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Weekend at Dave’s – Episode 8: Take Care of Yourself With These Soothing Video Games
Video Games and Mental Health: Name a More Iconic Duo
A year and change into the pandemic, and things are starting to look up. The weather is warming, restrictions are lifting, and vaccines are slowly becoming a reality. We’re certainly far from normal, though, and won’t be for some time. Now more than ever, it’s important to take care of yourself, your family, and your community.
In honor of Mental Health Awareness Month, this episode of Weekend at Dave’s focuses on soothing, wholesome video games. These are games you kick back with after a long day of work. Games that help you process difficult emotions. Games that give meaning to their pixels, and leave you with a sense of fulfillment and purpose.
It’s a heavier subject than most Weekend at Dave’s entries, but I highly encourage you to tune in! We’ve got great vibes, great tunes (courtesy of LiQWYD), and, of course, great games.
Give a listen below:
MP3 Download | Spotify | Apple Podcasts
Transcript
(00:25) Hi everyone! My name’s David Silbert, and you’re listening to Weekend at Dave’s, a podcast about video game trends, hidden gems… and the occasional hot take.
(00:35) For this episode, we’re diving headfirst into some positive vibes. As some of you may know, this month is Mental Health Awareness Month. And while I’m a big supporter of the idea that games of any sort are good for your mental well-being, there are certain games that really stand out among their peers.
(00:51) So! For today’s episode, we’re delving into five games—some short, others pretty long—that you can play after a long day at work, or school. All of the games here are suitable pretty much for people of all ages, and provide rather safe spaces to process emotions like joy, grief, and everything in between.
(01:09) But enough set up. Without further ado, here are five great video games for mental health. Cue the music!
1. Animal Crossing: New Horizons
(01:37) We start off this list with one of our more obvious choices. If you had a Nintendo Switch during the past year, odds are you played Animal Crossing: New Horizons to survive pandemic life and all the gloominess that came along with it.
(01:50) If you’re by some chance unfamiliar, New Horizons tasks the player with essentially building a town. You’re a new resident on an island, and as part of your living arrangement, you’re to pay off your home loan to Tom Nook, a devious racoon who extorts the locals and feeds off the land like a leech—uh… OK, maybe I’m getting carried away.
(02:09) Jokes aside, Animal Crossing is an extremely chill game for you to enjoy. You can decorate and expand your house, plant orchards, sell fruit, interact with townspeople, and so much more. In its heyday back in spring 2020, New Horizons made a lot of people’s days, and weeks, and months.
(02:27) A year removed, it’s still a great game to kick back with, tea or coffee in hand, and just lose yourself in. Nintendo’s post-release support has been a little lacking, but even still, you’re good for several scores of hours with Animal Crossing: New Horizons. (It’s also a great game to play with your mom for Mother’s Day! My mom can attest.)
2. Journey
(02:59) Next up, we have an older title, but one that certainly holds its own. 2012’s
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By David SilbertVideo Games and Mental Health: Name a More Iconic Duo
A year and change into the pandemic, and things are starting to look up. The weather is warming, restrictions are lifting, and vaccines are slowly becoming a reality. We’re certainly far from normal, though, and won’t be for some time. Now more than ever, it’s important to take care of yourself, your family, and your community.
In honor of Mental Health Awareness Month, this episode of Weekend at Dave’s focuses on soothing, wholesome video games. These are games you kick back with after a long day of work. Games that help you process difficult emotions. Games that give meaning to their pixels, and leave you with a sense of fulfillment and purpose.
It’s a heavier subject than most Weekend at Dave’s entries, but I highly encourage you to tune in! We’ve got great vibes, great tunes (courtesy of LiQWYD), and, of course, great games.
Give a listen below:
MP3 Download | Spotify | Apple Podcasts
Transcript
(00:25) Hi everyone! My name’s David Silbert, and you’re listening to Weekend at Dave’s, a podcast about video game trends, hidden gems… and the occasional hot take.
(00:35) For this episode, we’re diving headfirst into some positive vibes. As some of you may know, this month is Mental Health Awareness Month. And while I’m a big supporter of the idea that games of any sort are good for your mental well-being, there are certain games that really stand out among their peers.
(00:51) So! For today’s episode, we’re delving into five games—some short, others pretty long—that you can play after a long day at work, or school. All of the games here are suitable pretty much for people of all ages, and provide rather safe spaces to process emotions like joy, grief, and everything in between.
(01:09) But enough set up. Without further ado, here are five great video games for mental health. Cue the music!
1. Animal Crossing: New Horizons
(01:37) We start off this list with one of our more obvious choices. If you had a Nintendo Switch during the past year, odds are you played Animal Crossing: New Horizons to survive pandemic life and all the gloominess that came along with it.
(01:50) If you’re by some chance unfamiliar, New Horizons tasks the player with essentially building a town. You’re a new resident on an island, and as part of your living arrangement, you’re to pay off your home loan to Tom Nook, a devious racoon who extorts the locals and feeds off the land like a leech—uh… OK, maybe I’m getting carried away.
(02:09) Jokes aside, Animal Crossing is an extremely chill game for you to enjoy. You can decorate and expand your house, plant orchards, sell fruit, interact with townspeople, and so much more. In its heyday back in spring 2020, New Horizons made a lot of people’s days, and weeks, and months.
(02:27) A year removed, it’s still a great game to kick back with, tea or coffee in hand, and just lose yourself in. Nintendo’s post-release support has been a little lacking, but even still, you’re good for several scores of hours with Animal Crossing: New Horizons. (It’s also a great game to play with your mom for Mother’s Day! My mom can attest.)
2. Journey
(02:59) Next up, we have an older title, but one that certainly holds its own. 2012’s