Hacker News Board Hacker News, browsed like a classic message board
Live data from Hacker News

Iyashikei: Japan’s Genre of “Healing Games” (2018)

screentherapyblog.wordpress.com

Post reply on HN
Print view View original

101–110 of 114 posts

Re: Iyashikei: Japan’s Genre of “Healing Games” (2018)

#101

Post by matheusmoreira »

ver_ture wrote: post #41
jrochkind1 wrote: post #23

These pictures all make me want to play these games REALLY BAD. Anyone know the easiest way for a non-gamer without a console system in the USA to get any of em, that might be figure-out-able for a non-Japanese speaker?

a nintendo handheld can be cracked by following a guide, to then play any game released for it. this will require a $100-200 console. for older consoles like the nintendo ds, you can emulate, like dolphin emulator for pc. i can even emulate a ps2 on my beefed up gaming pc. nevermind that though, any modern laptop or pc should be able to handle nintendo ds games on an emulator. i think that'd be a good start for you.…

> nevermind that though, any modern laptop or pc should be able to handle nintendo ds games on an emulator

Laptops in general are prone to overheating which leads to lower performance. Mine has an i7-8750H CPU and it can't play many Nintendo DS games. RetroArch and its A/V synchronization contribute to the CPU load as well.

Perhaps a small form factor PC would be best suited for this purpose.

Re: Iyashikei: Japan’s Genre of “Healing Games” (2018)

#102

Post by matheusmoreira »

kipchak wrote: post #70
dragontamer wrote: post #37

Earlier quoted context omitted.

In America at least, the term is mostly used for anime / manga that matches the category. This is the first time I've seen the term applied to video games. Most video games have conflict, and conflict is stress. However, there are many video games that have Iyashikei elements. Even the quintessential "save the world epic" Final Fantasy has Iyashikei elements. With FF-VII Cloud Strife playing video games at the Golden…

I think the Yakuza series might be a good example of a game of the "with some Iyashikei" category, while still having a solid core story and gameplay to lure you in to karaoke and Mahjong. Also I think Skyrim fits a similar bill, with most of what people enjoy seemingly being the wandering around and taking in the world.

Yakuza series has great substories. It's easy to forget about the main story and explore the city instead. The healing disappears precisely when the game starts demanding stuff like high scores. It suddenly ceases to be a stress-free experience when the player is required to achieve a 95% score in a karaoke rhythm game.

Re: Iyashikei: Japan’s Genre of “Healing Games” (2018)

#103

Post by m4rtink »

hex12648430 wrote: post #53
ajmurmann wrote: post #8

a few pieces of media that fit the bill really well and are available easily in the West: Attack of the Friday Monsters - it's a short 3DS game about children's fantasy merging their small town reality with a TV show Barakamon - anime about a calligrapher who gets banished to a small island in the inland sea and comes to embrace rural life and playing with the local children. (Pictured but not mentioned in the articl…

I'll add a few that I enjoy Flying Witch - A witch goes to live in the countryside with her relatives as part of her training. Lovely world-building. Girls' Last Tour - Two girls on a journey through a gigantic post-apocalyptic city. The setting is quite bleak but the story mostly focuses on how the main characters are finding joy in their world. Aria - The daily lives of apprentice gondoliers in Neo-Venezia, a repli…

Aria is realy nice and not well known - and that chapter/episode where they visit the onsen in an abandonned mansion that is flowing into the see - incredibly soothing & likely my favorite chapter/episode ever. :)

Re: Iyashikei: Japan’s Genre of “Healing Games” (2018)

#104

Post by fomine3 »

hex12648430 wrote: post #53
ajmurmann wrote: post #8

a few pieces of media that fit the bill really well and are available easily in the West: Attack of the Friday Monsters - it's a short 3DS game about children's fantasy merging their small town reality with a TV show Barakamon - anime about a calligrapher who gets banished to a small island in the inland sea and comes to embrace rural life and playing with the local children. (Pictured but not mentioned in the articl…

I'll add a few that I enjoy Flying Witch - A witch goes to live in the countryside with her relatives as part of her training. Lovely world-building. Girls' Last Tour - Two girls on a journey through a gigantic post-apocalyptic city. The setting is quite bleak but the story mostly focuses on how the main characters are finding joy in their world. Aria - The daily lives of apprentice gondoliers in Neo-Venezia, a repli…

I'm also strongly suggest these three animes you suggested for iyashikei than moe. Other good stuff: Yuru Camp, Is the order a rabbit?, The helpful fox Senko-san, Nekopara

Re: Iyashikei: Japan’s Genre of “Healing Games” (2018)

#105

Post by billfruit »

em-bee wrote: post #33
billfruit wrote: post #4

What might be western games of a similar bent, with a focus on soothing game play: -Stardew Valley -My time at Portia -Euro/American Truck Simulator -Anno series I personally find snooker/pool simulations very soothing.

i'd like to add a sailing simulator to the mix. without an opportunity to actually go sailing i found it a pretty relaxing way to spend the time.

Yes perhaps Sailaway fits the bill.

Re: Iyashikei: Japan’s Genre of “Healing Games” (2018)

#106

Post by munificent »

arsome wrote: post #99
munificent wrote: post #44

Minecraft is so open-ended that it can be molded into almost any genre. But the way I play fits entirely within this. I play in survival mode mostly to make the world feel more grounded, but I sleep every night and rarely explore caverns. The game is mostly me building living spaces, mining for supplies, mapping the world, and collecting items. It's really satisfying.

It's interesting, for me minecraft is one of the few games that gives me a feeling of intensity, I go spelunking all night because I can't resist the temptation of more diamonds though, the punishment for death is fair but harsh enough to make it feel scary, even playing FPSes, MMOs, etc I don't get that feeling of intensity from anything except Minecraft and PUBG. I keep telling myself I'm doing it all so I can buil…

Another genre you might like is roguelikes. Classic roguelikes have permadeath where if you die, you lose that character forever. In a role-playing game where you have invested dozens of hours in a character and may have gotten very lucky with some incredibly rare treasure, it can be a really intense feeling to be in an epic battle with losing all of that on the line.

I've had more pulse pounding game intensity in a turn-based roguelike with ASCII graphics than in any other game I've ever played.

Re: Iyashikei: Japan’s Genre of “Healing Games” (2018)

#108

Post by MaximumMadness »

ajmurmann wrote: post #67
MaximumMadness wrote: post #26

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I keep a copy of Jiro Taniguchi's The Walking Man [0] in my room at all times. It's about slowing down and appreciating the small things in life: the birds, the water, the leaves, the weather. [0] https://www.amazon.com/Walking-Man-Jiro-Taniguchi/dp/8493340...

There is a extended edition for half the price. I assume that's an ok choice?

I haven't read the extended edition, but anyway you can get this manga in your hands without breaking the bank is worth it. I had to find my copy at a second hand book store.

Re: Iyashikei: Japan’s Genre of “Healing Games” (2018)

#109

Post by arsome »

munificent wrote: post #106
arsome wrote: post #99

Earlier quoted context omitted.

It's interesting, for me minecraft is one of the few games that gives me a feeling of intensity, I go spelunking all night because I can't resist the temptation of more diamonds though, the punishment for death is fair but harsh enough to make it feel scary, even playing FPSes, MMOs, etc I don't get that feeling of intensity from anything except Minecraft and PUBG. I keep telling myself I'm doing it all so I can buil…

Another genre you might like is roguelikes. Classic roguelikes have permadeath where if you die, you lose that character forever. In a role-playing game where you have invested dozens of hours in a character and may have gotten very lucky with some incredibly rare treasure, it can be a really intense feeling to be in an epic battle with losing all of that on the line. I've had more pulse pounding game intensity in a…

I find death in roguelikes too punishing and unfair, it diminishes that effect for me greatly. I'll never be able to feel intensity for it because I don't feel like I ever manage to accomplish anything worth saving before I die in them so I just run headlong into combat with whatever garbage I have, die and quit out.

I'm yet to find a roguelike where I can feel like I made serious progress without dumping many hours into learning all the mechanics. It's a fairly narrow window of punishing but fair that allows me to feel any intensity at all from games, most I just feel are too easy or too hard to produce it.

I can enjoy the crap out of easy ones, just not for the intensity, but hard ones like roguelikes I just give up on quickly. Dark Souls seems much less punishing to me than most roguelikes in this sense.

Re: Iyashikei: Japan’s Genre of “Healing Games” (2018)

#110

Post by mFixman »

munificent wrote: post #84
hinkley wrote: post #76

Earlier quoted context omitted.

My read is that he's also treating this as an exploration game, and that at least has some traction in AAA games. I mean people are still playing Skyrim for Pete's sake.

It's only about 10% exploration for me. I rarely venture anywhere without a map. I have a very bad sense of direction in real life, and that applies to 3D games as well. I don't know if you've ever been lost before, like really lost lost. It is a panic-inducing experience. Most 3D games trigger that same sensation in me and are just totally unfun to play. When I play Minecraft, I obsessively map the area, and I keep…

I used to play Minecraft when it was released in ~2010, before there were maps or beds.

I remember building pillars in my constructions and other interesting places so I would be able to spot them from afar. It felt like a nice way to not get lost while still feeling like part of the game.

Post reply on HN