Gaming as Meditation
I've been big into meditation lately. While I like to do mindfulness meditation/focus meditation for about 10 minutes or so, there's nothing wrong with a soft-meditation that you can do for longer periods of time.
Really anything can be used as a meditation, chores can be meditative if you're doing them with low stimulation and with intention. Dishes are meditative for my step-dad for example. For some it's laundry. Pretty much anything you do in your day-to-day as long as it's low-stim and done mindfully.
So I thought, why not gaming? It's one of my favorite pastimes, and if I can incorporate it into my meditation routine then why not? However, not all games work well as meditation. Unless you're some freak, a game like Call of Duty isn't gonna be all that meditative. I've found that games that are low-stakes, low stimulation, and longer form are the ones that work best for this. There's a few I've come to think of so I'll share them. For all of these games, I encourage that you play with nothing else in the background. Let yourself be absorbed into the game like you're listening to a guided meditation.
Minecraft
This one seems like a no-brainer, however I think that alpha/beta Minecraft work really well for this. You can't sprint, resources come slowly, etc. It's very game design, you can functionally play it like you're cultivating a zen garden. Low stakes, slow pace, calm, and stillness. It becomes less zen when you're in a cave and getting quickscoped by the corpse of Lee Harvey Oswald, so play what keeps you in that sort of state. Strip mining is perfect for this.
Stardew Valley
This one might be another no-brainer. Nothing fast paced, just you and simple farming management. Walk around and forage, chop wood, pet your animals, etc. Hell even caving isn't really that high-stakes (as long as you're not jumping into Skull Cavern). You can just chill and let yourself unwind while you immerse yourself in ConcernedApe's serene valley. There's a reason why this game sparked so many people to dream about living off 'thuh phat uh thuh land'.
Nintendogs
Seriously. This one is a recent one for me. What's more 'zen' than playing with a virtual dog? Absolutely 0 stakes. Just feed, wash, or walk your little dog. Right now my 2 therapy buddies is a corgi named Juju (same name as my first dog in Nintendogs when I first played all the way back in 2006) and a Shiba Inu named Cheems. I can just sit back and unwind playing with some low-poly puppies. Even with DS graphics they're still cute and the music is chill and happy.
Pokopia
For my Switch 2 owners out there, you know why this one makes my list. There's never been a more chill Pokemon game (I guess Hey You Pikachu and Pokemon Snap are pretty chill). Zero intensity and you can basically spend your whole time dicking around in this little world as your ditto self-insert.
Other games
Any non-racing mode in a driving sim like BeamNG work. Any of the simulator games like Flight Simulator, Euro Truck Simulator, or Power Wash Simulator (just not Goat Simulator). Really whatever game that lets you feel immersed, focused, mellowed out, comfortable, and/or in flow.
Anyway, that's my spiel. Just something to consider if you find yourself wanting to do something more meditative without dedicating to deep meditation. It's helped a ton for my focus and maybe it'll work for you.
Previous |
Reply via email: me@absurdpirate.com
as of writing this...
I'm making Zuppa Toscana (one of my favorite meals) with my folks. I went grocery shopping with my step-dad and we got stuff for me to make some poutine tomorrow which I'm stoked for. I haven't made homemade Zuppa Toscana in ages especially not my family's recipe. Other than that, just been chilling out in Idaho. I miss Mrs. and Mini Pirate like crazy. Been sleeping on a couch since my FIL had to order an air mattress. We normally have one that we borrow, but everything kinda got mixed up. My FIL needed to buy a new one anyway so he ordered one and it finally came today, so no more couch sleeping for me!