I enjoyed this book which details a bunch of video games which the book's author considers to be relaxing. I would argue that many of these games are not exactly relaxing (Untitled Goose Game is a lot of fun but it is also hugely frustrating when your quests to cause mayhem are thwarted! Also, any roguelike is immediately stressful, and how can a horror game be at all relaxing?)

There were a few of them which I had played before (and largely only because of James Batchelor's book The Best Non-Violent video games) but most of these are new to me, perhaps because a good proportion are Nintendo games, and I've never owned a Nintendo console. It's a fun book for fans of the lighter side of video gaming, and the author's passion for the games comes across with each description, making you want to give each one a try for yourself, even if it doesn't wholly seem like your cup of tea.

Thank you NetGalley, Pen & Sword, and White Owl for this arc!

5/5 stars

Anyone who knows me knows that playing cozy games is one of favourite hobbies (while listening to audiobooks!) and I love so many of the games listed in this book! And now I've found even more to play as well!! This is a great compilation, concise and thorough in its descriptions of the different games that helped me narrow down my want to play list from this book to a manageable level 😅

The majority of my free time is spent playing video games. I met my husband while playing Overwatch, so gaming is a big part of our lives. Between Fortnite and Overwatch, we can get quite frustrated so finding a relaxing game that we can play together or apart is important for remaining relaxed and having a good time.

Stardew Valley is one of our favorite games to play together. There is so much depth that the creator put into the game, so much to do, you can get sucked in for days playing.

A Little to the Left is a fun, relaxing game that i enjoy playing in my free time when nobody else is available for games. It helps to release my need to organize without having to put in too much effort and it’s so fun to finally solve each puzzle.

Are you a gamer? Are you not a gamer but want something different to distract yourself for a little while? Do you need a bit of breathing space without putting down your controller/ keyboard/ VR Headsaet? Then this is the book for you, a fantastic guide to games you can chill out to. (And lets face it, we all need a bit of down time here and there!)

The first thing I noticed (and really liked) was the table at the beginning of each chapter with all of the relevant details, year, publisher, developer, genre and formats. If you are planning on buying these games, seeking second hand copies online and so on, this is great data to have to hand (not at all making notes to boost my geek points with the other half) The "Did You Know" caption at the end of the chapter is awesome trivia and the page numbers in a controller graphis are a really nice touch.

The visuals are gorgeous and the publishers have done an excellent job at enhancing and refining older style graphics from the older games, beautiful!

The best thing about this book, is that it is clearly written from the perspective of an ardent gamer. No snobbery or pro-gae tips, it's all about enjoying games and sharing tthe love of games (eee, Kirby's world, it's been an age since I have seen that!) Reading through The Most Relaxing Video Games is exactly that, relaxing, a nice trip down memory lane and a lot of banter thanks to the nice, engaging narrative

I would love to read more from this author and will certainly be recommending this book to my gaer friends (I will also be getting a copy as Sunday nights on Worms Armageddon and Online Uno can always make room for some more friendly competition!)

Thank you very much to Netgalley, Pen & Sword and White Owl for this absolutely brilliant ARC! Thank you also to Ryan Janes for writing a book that welcomes everyone and in such an affable and engaging way, wonderful! My review is left voluntarily and all opinions are my own

I rediscovered the joy of gaming over the lockdown period - I'm very much an advocate now for the mental health benefits of gaming. In Ryan James' introduction he talks about his own mental health struggles and how gaming helps him with his anxiety and OCD. Not all games out there are shooters or violence focused... they can be fully immersive, relaxing, interactive story or puzzle based games, that I've come to find even more enjoyable than reading a good book at times! It's not always easy to know what's out there in terms of games I'd enjoy, so I found this book really helpful to discover new possibilites. The games are listed in alphabetical order, and include games spanning a range of consoles/formats and are mostly modern releases - I would've appreciated a few more retro throwbacks, though. The author includes a helpful overview and a detailed description of the game, with photos, and an interesting trivia section on each game. I've made a list of some games I'd like to check out at some point, which includes: A Little to the Left, Gorogoa, Hidden Folks, Kind Words, Passpartout: The Starving Artist, The Quarry, Stardew Valley, Telling Lies and The Witness.
Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for this digital review copy. 'The Most Relaxing Video Games' is released 30th March 2024.

Very simple book which provides some interesting background and facts about each relaxing game. I liked this book as i am a cozy gamer and am always looking for more games to play, this book is perfect for a range of gamers as it recommends games across different areas of interest from animal crossing to American truck simulator. I think this would make an excellent coffee book and it is an interesting read if you want to learn a bit more about the games your playing. Thanks for letting me review this!

I have been a lifelong gamer since the Nintendo system came out when I was a child. I didn’t get my own system until I got a SEGA system for my birthday. Now I have an Xbox Series X and a PS5. I don’t expect I’ll ever stop gaming.

So when I saw this book of The Most Relaxing Video Games on NetGalley I wished for it and got it. It’s very well done. The author starts by explaining a bit about each game, its history and why it’s relaxing. There are plenty I hadn’t heard of but loved that he included The Quarry which is a horror game. Of course stuff like Tetris is here but also Farming Simulator to newer games likes Journey.

If you’re a gamer or know one I recommend this book.

Thanks to the author and publisher for the e-arc I received from NetGalley.

A perfect companion to cosy gaming through which I've discovered some new games, revisited old favourites, and found out some fun facts about their developers and worlds.

I can highly recommend this lovingly-written guide to anyone who, like me, likes to unwind with a game. It covers a wide variety of relaxing games for different platforms, so chances are you'll find something new to suit your tastes! I know I'll be giving 'A short hike' and 'The Great Ace Attorney Chronicles' a try soon :D

Thank you for providing me with this ARC!

While most of the time I prefer to read fiction, for some reason I am interested in nonfiction books about video games - how they are made, why they are popular, or just fun facts about my favorite games.

This book profiles quite a few of the more “relaxing” video games and the appeal behind them. While I wouldn’t call <i>Portal 2</i> or <i>The Quarry</i> relaxing (at all!) what this book means is that the games referenced are not combat focused, with tons of action sequences and boss battles.

Apparently, I prefer combat based games, because a lot of the games referenced in this book I had never heard of, but I still found it interesting, and there were some games that I definitely want to look into more.

Scattered throughout the book are some lovely screenshots from the various games which helped paint the picture of the various environments described.

I enjoyed this a lot, even though I don’t read a ton of nonfiction. Definitely a good way to get some background on some classic games. Maybe there will be a second book about relaxing mini games within RPGs. Gwent or Orlog, anyone?

I received this eARC from NetGalley.

The book does what it says, and explains various video games that can be relaxing to varying degrees. Screenshots are included in the summaries. I did like the little interesting facts added at the end of each game's section. I would have rated this higher, but I just don't know why someone would buy this unless the physical copy was really cool looking or something. This is the kind of content I'm interested in, but I'd watch it in a YouTube list or read it elsewhere for free. I mean, if I find out that this can be obtained for free, I'll up my rating.

I’m not a gamer. I’ve never played (well my brother had a Sega once) but my husband and kids are. When I saw this book I thought this was my chance to find something maybe even I could play. And spoiler: I did!

The author gives the information about the game (when it was made, who made it and most importantly what device you can play it on) , what the story if the game is. The cool added was the little known facts the author put at the end of each game.

Pen and Sword books provided an early galley for review.

Like the author, I have been playing video games for a large portion of my life, and I often use them as a release valve to burn off stress or to just unwind. So, I was definitely in the target demographic for his book.

Some titles were known to me while others were all-new discoveries that I just might have to seek out. I like that there are plenty of full-color screen-shots included with the details about each game. That is always a good way to get a feel for the game. Also, the "did you know?" section at the end of each game description offers some fun trivia about the game.

My only minor quibble is the use of the term "relaxing" to categorize all of these games. The dictionary defines "relaxing" as "reducing tension or anxiety". While many of these games do fall into the category, there are a few that have quite a bit of tense or anxious moments to them (I am looking at you Portal 2). I think "low-key" works a bit better for me. Still, it is a fun book with lots of great games included.

As someone who enjoys relaxing games, I loved this. Each game is very detailed with a description on the adventure you are about to play, and a fun fact about each game. A lot of time was taken to write such detail about the games. I know when I’m bored next time, I will refer to this book. Great book to give to a someone who wants to play more video games!

My favourite games are cozy games, like farming simulators so this was a great read to find more similar games.

You might see this and be tempted to write it off as little better than a list of relaxing games you could find online, but this title goes deeper into games than most lists I’ve personally come across and I have looked - growing up, I remember the high stress I’d get just trying to play Super Mario Brothers, I still get mildly stressed when trying to catch a scorpion or tarantula in Animal Crossing New Horizons so the idea of relaxing video games is definitely appealing. Actiony fighty games are definitely not for me.

I personally appreciated this - I found a number of new games that I’m interested in trying and feel that this title would make a great gift (along with some preferred gaming platform giftcards) for the gamer in your life who prefers laid back games.



Thank you to White Owl / Pen & Sword Books and NetGalley for the DRC

I had so much fun going over these games with my 13-year-old son! I now have about ten additional tabs open on my iPad of Nintendo Switch games to look into. Also, I saw that some are on sale for Christmas, so it's good timing.
I appreciated how open and vulnerable Janes is at the beginning of the book. He talks about how his anxiety and OCD often kept him from doing more social things, but that video games were always a pleasant escape for him. My son has pretty severe anxiety himself, and I see firsthand how he also is happiest playing his favorite video games.
There's a big variety of games listed, and the author has some from each gaming system, so if you only have an Xbox, or Switch, or PC, etc., never fear--there's something in here for everyone. The "Did You Know" trivia at the end of each section is super interesting, as well.

I highly recommend checking this book out when it comes out in March 2024!

Thank you to NetGalley and Pen & Sword for a complimentary copy in exchange for my honest review.

This book is brilliant, it takes a look at the more relaxing side of gaming with plenty of great ideas and interesting information about the games.

The Most Relaxing Video Games does exactly what it says on the tin and explores over 50 different video games which are all relaxing to play and non-violent. As someone who finds many of the popular video games stressful, this book was perfect for suggestions of games from puzzles to simulations which would be fun to play.

I really liked that screenshots from the games were included as it provided a great insight into the style of the game and whether its something I would enjoy. The fun facts included throughout were a nice addition and were quite interesting. I thought it was great that for each game it was clearly specified which devices it would work on as this is something I struggle with when trying to find games which I can play on my PC.

My only complaint is that for me this book was slightly too wordy and a fraction too long. I wish that some of the longer paragraphs of information about each game had been broken down into bullet points or smaller chunks of text however this is purely personal preference and didn't detract from the content at all.

Overall, this is a great hand book of relaxing video games and I will definitely be downloading a few of these games myself!