Games for the soul

An occasionally welcome escape from reality.

This might be quite a niche blog post but it’s something that has been a part of my life for a long time. I remember when I was in year 6 I would rush home from school only to hop on the family computer to play various internet and Facebook games. Solving puzzles online or simply dressing up virtual dolls was the highlight of my day.

I can’t say much has changed since then, I still eagerly wait till the evening after I’ve finished my work and can hop online to play something with my friends. I love the way games would fully take over my attention. When I’m playing I’m not thinking about the stresses of life but rather just joking around with my friends or focusing on gameplay.

I truly enjoy playing games with my friends, rather than playing alone. But over the past few months, it’s been harder to get people’s schedules to align. Everyone has been preoccupied with uni studies, work, or travel. It makes me reminisce about the stark contrast from now which was lockdown when I would see them playing online in the morning! 

As my friends have been playing less, I’ve been feeling less motivated to play as well. It’s quite unfortunate to lose motivation to do something you love so much. Thankfully, recently I’ve come to discover some different types of games that cater more to a single-player rather than being co-op focussed. ‘Unpacking game’ is one of them, a strange game but captivating storyline in which you help this person unpack boxes and her story as she moves through various stages of her life. ‘Pokemon Shield’ is the second game I’ve been playing recently, as a relatively new player to the world of pokemon I consider it to be quite a beginner-friendly and easy-going experience. 

There are many ways to wind down after a busy semester, and for me, one of them is playing some light-hearted games. What’s your favourite way to decompress?