From 'git gud' to getting cosy

Honestly, I'm too old for the stress. I've tried to love Souls-like games, really I have. I put 20 hours into Dark Souls 3, 30 into Elden Ring, and 60 into Sekiro. I even have 280 hours in Hollow Knight. But the community that surrounds them? It's often insufferable. If you complain in any way whatsoever, you're just hit with a wall of "skill issue" and "git gud" comments. It's elitist, it's toxic, and frankly, it's rubbish.

Git gud, scrub!

Just one example of many would be this comment on my review of Hollow Knight: Silksong:

Mad because bad. In your pathetic ignorance, you conflate you sucking ♥♥♥♥ at the game with the game being poorly designed. That's okay though brother, we can't all be smart.

~ NegativeZero

The rise of the cosy

Thank god, then, for the massive rise of "cosy" games. It's the perfect antidote to the sweat-fest of hardcore ARPGs. While Stardew Valley is considered the king, the genre has exploded with games like Dave the Diver, Unpacking, A Little to the Left, hidden object games like A Castle Full of Cats, and study-buddy entries like Spirit City: LoFi Sessions.

Cosy game, Whisper of the House

These games prove that challenge isn't the only way to find satisfaction. Sometimes, you just want to organise a room or run a sushi restaurant without having a heart attack.

A growing community

If you want to see more cosy games, head over to r/cozygamers on Reddit. It's a welcoming group, and you won't find any of that gatekeeping nonsense there.

It goes to show how diverse our hobby really is. You can spend your morning fighting gods in Black Myth: Wukong and your evening decorating a cottage in Tiny Glade. If you have the free time, that is!