Heartbreak. We’ve all experienced it. That hallowing, out of body feeling when grieving for a person who turned out to be only a temp in your life. The realization that all that emotional effort, money spent, and time lost was all in hopes for a future never met. Yet we keep on doing this to ourselves. Statistically, most relationships don’t work out, yet we are an industrious species. We are hopeful, romantic, lonely and confused…or maybe just gluttons for punishment. Whatever the root of the intrinsic desire to couple up may be, we’ve all been on either end of a breakup and we all cope differently.
Cope is defined very simply as “the struggle to deal” and it’s safe to say the struggle is real with matters of the heart. Everyone has different coping mechanisms, but at its core the objective is the same: distraction. I think it is relatively safe to say that within our community, one of the most notable and effective ways to “struggle to deal” is with video games.
I had a friend reach out and tell me that after a really bad breakup, he turned to Halo 3. He played this game for months, seeking solace in the gameplay for distraction and the community of players online for companionship. To this day, he returns to Halo 3 specifically whenever he is feeling a bit out of sorts. I found this in particular to be interesting.
Unfortunately, I had to begrudgingly cull my long distance relationship after the realization he had no future in particular in mind. Breaking up with someone you’re not necessarily unhappy with is a unique situation, and one that is very new to me. I am struggling. I don’t want this, but this is my reality, so now I’ve got to fist fight this struggle for the next couple weeks, months, etc. My story isn’t important, but my coping mechanisms post-breakup are.
After I broke it off, I went into the an emotional equivalent of Silent Hill. I cried a lot, listened to shit music and wrote my thoughts out, albeit poorly. This isn’t necessarily unique, but there has been a pattern regarding breakups for me that I find interesting after my friend told me his Halo 3 coping story. Right after the heartbreak, I had this overwhelming desire to play Final Fantasy IX. Why this game in particular? I spent some time thinking about this, and came to the realization that this is my game that feels like home. I played through Final Fantasy IX from start to finish, savoring every disc, during a tumultuous time with my family. This game brought me great comfort, and is the game I turn to replay often; suspiciously around times of heartache. Much like my friend andHalo 3 – we likely all have a game that comforts us.
Currently, I am starting my traditional post-heartmurder replay through Final Fantasy IX. Additionally, I’m playing a lot of Overwatch and a few Indie Games like Owl Boy and Rogue Legacy. If you don’t have a video game that feels like “home” yet, I can almost promise you that you will. Regardless, we as a community of gamers turn to gaming as an obvious solution in distraction and entertainment – doubly so when we feel alone in this unpredictable world. We are lucky to have a community of people to virtually rest our heads on through these rough times. This community is constantly growing at a Sonic pace (see what we did there), and through communicable advances like Discord, Twitch, and video game-centric events, these friends are more real and subsequently offer a much warmer solace when our hearts are destroyed on some Final Fantasy VII Aerith level shit. This is yet another testament to how important video games are.
If you’re feeling sad, for whatever reason, I’ve compiled a few “comfy” games that are guaranteed to make you feel some kind of way:
Journey
While it is debated whether or not that video games could be considered art, games like ThatGameCompany’s Journey put up quite a visually stunning fight.
While the main campaign is considered relatively short in comparison to most games, it effortlessly delivers a more thought-provoking and emotional connection throughout. Journey is unique in its simplicity.
With no memory or distinct direction within the game, you are simply shown your destination – a bright light at the top of a very distant mountain. Your destination is nearly always in view, acting as both a map and a monument of motivation. Every play-through is so extraordinarily different and emotionally compelling, giving this game a true sense of fortitude among other current blockbuster games. This game lives up to its namesake, showing us that it, and life, is truly all about the journey – not the destination.
The Legend of Zelda: Wind Waker
Arguably the IP’s cheekiest and most whimsical installment, Nintendo’s Legend of Zelda: Wind Waker offers a bright, cell-shaded journey through all the classic temples, plus some soothing high-seas shenanigans.
Exploring villages alone in Wind Waker is therapeutic; you meet a lively cast of characters and the game dialogue is sure to make you laugh.
The Legend of Zelda series has been around since the bulk of us were kids, and in that virtue alone it offers a sense of nostalgic comfort. If anything at all, start a fresh game and classically throw some chickens around.
Papo & Yo
Papo & Yo is an emotional journey brought to us by Minority studio. This adventure game has light, easy on the brain puzzle mechanics and is set in the Imagination of our protagonist, Quirco.
With lots of South American visuals and comforts, you traverse an imaginative landscape with a monster in tow. This monster…aptly named “Monster” isn’t so much a companion as the physical manifestation of Quirco’s emotions throughout the game.
Navigating this game through Quirco’s imagination allows for some very fun and interesting in-game mechanics, but the heart and soul of this game is the quest in which Quirco comes to understand his Monster.
To The Moon
Freebird Games has delivered such a monumental feat in story-telling that you almost forget it’s a game. That’s a good thing.
To the Moon is an indie adventure RPG about two doctors traversing through the memories of a dying man to fulfill his last wish. Are you crying yet? You follow two doctors, equipped with technology that’s somewhere in the realm of Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind and the “San Junipero” episode of Black Mirror.
“The technology requires the doctors to step into the memories of the patient, which are reconstructed as interactive scenes. The doctors then gradually traverse backwards through memories of the patient’s life until they reach childhood — at which point, the wish of the patient in present time would be transferred over. Along with the doctors’ influence, the patient (as a child) could then lead an entirely different life inside their head, working toward and fulfilling their dying wish themselves.”
To The Moon has much more in store for the player, and I personally encourage you to spend some time with it