Game Decisions

For this week reading blog, I've read an article called "Cozy games". The article gives an overview of what coziness is. They explore more into depth on the word "cozy" and have found out many different meanings in cozy such as coziness can help your game appeal to broader audiences or coziness helps retention by giving players control over pacing while still maintaining engagement during periods of rest. 

What is cozy?
The article refers coziness itself to how strongly a game evokes the fantasy of safety, abundance, and softness. Coziness defines as safety, abundance and softness.

Example stated on the article: 
"Safety: A cozy game has an absence of danger and risk. In a cozy game, nothing is high-risk, and there is no impending loss or threat. Familiarity, reliability, and one’s ability to be vulnerable and expressive without negative ramification all augment the feeling of safety. To maximize safety, activities should be voluntary and opt-in so that players never feel the threat of coercion."
"Abundance: A cozy game has a sense of abundance. Lower level Maslow needs (food, shelter) are met or being met, providing space to work on higher needs (deeper relationships, appreciation of beauty, self actualization, nurturing, belonging). Nothing is lacking, pressing or imminent."
"Softness: Cozy games use strong aesthetic signals that tell players they are in a low stressenvironment full of abundance and safety. These are gentle and comforting stimulus, where players have a lower state of arousal but can still be highly engaged and present."

Cozy also fulfill needs  as i think people play because it allows them to experiment with a particular set of skills and activities that would otherwise be expensive or impossible in the real world. The opportunity to fight off attackers might not exist, but a game lets them practice those skills safely and easily. 
Human is motivated to fulfill various needs. For example, when we get hungry, we are motivated to find food and eat. Players seek to fulfill their emotional and psychological needs within games. Each game taps into a highly specific set of motivations. For example a survival game such as ‘Don’t Starve’ is very upfront about the fact that it, let’s player explore the planning and tactical issues around getting food. 

"Don't Starve"
Gameplay

Link to sources: 
http://www.lostgarden.com/
Theory-Fun-Game-Design
https://www.klei.com/games/dont-starve