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Life Simulator Games Keep Me Sane

A year of gaming through Covid

By Jade HadfieldPublished 3 years ago 3 min read
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Life Simulator Games Keep Me Sane
Photo by Sara Kurfeß on Unsplash

I'm an avid fan of video games, any genre. I've played first person shooters, RPGs, MOBAs, action, adventure, horror - you name it, I've probably played it. But I've always held a special place in my heart for the calmer games, the ones that mimic real life, but without the boring bits.

Life simulation games have a strange reputation within the gaming community. I've been caught playing Animal Crossing in public before and have been accused by a complete stranger of being a 'fake gaming fan', as if there were ever a set of rules I needed to follow to begin with. I've noticed a lot of these types of criticisms come from male gaming fans, though that isn't to say there aren't women who share similar opinions. Women who prefer a hard hitting action RPG over a few hours messing around on the sims are seen as a 'rare breed' - and my time spent playing competitive Overwatch lets me attest to the fact. Gaming is a skill, that cannot be denied, especially with the rising popularity of eSports, but why should that stop us from enjoying the more casual games that are out there? And why does enjoying them gain us an unfavourable reputation?

By Mark Decile on Unsplash

I think it has a lot to do with the mentality of our society overall. We place a lot of pressure on the importance of what we do, rather than what we get out of it personally. Activities that increase skills, gain us money or provide a following are seen as greater than those that provide us with nothing more than enjoyment. Often, when we indulge in something simple - say, planting a flower garden in Animal Crossing - sometimes we might look back and think, 'What did I gain from that?' when that isn't what our goal should be. We need to allow our brains time off, to relax without thinking about whether we're improving or moving on to the next big milestone. Life simulation games can be good for our mental wellbeing because they aren't physically or mentally demanding, and that's what's important about them.

By Connor Moyle on Unsplash

They kept me sane throughout the pandemic. Animal Crossing New Horizons came out just a few weeks after the first big lockdown in the UK. At the time, I was quarantining because of my chronic illness (read more about this here) and I hadn't seen my friends or family in a while. It was a vividly lonely time, one that took a large hit to my mental wellbeing, but I still had my preorder to look forward to and I'll never forget when it hit midnight and the game was unlocked. I hopped on discord with a bunch of friends and we played through the beginning of the game, laughing over island names and lamenting over our least favourite villagers being one of our two starters. It brought us all together, and still to this day keeps us connected, even with restrictions lifted. The true beauty of life simulation really showed itself to me during the harshest year I, and many others across the globe, have faced.

Sometimes it's not even just life simulator games that come under heat. I've been ragged on for enjoying Pokemon - one of the worlds most successful franchises - because it's a typical 'easy, girly' game. Despite the fact that most of my Pokemon friends are male, and Pokemon Go community days are often heavily adult male gatherings, there's always someone on the internet who wants to give their two cents. I'm old enough now to ignore what's said online, but the animosity still bothers me. Why are some so hostile to others, especially those who are only seeking enjoyment, or a break from the mundane 9-5?

I think it's time to put away labels and let all gamers enjoy their preferred genres, no matter the skill, no matter the style. Whether you play The Sims or PUBG, you're welcome in this community.

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About the Creator

Jade Hadfield

A writer by both profession and passion. Sharing my stories about mental health, and my journey to becoming a better writer.

Facebook: @jfhadfieldwriter

Instagram: @jfhadfield

Twitter: @jfhadfield

Fiverr: https://www.fiverr.com/jadehadfield

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