This list of games that can help foster various forms of psychological resilience is compiled with the expert help of Take This. Whether you’re saving the universe from an alien invasion or tending crops in your animal community, playing games mimics the process of resilience. Games, by design, present players with adversity and much of the joy of gaming comes from taking on and overcoming unnecessary obstacles. As much as resilience involves "bouncing back" from these difficult experiences, it can also involve profound personal growth. Psychologists define resilience as the process of adapting well in the face of adversity, trauma, tragedy, threats or significant sources of stress - such as family and relationship problems, serious health problems, or workplace and financial stressors. Games like Eastshade or The Long Dark invite us to linger in these places and gain an understanding that is crucial to our survival. Experiences like Cloud Gardens or Viva Pinata extend this by using play to put us in charge of tending to the natural world. From getting lost in Shadow of the Colossus to finding our way in Journey, games underline the importance of the spaces in which we play. Other games let us experience our connection to the environment by adventuring in it. Then there are games of dire warning that let us step into a future where humanity is all but disconnected from the wider environment and hangs on just by a thread. One family told us about Final Fantasy 7 Remake's commentary on corporations and ecology. Other games, like The Wandering Village underline how our location in the world impacts on us and others. Or it can be how a game like Eco establishes the connection between your actions and the other aspects of the environment.
This might be how a game like Terra Nil makes the land itself a character in the experience. As she quotes, “games of environmental responsibility animate our capacity to respond, to affect and be affected, to engage with others: other species, other people, and the otherness of our own planet.” They offer a chance to consider play from an ecological perspective. The games in this list take inspiration from Alenda Chang’s Playing Nature book.
These games encourage players to consider the impact of their actions on the environment, as well as their interconnectedness to the world in which they live. There are, however, many games that offer quite the reverse. It’s easy to assume that video games are all about building big cities or running successful economies.
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