The Games I Play Based On The Type of “Bad Mental Health Day” I’m Having

Different games work for different feelings.

Nicole Kenney
6 min readDec 5, 2022
Photo by Onur Binay on Unsplash

There is truly nothing more therapeutic to me than playing video games. But of course, there are a million different kinds of games and it’s crucial to pick a genre that will bring me back to Earth on a bad day.

And I’m not the only one, VeryWellMind has done a study claiming video games have been proven to help emotional regulation, reduce rumination, and evoke joy. While it isn’t a fix-all solution, it may be enough to keep your head above water when you need it the most.

That being said, I’ve curated a list of my favorite games that work best for the type of “bad mental health day” or emotions I’m feeling that day. Additionally, all of these games can be found on several different platforms.

Loneliness: “Animal Crossing: New Horizons” or “Disney Dreamlight Valley”

“Animal Crossing New Horizons: (Photo Source: Polygon)

Games from the “Animal Crossing” series and “Disney Dreamlight Valley” feel like a warm hug when struggling with feelings of isolation and loneliness.

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Nicole Kenney

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