Wholesome Direct Takes a Page Out of Nintendo’s Book to Promote an Underrepresented Game Genre
Take a chill pill this June 12th with @_wholesomegames
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Nintendo defines many great trends in gaming. When the Wii dropped back in 2006, all the other game studios clamored to emulate the unique gesture controls. And when Nintendo started doing their online showcases, known as Nintendo Direct, Sony followed suit for Playstation. It’s undeniable that Nintendo Direct generates hype and excitement around upcoming games. They’ve even created an indie version, the Nindie Showcase.
If you want more “Nindies” style Nintendo Direct goodness, don’t fret. The amazing people with @_wholesomegames and the Guerilla Collective have got you covered. On June 12th, at 1 PM ET, over 75 indie games will be presented at an event being called the “Wholesome Direct”. And the naming is spot on, because they will feature chill, calming, and inclusive games!
This year’s Wholesome Direct will be its second run, and I can’t be any happier to experience it. Games with a calm, chill mood are incredibly underrated. They usually don’t make for blood-pumping game trailers or demos. But what they lack in momentary kicks and thrills, they make up for with hundreds of hours of fun, relaxed and often theurapeutic gaming. From managing your own farm, to creature raising to experiencing life as an animal in nature, calming games transport gamers and provide them with escapism that is rarely possible with your standard-fare FPS or Fighting game.
And let’s face it, there are countless gamers who owe their sanity and happiness to games over the 2020 pandemic. Animal Crossing: New Horizons made the first few months of lockdown bearable, and other social games like Among Us helped gamers stay connected socially. And while the pandemic is gradually entering the rear-view, relaxing games are not going anywhere.
Calming games as a sub-genre are amazingly subversive. “True gamers” steer clear of “casual” gaming…
