Cozy Games for Mood Repair, Stress Reduction, and Well-Being

Abstract

People often look for sources of entertainment in order to cope with daily life preoccupations. Video games are an example of such an activity. More often than not, video games present challenges and situations of conflict in order to retain the player's attention. In contrast to these common types of games, we may sometimes come across one that breaks the mold and presents the player with plentiful resources, calming music, and/or an overall sense of calmness without any clear time-sensitive objectives to pursue. These types of games which evoke a sense of coziness in players are known as Cozy Games and have been a part of the video game industry for a long time, yet they have only recently become a more standard genre for developers. Although an exact definition for Cozy Games is still up for debate, some studies have already started to investigate their roles in sociopolitical movements. However, there is still little research into Cozy Games as a tool for relaxation and to help cope with stress. In this thesis, we provide a characterization of the Cozy Games genre based on community and industry-based discussions on the topic as well as collected survey responses. We are also interested in finding whether and how Cozy Games might affect mood repair, stress reduction, and overall well-being of players. In order to begin exploring these questions, we devised a mixed-methods study with a heavy focus on qualitative analysis to narrow down which features in games make them feel cozy and whether they can help with stress relief and mental well-being.