What games do you play for consolation?

It has been a really terrifying, hellish month and it’s only the third day of it as I write this, and so, as a coping mechanism I’ve been playing a lot of Fallout 4. 

Yes, that’s right, I deal with stress by playing a game where humanity blew up the world. First of all, it’s a game where I can actually make an active difference in the world. I can save settlements, restore order, and in general do things that seem utterly out of my reach in the world as it is now. Secondly it’s a game where I can build elaborate networks of settlements for the express purpose of funneling resources towards my ultimate goal — a concrete bunker with many laser and machine gun turrets that keeps my vast collection of power armor suits secure like a post apocalyptic Tony Stark armor bunker.

It’s not the only game I play when I need something that distracts me from things — I’ve also played Mass Effect Legendary Edition and Cyberpunk 2077 quite a bit lately, and I’m fairly sure I feel an Assassin’s Creed Odyssey playthrough coming once I finish ME LE. Certain types of games — ones with expansive worlds, or fun (to me at least) combat, or engaging stories often serve to keep me focused away from things like panic attacks, anxiety, or just straight up depression.

I don’t know how common that is, but I feel like at least some of you might also have games to turn to when you’re feeling like you need something to distract, console or just plain occupy you in the face of stressful, tense or otherwise unpleasant moments in your lives. So share those games with us. What games do you play as consolation when things get hard to deal with?