StaceyPowers Posted March 26, 2020 Share Posted March 26, 2020 I am pretty sure right now I am not the only person who is dealing with a lot of extra anxiety. I use gaming on a nightly basis to help me deal with my OCD and sleep, and it usually works pretty well. But with coronavirus rampaging around, I have quite a bit of breakthrough anxiety. And I am betting that even those of you who don’t have anxiety disorders may be feeling more tense and uncertain than usual. So, what games are the best to soothe anxiety and help us relax during this difficult time? For me, I think the best games in this respect fall into several categories: -Games that force me to be in the moment. For example, this would include first person shooters, or intense stealth games like TLOU. Because they demand so much intense concentration and focus, they help to disrupt anxious thoughts. -Games that take me into a different world/story. Other games that help me to cope with my anxiety are those which pull me outside of my own head and place me firmly in someone else’s. Well-developed worlds paired with well-developed characters help here. The games that seem to do the best in this regard for me are those like Dragon Age and Mass Effect. There is a lot of rich lore to dive into, a solid story, and richly developed characters who feel very lifelike and real. -Super relaxing chill games. Finally, games like Elder Scrolls and Fallout are awesome for coping with anxiety. First of all, the very task-based nature of them makes it easy to get into a flow, and hijacks my obsessive-compulsive circuits and puts them to better use than fretting about my problems. Secondly, the peaceful music and serene landscapes get me into a really chill state of mind. I find that Oblivion in particular is amazing in this respect with its lovely compositions and lush landscapes. What about you? What games are you playing right now to keep anxiety at bay? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Blackangel Posted March 26, 2020 Share Posted March 26, 2020 I’ve been sticking to some of the games I’ve mastered for the most part. Zelda games and different indie games on the NES. But one that I find relaxing isn’t a typical game. It’s a mobile game. Word Cookies. It gives you a bunch of letters and you have to find the words to fill the level. The words are prechosen, and you figure them out. There’s no time limit or anything like that. I recommend it anyway. StaceyPowers 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
StaceyPowers Posted March 26, 2020 Author Share Posted March 26, 2020 2 minutes ago, The Blackangel said: It gives you a bunch of letters and you have to find the words to fill the level That sounds similar to the terminal hacking puzzles in Fallout (which I actually like). Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SaucyPastaTho Posted March 27, 2020 Share Posted March 27, 2020 4 hours ago, StaceyPowers said: That sounds similar to the terminal hacking puzzles in Fallout (which I actually like). I think tbe game he's referring to is letter master or letter quest. And for me Netflix or streaming movies / TV soothes my anxiety. Very rarely does a game do that. However when it does it's usually games with simple objectives and non tedious quests. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
skyfire Posted March 27, 2020 Share Posted March 27, 2020 I'd say currently puzzles, word games, board games, MOBA anything that you can either play solo or with online or family friends can be good for anxiety. I think actions and horror can be pushing anxiety though. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Blackangel Posted March 27, 2020 Share Posted March 27, 2020 12 hours ago, SaucyPastaTho said: I think tbe game he's referring to is letter master or letter quest. And for me Netflix or streaming movies / TV soothes my anxiety. Very rarely does a game do that. However when it does it's usually games with simple objectives and non tedious quests. 1) It's She. I'm female. 2) It's actually called Word Cookies. You can get it in the app store. It's a free download. I don't know if it's available for android or not, as I use an iPhone. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SaucyPastaTho Posted March 27, 2020 Share Posted March 27, 2020 37 minutes ago, The Blackangel said: 1) It's She. I'm female. 2) It's actually called Word Cookies. You can get it in the app store. It's a free download. I don't know if it's available for android or not, as I use an iPhone. Oh I'm sorry I didn't know. And didn't know that either, all I knew is there was a word game out there something like that called letter quest or something. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
skyfire Posted April 1, 2020 Share Posted April 1, 2020 I think this is one game that can also reduce anxiety. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Alexander. Posted May 19, 2020 Share Posted May 19, 2020 A lot of users in this topic haven't talked much about Board Games. Chess helps me sooth my anxiety. Playing chess has been scientifically proven to stimulate our brains, improve our relationships with each other, and potentially relieve stress. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
skyfire Posted May 20, 2020 Share Posted May 20, 2020 17 hours ago, Alexander. said: A lot of users in this topic haven't talked much about Board Games. Chess helps me sooth my anxiety. Playing chess has been scientifically proven to stimulate our brains, improve our relationships with each other, and potentially relieve stress. You need people for the real life board games and also for online versions mostly being bots. I find it harder to get stuck on the board games. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Alexander. Posted May 20, 2020 Share Posted May 20, 2020 (edited) 7 hours ago, skyfire said: You need people for the real life board games and also for online versions mostly being bots. I find it harder to get stuck on the board games. What's wrong with playing against artificial intelligence (robots)? You can choose your own difficulty whether that's easy or hardcore - we can still stimulate our minds by doing this. Have you got a favourite board-game to play? Edited May 20, 2020 by Alexander. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
skyfire Posted May 27, 2020 Share Posted May 27, 2020 After some time it gets boring and not much challenging. And if AI is too strong, it also gets boring as there is lack of human connection. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
StaceyPowers Posted May 30, 2020 Author Share Posted May 30, 2020 On 5/19/2020 at 11:09 AM, Alexander. said: A lot of users in this topic haven't talked much about Board Games. Chess helps me sooth my anxiety. Playing chess has been scientifically proven to stimulate our brains, improve our relationships with each other, and potentially relieve stress. I’ve never gotten into board games much, but in a similar way I suppose, I enjoy card and dice games. How does chess improve our relationships with each other? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Alexander. Posted May 31, 2020 Share Posted May 31, 2020 18 hours ago, StaceyPowers said: I’ve never gotten into board games much, but in a similar way I suppose, I enjoy card and dice games. How does chess improve our relationships with each other? Kindness for the player - Chess is the most gentleman board game that I know of. You 're not even killing the king of the opponent, you 're just surrounding him. Despite the complexity of playing chess, most players will understand and empathise with the opponent. It's done by, Showing and earning respect which can potentially strengthen relationships and trust. I hope I've managed to answer your question, I've summarised my explanation for you. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Family sedan Posted June 1, 2020 Share Posted June 1, 2020 I ease stress by playing the GT6 Rome races. Seeing the historic city comforts me. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
