If you’re into gaming, sticking to what you know might feel natural, but it could also be quite limiting. Of all the hobbies out there, this is one that’s incredibly varied by nature. That means that there is potentially plenty to gain without having to deviate too much from what you know.
Of course, there’s no guarantee that you’re going to enjoy any of these more than the types of games you already like. However, you have nothing to lose, and the new perspective could open up some new ways of spending time with gaming as a whole.
Shorter Genres
If you’re someone who has typically seen games as an immersive escape, the kinds of games that you might find yourself often playing could be the much longer, more involved kind. Long-form, role-playing games might fall into this category, for example. There’s nothing wrong with these, but it might be that you struggle to use games as a way to fill shorter spans of time. If that’s the case, you might turn your attention to genres that are typically comprised of much shorter play sessions. Games like Hades or Balatro can fall into this – games that you can just pick up and play for as long as you want or until the run ends – as will slot games, or those like poker that you might find through a live casino.
Strategic Games
If the kinds of games that you enjoy are those which need a lot of direct input from you – requiring you to dodge, move and strike in ways that put you in direct control of a character – a more hands-off approach might feel unnatural to you. Typically, with strategy games, your role as player becomes much more about management, whether that’s management of resources or diplomacy or military, that all depends on the kind of game that you play.
While these kinds of games might appeal to you in theory, the learning curve can be incredibly steep. When you load up even the tutorials for these kinds of games, it’s easy to become swiftly overwhelmed by the sheer amount of information on screen. If you do want to give these games a fair chance, though, resisting the urge to exit immediately and instead taking it one section at a time can help you to stave off that feeling.
Relaxing Games
Or, you could take a different approach entirely. Relaxing, comfortable games are nothing new – Animal Crossing has been a household name for many years – but with the sheer breakout popularity of Stardew Valley, they’re becoming much more widespread. This can be a great way to decompress and unwind if you feel that you’re overwhelmed by work, personal responsibilities, the world, or any other aspect of life. Having a way of spending your downtime that isn’t about the adrenaline-pumping action of games like Sekiro or Armored Core and is instead just about finding a gentle space to unwind in might be exactly what you need.
