In Bret Baker’s First Readers Post entitled “Relax!” he reminded us that there is a fine line between causing relaxation and frustration in a medium that requires action. Casual games are often looked at as examples of relaxation in video games. If the game is easy (which many casual games are, especially with habitual play) playing the game can almost become second nature and playing it can lead to relaxation. Some casual games that relax me are a version of brickbreaker- http://www.tripletsandus.com/80s/80s_games/Arkanoid.html
and an online game introduced to me in this class, super mario bros three (ive heard of the game but started playing it regularly after it was assigned for the class) – http://www.virtualnes.com/play/?id=NES-UM&s=10
when a casual game becomes second nature it seems less like an intense game of Call of Duty and more like knitting. Your mind can wander in relaxation, or you can take in and concentrate on other forms of media like music, podcasts or even a tv show on the other side of your computer screen. There are also relaxing games for consoles like Endless Ocean: Blue World (http://wii.ign.com/objects/142/14286532.html) that lets the player explore a relaxing environment at their own pace. Even though this game requires the same movements of pressing buttons as a more intense game, the guidelines aren’t as rigid and can provide a relaxing getaway from real life.