What Games Do You Play When You're Sick_

I’ve been sick for nearly two weeks. Bluh. But it’s made me notice something: the games I play while rotting on my deathbed are really different from my normal fare. Do you game while sick? If so, what do you betdog play when your brain’s drowning in fever fog and mucus is leaking from a worrying number of orifices? This time around I’ve found myself gravitating toward games that aren’t exactly mindless, but don’t require a rocket surgeon degree with a minor in sweet reflexology either. Crypt of the Necrodancer has been taking up frightening amounts of my time, thanks to its simple one-handed gameplay (just press arrows in time with the rhythm) mixed with satisfying strikes and impacts.cnx.cmd.push(function(){cnx({"playerId":"e3616d04-4972-4839-a63a-c6975e2e9731","settings":{"advertising":{"macros":{"AD_UNIT":"/23178111854/od.kotaku.com/article","CHILD_UNIT":"article","POST_ID":"1628175890","POST_TYPE":"post","CHANNEL":"uncategorized","SECTION":"","SUBSECTION":"","CATEGORIES":"uncategorized","TAGS":"","NOP":"0"},"timeBeforeFirstAd":0}}}).render("cnx-player-main")}); I sbfplay can just zone out while playing it, be entirely reactive to what’s going on in the game. It’s really nice when a fever is baking my brain to the point that my ufa747 most complex thought tends to be something along the lines of, “Buh. Where kleenex? Never mind. Me tired. Take nap in pool of own snot now.” Other times, though, I’ve gravitated toward more relaxing games like Proteus. Its painterly world is entirely non-violent, designed for brief strolls through ever-shifting nature. Trees blossom, wildlife scurries, and the tiniest hint of magic sparkles in the air. It’s just nice. Also the sparse soundtrack is a nice antidote to a throbbing headache. One time—when I was a little younger—I spent, like, 13 hours straight (with occasional naps sandwiched between) playing World of Warcraft. I just did all the most mundane, mindless stuff possible. Gathering materials, going on basic kill/collect quests, etc. No dungeons, no PVP. Again, when everything aches and your brain is off in some other dimension, stuff that’s normally boring becomes kinda nice. WoW occupied me but didn’t exhaust me. It struck a perfect balance. Oh, and then there’s Just Cause 2. I feel like it’s sort of the ultimate sick game—at least for me personally. If I want to relax and do nothing—just soar around while listening to smooth jazz or drive $100,000 cars off mountains or something—that’s totally an option. Or I can blow up cannon fodder enemies that don’t really pose any sort of threat for hours on end. All of those options are satisfying in their own ways, but none of them are particularly taxing. Other games I’ve spent significant time with while sick: The Sims, Sid Meier’s Pirates, Peggle (NO YOU SHUT UP), Kingdom Hearts 2 (I honestly don’t remember, like, half of it), Civilization, and Diablo (any of them). Do you play games while sick? If so, what are your favorite sick games? Image credit: Jim Cooke.