Chill out: a new wave of relaxing video games shows there’s more to them than violence

When it comes to video games, violence sells. It’s put front and centre in massive marketing campaigns. This year’s E3, the biggest news event in the video game calendar, featured a lot of violent content, like every year before. It’s saddening how much of gaming is defined solely in those terms – especially when more relaxing alternatives have being going through a mini-renaissance recently. Chill out games that focus on growing and relaxing rather than shooting or racing are not a rarity. They are not given the same exposure as their blockbuster counterparts, but they are plentiful and popular. Stardew Valley, the creation of one determined developer, Eric “ConcernedApe” Barone, has reportedly sold over 3.5 million copies. This is a game about running a farm, interacting with the locals and joining in with harvest and fishing festivals. Its massive popularity reveals that people crave games that involve less stress, and the audience is at least equal to those who want adrenaline-pumping action. There exists a whole subsection of video game YouTubers who specialise in more relaxing or narrative-driven games, a large proportion of them young women. While big game studios largely concentrate on action blockbusters, independent developers are stepping in… Read full this story

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