Since the start of the Covid-19 pandemic, a new game genre has been dominating the gaming world market: Cozy Games. Due to the global crisis, Cozy Games have provided a balance to stressful everyday life. Originating from the roots of indie and casual games, the focus of Cozy Games is entirely on deceleration and creativity.
But which design factors make a game a Cozy Game in the first place? This thesis addresses this topic and subsequently examines the effects of Cozy Games on the mental well-being of players. A pre-defined evaluation system served as the basis for the comparative analysis, in which four Cozy Games are compared and evaluated.
The subsequent group discussion provided further insights into the individual perceptions of players. To impregnate the positive impact of Cozy Games into everyday life, the ‘Cozy Journal’ was developed to give players the opportunity to plan and reflect on their feelings that, among other causes, arise from playing Cozy Games.
