you can keep up to date with the news of video games covered by that category, a profile on social networks Twitter and Instagram and a Discord server, where users can actively participate and strike up conversation with developers.
In it, users are aware of launches and live shows, share their friend codes from different consoles, talk about video games such as Animal Crossing or Pokémon and add nice material or designs that they make or find on social networks, such as tweets, images and illustrations. Everything that inspires well-being is well received in the community
In conversation with Verne , Matthew Taylor, founder of the project, explains that most people place the beginning of the genre with the first Animal Crossing , almost 20 years ago. Now titles like Ooblets , Spiritfarer , A Short Hike or Kind Words and many others share space with the Nintendo franchise, having earned a place among the public.
In this regard, Taylor does not believe that the wholesome games and the community he runs are currently more popular due to the sense of polarization and confusion that we have experienced in recent months. Instead, he believes that "these players have always existed" and that over time they have known like-minded people and ways to share their interest in these games.
There are video games that also create their own community, apart from the existing one around the Wholesome Game. For example, PopCannibal's video game Kind Words (lo fi chill beats to write to) precisely gamifies the power of users by creating support networks. In this wholesome game we are an alter ego inside a relaxing room from where we can send and receive letters from other players. Therefore, the main mechanics of the title is to write letters, be they words of encouragement or comfort, but in a virtual space with relaxing music, soft colors and positive messages from Ella, a purse that guides us and keeps us company .
Through virtual correspondence with some supervision, since users can report everything that is offensive and generate a safe space for everyone, the player ends up being part of what PopCannibal defines as "a warm and welcoming environment" in which We have an opportunity to "use words to encourage others and be encouraged in return."
In total, over a million letters have been sent in Kind Words . Ziba Scott, founder of PopCannibal and creator of the title, announced the figure in the Wholesome Games live and accompanied her with some of the moving phrases that users have sent. In exchange for the good work of the community, the development study provided players with a free update of the title that same day, adding news and improvements.
Other wholesome video games , even without having the overcoming of A Short Hike or the cooperation between players in Kind Words , have helped many other people feel better, such as Alejandro Cáceres. The co-founder of development studio Monte Perdido and narrative designer tells Verne that wholesome games are a constant in his life, because they help him overcome the anxiety he suffers from in general.
During the confinement of COVID-19, Alejandro turned to Animal Crossing: New Horizons to counter the discomfort and uncertainty he felt in those days. "When I was really stressed out at night and I couldn't shut my head up, I would grab the Switch from the table and get to play," he explains. Despite not having played the saga before, Cáceres states that all the elements of the title (soundtrack, character design, settings ...) conveyed "tranquility" to him, so that "he managed to fill me with a positive feeling. It has been a totem during the most difficult days of quarantine. "
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