Well sure, if I wanted to label more things "cozy", I would. Pokemon is definitely cozier than Skyrim to me, but that's the thing: it's completely subjective and so I'm giving up on using "cozy" as a descriptor. It doesn't make much sense overall.
I really enjoyed reading this and you make a lot of excellent points. My own post about my qualms of the genre got a lot of attention but I also wanted to say that these farming/cottage-core cosy games seem to appeal to a demographic I'm not a part of: the inner city American.
In the UK, our major cities are substantially smaller than those in countries like the USA; the only real metropolis Britain has is London, so we're not really sheltered from the outdoors in a way that many Americans are. We grow up here messing about in the woods and in quiet suburban parks, going on outdoorsy holidays to caravan parks too whereas in the USA, i notice there's a big country vs city mentality. As a result, the whole countryside cottage fantasy doesn't really land with me.
You make an interesting point about the specific demographic enjoying this game category. I don't think it's limited to inner-city Americans; I'm certainly not one, having grown up in a different part of the world with a fair amount of countryside time and dirt under my fingernails. Perhaps it is more like the beginning of Stardew Valley—people starved for work-life balance, connection with nature, something beyond the grind—which, of course, Americans as a whole are the perfect example of.
Farming is a back breaking, relentlessly exhausting job that in real life is as far away from cosy as you can get. As such, it has no business in any game tagged as 'cosy'.
YES! This is an excellent point. When I play farming games I catch myself fantasizing about doing it in real life and then, oh wait, this is really NOT how farming actually works.
It’s funny that many games that are labelled “cozy” are so busy with tons to do! I had to laugh at anybody calling Skyrim cozy, just because I had to install a mod so I could see through walls in dungeons because the noises the creatures made down there scared me so much I had a panic attack!
I like what you said about needing to feel safe or cocooned for a game to be considered cozy for you, and I agree! I also wholeheartedly agree that the Witcher games are cozy! Sometimes I just want to hop on Roach and mooch about the countryside, even though they’re probably someone else’s Skyrim! 😅
Oh yes, those Skyrim dungeons made me savescum my way through, I *detested* going into them—totally with you on that!
I want to explore the difference between comforting and cozy now, and maybe there truly isn't one! I still don't thing about The Witcher as cozy though, maybe because the games are just too special 🥰
Talk about a cozy post! But in all honesty great exploration of the genre. The relentless pursuit of wanting to categorize everything leaves much to think about when questioned.
That's true! And honestly, I realized while writing this post that the same criticism can be levied against almost any genre or category. It's never a perfect fit.
I love this - and I love the shout out for those of us who find Stardew stressful and Fallout 4 with difficulty raising mods to be peaceful and cozy too. I feel seen haha.
Interesting... So would you call some of the Pokemon entries cozy by this definition?
Well sure, if I wanted to label more things "cozy", I would. Pokemon is definitely cozier than Skyrim to me, but that's the thing: it's completely subjective and so I'm giving up on using "cozy" as a descriptor. It doesn't make much sense overall.
Here I am missing the whole point and conclusion of the post because my brain latched on to one specific part and said "hold up..." ^^;
It's all good, fair enough! I'm not satisfied with my definition either, hence the conclusion 😁
I really enjoyed reading this and you make a lot of excellent points. My own post about my qualms of the genre got a lot of attention but I also wanted to say that these farming/cottage-core cosy games seem to appeal to a demographic I'm not a part of: the inner city American.
In the UK, our major cities are substantially smaller than those in countries like the USA; the only real metropolis Britain has is London, so we're not really sheltered from the outdoors in a way that many Americans are. We grow up here messing about in the woods and in quiet suburban parks, going on outdoorsy holidays to caravan parks too whereas in the USA, i notice there's a big country vs city mentality. As a result, the whole countryside cottage fantasy doesn't really land with me.
You make an interesting point about the specific demographic enjoying this game category. I don't think it's limited to inner-city Americans; I'm certainly not one, having grown up in a different part of the world with a fair amount of countryside time and dirt under my fingernails. Perhaps it is more like the beginning of Stardew Valley—people starved for work-life balance, connection with nature, something beyond the grind—which, of course, Americans as a whole are the perfect example of.
It’s so fascinating to see new labels defining new genres and games challenging the norm
It really is! And so fun to try to deconstruct and analyze them.
Farming is a back breaking, relentlessly exhausting job that in real life is as far away from cosy as you can get. As such, it has no business in any game tagged as 'cosy'.
I will die on this unfarmed hill.
YES! This is an excellent point. When I play farming games I catch myself fantasizing about doing it in real life and then, oh wait, this is really NOT how farming actually works.
It’s funny that many games that are labelled “cozy” are so busy with tons to do! I had to laugh at anybody calling Skyrim cozy, just because I had to install a mod so I could see through walls in dungeons because the noises the creatures made down there scared me so much I had a panic attack!
I like what you said about needing to feel safe or cocooned for a game to be considered cozy for you, and I agree! I also wholeheartedly agree that the Witcher games are cozy! Sometimes I just want to hop on Roach and mooch about the countryside, even though they’re probably someone else’s Skyrim! 😅
Oh yes, those Skyrim dungeons made me savescum my way through, I *detested* going into them—totally with you on that!
I want to explore the difference between comforting and cozy now, and maybe there truly isn't one! I still don't thing about The Witcher as cozy though, maybe because the games are just too special 🥰
Talk about a cozy post! But in all honesty great exploration of the genre. The relentless pursuit of wanting to categorize everything leaves much to think about when questioned.
That's true! And honestly, I realized while writing this post that the same criticism can be levied against almost any genre or category. It's never a perfect fit.
I love this - and I love the shout out for those of us who find Stardew stressful and Fallout 4 with difficulty raising mods to be peaceful and cozy too. I feel seen haha.
We cozy lovers are a weird bunch 😆