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 Last one for now. I might use this space in the future to write about my animations or video projects, if and when they materialize. I had an idea to bookend this blog with Dario Argento's films and with that in mind I had watched "Opera" (1987) sort of recently. But no, scrap that, I'm not feeling it anymore. It's Christmas-time, not Halloween-time.

I've often felt during the Christmas holidays a certain confliction between a desire to pull back from distraction, to unwind, to quieten down and to just be, and then on the other hand feeling an eagerness to use this free time to play and watch and listen to all the things I've been putting off and that haven't had time for. What often ends up happening is that instead of engaging with all these new and interesting pieces of media, I end up falling back on things I've seen/heard/played dozens of times.

I'm partially writing this as an affirmation to myself, a resolution to not feel guilty about behaving in this way. There is a comfort in familiarity. The lack of surprise is replaced by a sense of control, security and stability, a sense of being in one's own element. This is my resolution to the conflict. I can be at rest, while still engaging.

On a related note, I'll mention here a few games that are for me exemplary of that comfy and restful feeling that arises with familiar things. 

First, there is "Islanders." It's a quaint little game where you build up cities onto an island one building at a time.

In a very similar vein, "Dorfromantik" is a game where you place hexagonal tiles one by one onto a grid, building up a landscape of forests, villages, lakes rivers and and towns.

These games have sometimes been referred to as "zen-games." Both have a system whereby you progress in the game by placing buildings or tiles in an optimal fashion to gain points. However, the importance of the final score seems to be rather secondary. The gentle flow of the game at a pace which is entirely up to the player, and the soft, rather cutesy aesthetic of both games is central to the appeal. One can take as much time to decide the placement of a tile or building. The gameplay is exactly the same from the first move to the last: place the next thing wherever you think it should go. 

The feeling I get when playing these games is that the unwritten objective is to create something harmonious and aesthetically pleasing. The softly undulating environmental sounds, ambient music and the birds-eye view of the landscape have a soothing quality that is quite therapeutic, to me at least. For someone looking to unwind, I would recommend giving these games a go.    

That's all for me, 

happy holidays!