Accidentally turned a 300 word intro to "Best Cozy Games List" into a 2500 word op-ed quoting @zoehhannah.com & @kevincortez.huffpost.com on @mothership.blog, Emma Kostopolus on @unwinnable.com, @sam-martinelli.bsky.social, and @reuters.com research lol. punishedbacklog.com/why-cozy-gam...
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Why Cozy Games Feel So Good - The Punished Backlog
Why are cozy games fun? What draws us to farm and business sims? How can the genre innovate moving forward?
![A screenshot from The Punished Backlog article about the best video game dogs in which writers talk about their dogs who are with them while playing video games. The text reads:
Our Real Life Dogs
Many of us have very good dogs that keep us company while we game, and thus, they are some of the best video game dogs (to us, anyway):
Amanda: My dog Indy (“we named the dog Indiana [Jones]” and he really does love treasure) is such a good boy. I often wake up early and play video games before going to work, and he loves to curl up next to me; I treasure our cozy coffee time together. When I was playing Alan Wake 2, I got so freaked out that I screamed — and he sprinted in from another room to check on me. After I assured him that I was okay, he stayed next to me until I was done to protect me. I feel profoundly lucky to have Indy in my life.
Darcy: I love all animals, but for most of my life, I’ve only owned cats. So, three years ago, when there was suddenly a clumsy, wriggly puppy in our house, it was a bit of an adjustment – for me and the cat! There were some teething problems at first (both literally and figuratively), but now, I can’t imagine life without our dog, Poppy. She’s become a constant companion, whether she’s curling up next to us or trotting behind our feet as we move around the house. The joy and excitement she experiences over the little things, like popping out for a walk or friends coming over, make us enjoy them more, too. She can still be a menace, sometimes, but we wouldn’t have it any other way. Except for the cat; he just ignores her.](https://cdn.bsky.app/img/feed_thumbnail/plain/did:plc:fizet3shwjvs4bhpmflctgz2/bafkreicumfnw6ytmtwzuvj6arm2chprpt2fg4z7szyhovy3ui5dbkvkkze)
