Games to play to escape reality
I love writing this post, gaming has been a hobby I have for over a decade! And even before I loved to watch Let’s Plays, my favourite tradition, I do once or twice a month: Having take-out and watch one of my favourite Let’s Plays.
I have this habit of always rewatching instead of finding new things, even when I started to challenge myself this year to explore new things. I always love to watch a Let’s Play (Or at least start watching) when I find a new game. With me knowing my interests, I know rather quickly if I would like it or not. I only do this for PlayStation games since we all know they are not the cheapest sometimes.
And speaking of this, let’s start with exactly that!
Playstayion
Because of my father, I am a PlayStation girl; I grew up with them around. I always played on my father’s PlayStation three when I was younger. Also, he has a PlayStation Portable, which I loved. When we were on vacation, I ALWAYS borrowed it and played tennis; he had this cool tennis game I loved.
I got my own PlayStation three so we would stop arguing about it, since I wanted to play, but the moment my father came home from work, he forced me away so he could play, even when I had just started.
I remember when GTA V came out, he didn’t let me get a chance to hold the controller. Speaking of it:
1. GTA V
It’s not for everyone, but it always has a special place in my heart. It was my first PlayStation game. Even when I was not eighteen, I knew I had it. I still don’t know how my mom was okay with this, since she was huge on the ‘No horror movies till you are eighteen’ even when I watched a lot of disturbing horror things on YouTube at eight. (And the horror movie age requirement also didn’t work on me, haha.)
I always played this on my PlayStation three with my ex-boyfriend and ex-bestfriend. We had a lot of fun doing this. I have such good memories with this game, it came with me from my PlayStation three, to my four, and now to my PlayStation five.
It’s an open-world game, where you switch and play with three characters: Michael, Franklin, and Trevor. It’s an action game where you follow their path. It’s an ego shooter with non-linear gameplay.
Even when it might not be for everyone because of my history with it, it will always have a special place in my heart for sentimental value.
2. Hogwarts Legacy
I got this as a gift from my father, and I feel absolutely in love with the game. It became my comfort game when my mental health was bad, and I was stuck in my toxic family. I could get my brain off, take care of my magical creatures, explore, and honestly, sometimes get my frustration out on the bad guys, haha.
I think I played that game from start to finish five times or something already. You can see how dedicated I am to repeating the same things, as I mentioned, watching the same thing, or playing the same thing. Weird fact: I don’t do this with reading.
3. Star Wars Battlefront
Okay, it’s safe to say I have a specific taste when it comes to my PlayStation games. I can assure you the cozy stuff comes later. My PlayStation is always where I play the most, and where I get everything I want.
I am a Star Wars fan, and growing up with things influenced me a lot. I got this game because it was on sale for 4 euros, and I jumped on that immediately.
You can play it online or not, but I don’t like to play online, just by myself. You even have a part you can play as Darth Vader, which is cool. But you can also play as the good guys, depending on what you want, there are different things to choose from.
4. Outlast
I am a huge horror girl, as I mentioned in some posts, and I am also a little bit of a Horror game fan, so this was my first horror game for my PlayStation. It has many games.
It’s a survival-horror indie game. And I think if you are scared easily and don’t have a good stomach, this one might not be for you. I don’t have a problem with horror movies or games, which might come from me (In secret, obviously) watching horror videos on YouTube and horror movies when I was a teen.
You follow the game storyline, which I found interesting when I first came into contact with it. So, if you like exploring and survival horror games, this might be a good one for you if you have the stomach for it.
5. FNAF (Five Nights at Freddy’s)
Another horror game, or more like games, there are a ton out there for this one. If I were to write about all of them, you would be sitting here for hours if I went into detail, but it’s another survival horror game. A point and click one, which involves so much more further down the line.
I got most of them and played them (Or at least started), and I like them.
There is a new one out called Secret of the Mimic, and I don’t know why, but I am obsessed with that. I watched the Let’s Play for it from a YouTuber called CoryxKenshin, more than I can count. I can recommend him for FNAF Let’s Plays.
Back to the topic, and I am currently playing that game myself. I really love games where you can run around and explore, while also having something to do!
Wii
I still have mine from when I was a kid. I admit I haven’t played it in a long time, but I loved this thing as a kid. It was my favorite, and I had three all-time favorite games I played all the time, even with my mom.
1. WII sports
This was always so much fun; you could move while still gaming, and it was a free workout. I loved to play tennis there, you see, I have a love for tennis, but might never really play it in real life because of my sickness, especially my arms.
There are different sports you can choose and play. I also always loved baseball, even though it’s another thing I can’t play. Maybe that is why I loved them so much, I don’t know.
Same with bowling, my mom also loved that one, so most of the time when we played together, we were just bowling on the WII together.
2. Animal Crossing
I had it on my WII first before I have it now on my Switch. It was my mom’s favourite game, and the only one she could operate even without my father or me explaining it. And I love that for her, my mom isn’t really good with games and controllers, even when she tried. Can’t count how many times my mom made my car in GTA V explode or got the police behind her because she was running over people walking.
So, this game is also mom-approved!
It’s such a cozy and relaxing game to get your mind off and just enjoy the time you spend with it.
3. Let’s dance
I loved that game, I could’ve played it every day, and I want to play it again more often. It was my favorite when I was a kid. Every WII game evening my mom and I had, I wanted to play this as well.
My mom didn’t like it, so it was always a compromise. We played bowling a few times, and then sometimes we could play this.
I never understood why my mom dislikes dancing so much. I absolutely adore it, and it’s still my favorite workout to do.
Nintendo switch
I have the light version for some cozy gaming in bed, but it was a gift I got a few years ago when it came out. But it’s fine, I have my PlayStation for TV Gaming.
The confession I have to make: It’s the least gaming device I use, which I want to change now, too. I have so many moments I want to game, but I don’t want to sit on the ground and turn the PlayStation on, and it seems to always slips my mind that I have this one.
1. Animal Crossing: New Horizons
It’s such a cozy game, I love it, and a few years ago, I got the Switch Light just for this. I love to rest on the couch, have something on in the background, and play with it. A childhood game that gives me so much happiness to play.
Sometimes my best friend and I visit each other’s island when we play together. It’s so much fun exploring your island or one of your friends’ islands.
2. Friday the 13th
What can I say? I will be a horror girl. I got this game for my PlayStation as well. Actually, first for it and then for the switch, but I started to play it more on the switch.
I have a confession to make: sometimes I play Jason and not search for the camping people, but explore Camp Crystal Lake. Not the entire time, but it’s so fun to explore around.
This game can be played online, which I don’t even know, but I am sure it can be fun. Yet, I never play online.
°❀⋆.ೃ࿔*:･°❀⋆.ೃ࿔*:･
Phone and iPad games
Sometimes I love to just explore the App Store and try out new things; these are the ones I play a lot and/or have been playing for years, since I love them so much. Maybe you find something lovely in here, too.
1. Chess
I love to play chess, but I don’t have anyone to play with since I am the only one who can in my friend group and family! So this one is lovely, you can play chess and even do chess puzzles. You even have help when you are not yet completely secure to play it, which will help you learn it.
2. Jigsaw puzzles
I got this puzzle app last year after I bought myself a puzzle for my birtday but I tried to do it in the middle of a bronchits and the flu. Yeah, trying something out, you have to concentrate when you can’t even sit up without being dizzy? Stupid idea.
But I desperately wanted to see if it’s just the puzzle I got that made me unable to do it. It’s a really hard one to start, so I got the app to see if it’s me or the puzzle. It was the puzzle!
Because I loved this app, I spent a lot of time playing it, especially at the airport last year. I was so on a roll with it that I even bought the pack where you can skip the ads because it annoyed me so much to get out of the focus. So, I loved it so much I invested a little money into it!
3. Happy Colour
As a creative person, I love this one, especially since you can just get your mind off and color after numbers. It’s something I got from my mom; she always used the app, and I decided to try it out on her phone.
Since then, I have it on my phone and play it a lot when I want to be creative but don’t want to paint or draw myself.
4. Piano Tiles
I am a piano girl, I always was and always will be. I am teaching myself this with the small one I have in my home, but this App I have had for years since I always wanted to play!
Just a heads up, if you have OCD, as I do, it could make you mad. I have days where I can’t play it, because if I miss a tile, I am getting so annoyed, and play it for hours so I can get it right. For everyone else, this can be a relaxing time since you can focus on the tiles in front of you and not think about anything else.
5. Screwdom 3D
It’s a game I found a few months ago and love it, it’s like a puzzle too, you have to solve by matching the screwer to the box colors you have and unscrew the object you have in front of you.
This one is really fun; you have to think to know you do it right, so you don’t lose. I love things where I can also use my brain; that’s a fun fact, I have to keep my brain trained.
And this is a fun way to do it.
6. Good Sorting
I love organizing and everything in between. This one is so fun, too. I also just recently got this app, but it’s one of my favourites already. You have a supermarket shelf and have to sort three pieces of the same object together, exposing the items behind them when you match them into one shelf.
It’s a fun thing to do when you are on the couch and maybe listen to some music in the background.
7. Cooking Mama
This game was my favourite as a kid on the Nintendo DS, so I got this one on my phone for nostalgia purposes, and sometimes I like to play it. It’s so interesting to see how different some games were back then from the quality and interaction of games we have today.
8. Pigment
A recent App on my iPad, I love so much, you have another coloring app, but this time you can choose the colors and places as well as really color it in. Like a coloring book.
This one, again, is relaxing when I don’t want to draw on Procreate and just want to color a bit, turning my brain off and letting my creativity do its job.
Gaming has been a hobby of mine for so long, and I always hid it, not even sure why, but now I love to give some recommendations. These are the ones I have used for a long time or a lot because they are so fun, but I am always on the lookout for new ones.
xx
Lena
