Cosy Community's online takeover: how video games of farming, crafting and puzzles has reigned supreme on social media
What springs to mind when we think of the term cozy (or cosy since Google Docs keep correcting the word)?
A warm blanket with hot cocoa as the rain pelts down outside? The big comfy sweater that can be worn the second the leaves turn red and orange ? Or is it being stranded on a tropical island where you have to pay your debts off to a talking raccoon (tanuki actually but I digress).
Many of us have our own meaning and definition of cosy, however at least in popular culture, video games were not necessarily seen as a part of the discussion. This is because some of the most popular video games seem anything but comforting. Games that involve zombie outbreaks, war or even just frustrating platformers.
Gameplay of Little Nightmares 2 while not necessarily cosy, it could still be viewed as that by some people.
However, a small group has grown in popularity over the years that has mixed the cosy term with the gaming community. As a PR practitioner, it is important to be aware of trends in the community you work for so you can learn to capitalise on it for your organisation. This is beneficial for finding ideal content creators as mentioned in this blog post. I will be using the cosy gaming community as an example to show the different sectors in the video game industry and their audiences.
How can gaming be cosy ? First impressions when it comes to gaming include high adrenaline and intense gameplay where you are jump scared, stressed, pushed around or a combination of all of the above and extra. While the genre and community has grown exponentially over the years, this isn’t exactly new as the genre has had its roots since the 90s with the Harvest Moon franchise. You will start to see a pattern and trend with cosy gaming and other genres, the first is the classic farming sim.
Fast forward a few years and a humble project called Animal Crossing made its arrival on the Nintendo64 and GameCube. Speed up even more and we have what is viewed as the spiritual successor to Harvest Moon known as Stardew Valley. These are just some of the standouts in a long line of games considered cosy. There were games before and after that can be considered contenders, this is just to show how long these types of games have existed.
While the genre may at first glance have a straight forward formula it can encompass many different gaming styles such as puzzles, crafting, farming sim or platformers to name a few. All it requires is the gameplay to be considered low stress and relaxing (however, I would debate accessing the caves in Stardew, trying to win the race in a Short Hike, or not being stung by bees or bitten by a tarantula in Animal Crossing relaxing).
My definition of relaxing or cosy will differ from others, in fact if you follow what I would consider a cosy game this can include games that may not be seen as family friendly such as Limbo or A Night in the Woods. The reason why the genre and community is vast and varied is due to the different definitions of the term cosy and that has changed how we see or apply the term. Developers can now take more risks and tell stories that have serious themes such as a game that focuses on dying or mental health. This is due to the rise of crowdfunding or even just independent developers getting recognition. Maybe cosy is what we, the player, feel comforted by which may not apply to everyone. If this is the case, the games that evoke the feeling of being cosy or content predate games that are seen as the epitome of comfort.
Since the pandemic the genre has exploded into popularity. It allowed us to explore from the confines of our own homes and provided us with alternatives to connect with others (I even wrote an article on it!) It gave us escapism and comfort in a time where we needed it most. According to sales, Animal Crossing sold 31.18 million copies in 2021. The accessibility of consoles that we can take on the go was also popular with casual players. The portable console, Nintendo Switch, sold almost 80 million units. To find some more fascinating figures, a future blog post will be linked that has numerous statistics for video games, consoles and social media. The accessibility of technology allowed casual gamers to enjoy their hobby but also to share it online with others.
So, what is the future of the cosy genre, well more and more developers have taken up the mantle to provide gamers with the quintessential comfort experience from independent publishers and games such as Stairway and Coral Island, Rainy Games and Sunnyside and Spry Fox with their ghostly game Cozy Grove, to the media juggernauts like Disney and Dreamlight Valley. As someone who adores the genre, maybe there is a bias when I say that while saturation of the genre is a problem, it does not seem like a big crisis due to the fact that so many developers craft unique and interesting stories.
There is still so much more to look forward to for the genre and community. It will be exciting to see what develops.
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