Video games have always been a part of my life. Whether it was playing Madden ‘02 with my dad on the PS2, Lego Star Wars with my childhood friends on the Wii or CS:GO with online friends on my PC, video games have always been a constant form of entertainment for me. They provide an outlet for fun and enjoyment that I look forward to.Throughout this past month, all of our constants have been thrown out of the window. Work, school, friends, relationships, whatever it may be, almost all aspects of our lives were put on halt.. It may be a time of struggle or sadness, but on a positive note, some things manage to stay consistent — for me, it is video games.

As we are quite literally trapped inside of our homes 24/7, I figured I’d make this list of suggestions for “fellow gamers” who are also stuck indoors and looking for some games to play. I was hoping to make this a weekly piece, covering one genre of games a week, and this week I’ll start with some calm and relaxing favorites that bring me back down to Earth and into my happy place. I hope you enjoy, and comment down below if you have any other suggestions or if you’ve found happiness in any of the games I’ve recommended.

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1. Animal Crossing: New Horizons

If you haven’t played this game yet, I’m sure you’ve heard of it. New Horizons, the latest installment of the Animal Crossing franchise, has been all the rage with fans of the series, friends of those fans, and friends of those friends. I had never picked up an Animal Crossing game before this one, but within the first hour, I was already hooked.

I like to let myself be surprised by games and what they have in store, so I’ll give you a brief rundown of what to expect but leave the rest up to your curiosity. Animal Crossing: New Horizons allows you to connect with your friends in a cute, virtual and outdoorsy world, doing simple tasks such as catching bugs, fishing for… well fish, and building up a town that you just happen to be the “Resident Representative” of. Wonky villagers tag along with you on the way, including blue elephants, fancy cats and even a rainbow ram.

The charm of the Animal Crossing series can appeal to just about everyone, and it allows you to be transported into a world of imagination yet oddly realistic in a way, something that we all desperately need at this moment.

Animal Crossing: New Horizons, for the Nintendo Switch ($60): https://www.animal-crossing.com/new-horizons/

2. Stardew Valley

Stardew Valley falls right under the umbrella of relaxing and fun games, as it transports you to yet another world where you’re the new owner of a rundown farm and are tasked with bringing it along with the town around you back to its former glory. I’ve played this game on two different platforms, in multiple different worlds, styles and playthroughs, and I have never gotten tired of it.

The developer, ConcernedApe, puts out updates and patches bugs all by himself, as this entire video game was created over the span of 4-5 years by him. You can fish, you can farm, you can fight off monsters and bats in caves, you can mine, you can build, you can do just about everything in this virtual farmland filled with lovable personalities and characters.

For my farm, I’ve styled it completely off the television series “The Office,” aiming to one day fill my fields with beets. For now, I’ve designed my character to resemble one of the main characters known as Dwight Schrute, and renamed all the animals that I have in my barns and coops as characters from “The Office.” It’s a game that allows you this creativity — you can move at your own pace, do things the way you want to do them and shape your farm into whatever you want it to be. The game plays around your choices, not you playing around the features of the game.

Stardew Valley, for the Mac/PC, Mobile devices, Nintendo Switch, PS4, and Xbox One:

https://www.stardewvalley.net/

3. Minecraft

Although the last two games might’ve been unfamiliar to you at first (or maybe just the last one), this one is a common household name. Minecraft was a game I grew up playing, whether it be by myself at home, at my cousin’s house in their basement or with people across the globe online, there is literally nothing you can’t do in Minecraft. It’s truly one of a kind and allows the player to do anything they want.

You can play survival, with yourself or with friends, attempting to live and thrive in a world where you punch trees and smelt iron, with a day and night cycle that forces you to confront the mobs of the night, adding a little excitement and thrill to night atmosphere. You can play creative, building the tallest skyscraper or a small mountain cabin, with yourself or with friends, even on different platforms. You can go online and play on custom-made servers, with minigames from Capture the Flag to a recreation of the Hunger Games.

All of this and more can be found online, by just a quick Google search, as Minecraft is one of the most popular and most played games over the 2010 decade and continues to thrive in 2020, especially now that we’re all forced to stay inside. It gives us an opportunity to connect with friends and family over a different genre of games – it isn’t Monopoly, it isn’t The Game of Life, it’s Minecraft, and it’ll be the most fun experience you’ve had in quite some time.

Minecraft, for the Mac/PC, Mobile devices, Nintendo Switch, PS4, and Xbox One: https://www.minecraft.net/en-us/

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I hope you enjoyed my three suggestions for some relaxing and chill video games during our quarantine. As you know, I’ll be at my computer, Switch or PS4 all day, so I have more than enough time to explore new video games and take recommendations from all the readers at home, so if you have any, pitch ‘em my way! You could even be featured in a future week’s article as a guest writer and be given credit for your recommendation.

Stay safe and strong out there everyone, we can get through this — especially if we’ve got video games.