Yesterday I came across an article on Slate regaling thatgamecompany's Flower, calling it "the only video game I've ever played that made me feel relaxed, peaceful, and happy."
Several years ago my college buddies and I would unwind after classes with a few F-Zero GX races. There was something about the game's blinding speed that encouraged this state of zen, during which the day's stresses would melt off of our bodies.
One of my friends refused to take part. He was a long-time gamer who had given them up for college, saying that they just added stress to his day. He'd often walk in on me cursing the screen during heated Ikaruga playthroughs and ask, "How can you justify this. You're an adult. Look at what you're doing to yourself. You're not relaxed, you're furious!" And yet even though these games provided an amount of frustration, I often found them to be relaxing in an indirect way. It may look like these play experiences were only winding me up tighter, but I always felt more ready to face the day after a half hour of SSX 3.
I guess my point is that I never felt that games had to be aesthetically relaxing in order to provide me with relaxation. Sure, blowing up dudes in TF2 is frenetic and requires a great deal of brainpower, but expending that adrenaline is what brings on deep relaxation.
Am I alone, or are there others out there who find solace in bullet hell shooters and the like?
Related Links:
Rite of Spring: Flower and What’s Lacking in the Romantic Games Movement
Flower - A Zen de Blob?
Indie Dev Moment: Dyson