Comfy gaming. What a lovely idea – a game that you can find an easy place to rest in, create pretty things to make you a little more content than you might feel and truly unwind after the day.

But what does comfy gaming really mean to each of us? There has been a popular rise in the term – and it has mostly been focused on games like Stardew Valley and Animal Crossing. ‘Cute’, sim-type games that let you have a designated area where you can meet people, build a cool farm or island, and essentially just create something homey and warm that you perhaps don’t have the chance to do in real life. 

The real danger comes in when you close it and realise the sun is perhaps coming up or you totally forgot about dinner.  What is it with these games?

I definitely fell into the trap with Stardew Valley specifically. A friend of mine gifted it to me in 2018 for my birthday, but I actually only opened it for the first time in 2020 when I was looking for something to distract me from the nightmare the world turned into. I started playing at around 19:00, and the next thing I knew, it was four in the morning and the birds were singing me to sleep. 

Sure, this might not happen to everyone – but I am acutely aware of my severe lack of self-discipline. And since that night, my love for Stardew Valley just grew and I have about four farms going at any given time. 

But you’re not a farmer?

Yeah, I am one of the furthest things you’ll find from someone who will dig in soil to nurture any kind of life (I have killed cactuses, people). But as we know, games aren’t always about simulating what you can do in reality. In fact, a lot of people play games to do the things we can’t do in our own lives. 

But this wasn’t about farming for me originally. The way the game starts literally drags you into that idea of escape – you start off in a soulless corporation where you’re doing the same thing day in, day out, and your grandfather gifts you an opportunity to live out a quiet life in the country. Sounds fabulous, doesn’t it?

Well, it is. 

Then, besides the magic and cute animals, the thing that drew me in was that the creator of this game – ConcernedApe – did it all on his own. He made this game in what is effectively a corner of his house, with barely a desk even, and it has become a worldwide phenomenon. He was a dude with a dream. That dream connected with millions. 

What are you saying?

Yes, Stardew Valley is a typical example of comfy gaming. It’s engaging, magical (literally), and it comes from an unassuming place. 

Our world is a mess, as I’m sure you’re tired of hearing, and we all need a place of comfort. Video games are immense in the business of escapism, and Stardew Valley offers a unique experience that helps pull you out of it for a little while. 

Truly, we can find fulfillment in a world we helped create. How cool is that?