5 Things Blog

Five Things I Hate About… Cosy Games

This article is going to be particularly difficult for me to write. Why? Because I have been playing a variety of so-called “Cosy Games” for years. From “Stardew Valley” to “Animal Crossing”, and many others in between. They are the perfect type of game to come home to, and just de-stress. That said, there are a few issues with this genre of games, so I present to you…

Five Things I Hate About Cosy Games

  1. The Time Sink: Let’s face it: Cosy games may be cute and relaxing, but they also can completely overtake your free time, due to the absolutely insane amount of time they require in order to get anywhere. From seeking to gain every single achievement, to crafting the perfect garden, to romancing the right NPC, it all takes time. So… much… time…
  2. The Cuteness Factor: Like I said before, I enjoy games like “Animal Crossing”, because they are a good way to relax. Unfortunately, the developers of these games seem to think that they must also make these games as cute as humanly possible, as if they are being marketed to little kids! During the early days of the pandemic, people flocked to Cosy Games as a way to kill the time in isolation, and reduce their own anxiety and stress. They continue to play Cosy Games for similar reasons. Adults are now the main audience for this genre of game, so can we get some options that aren’t so damn cloying?
  3. Their Repetitive Nature: It is one thing to be relaxing, I’m fine with that (obviously). What really gets my hackles up about these games is that many of their developers think “Relaxing Gameplay = Repetitive Gameplay”. Doing the same thing, over and over and over again, day after day, gets FUCKING OLD, really damn quick! Do better!
  4. The Hooks: Cosy Games are fun and relaxing, but they also help with feelings of isolation, by introducing you to in-game friends, run by the game, of course. Not only are they (usually) quite cute, they are programmed in such a way as to make you like them… to make sure you want them to remain happy… which means you have to engage with them, a lot. And, should you fail to keep up contact with these characters regularly…
  5. Penalizing You For Taking Breaks: Cosy Games can be a lot of fun, but it is nearly impossible to play more than one, at the same time, day after day. They just take too much of your time individually, to play more than one or possibly two on a daily basis. So what happens if you take a month or so off from one Cosy game, to play a new one? When you return to your old one, your NPC friends give you shit about leaving them, your house has roaches or other pests, and your town/farm/island has gone to shit! That is absolute bullshit, and I won’t stand for it!… except for “Animal Crossing”, I’ve put too much time into my island to see it go to seed…

Okay, with all that in mind, I’m sure it sounds like I absolutely hate Cosy Games. Far from it, actually. I have played several such games over the years, primarily “Animal Crossing: New Horizons”, but also others. Hell, I’ve played some massively multiplayer online roleplaying games as if they were Cosy Games, chiefly “Lord of the Rings Online”. But I can also recognize the many flaws in this genre of games, and call them out, when necessary.

Scormus
I'm the editor, publisher, and primary "talent" here at Scormey.com.
https://scormey.com

Leave a Reply

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.