As I lean towards having other hobbies, I am just aiming to have a chill gaming journey— the kind that would simply soothe me after busy days.

I still have my MOBA constants, like Mobile Legends: Bang Bang and Clash of Clans (yes, I still play this old classic) but I don’t play them as much as I did last year. I can’t pinpoint why, but I really just don’t feel like it as of the moment.

I’ve been seeing ads about cozy games here and there, and there’s this one particular game thay caught my attention because of the graphics, the flow, and its rising fame across Asia— Heartopia.

Some parts of the gameplay are pretty similar to The Sims (a true king of the simulation genre, we all know that)— the creative freedom in terms of character and home design and the ease of navigating maps and places.

The advantages it has though is the idea of connecting with other players across different servers and the interesting storyline itself where we get to do tasks while exploring the entire realm. I gotta say, seeking the astralis feels like going to a treasure hunt or truth-seeking adventure, which I personally prefer (to each their own). I also like the idea of experimenting with different fits. At least, in this game, I get to visualize fashion ideas which are far-fetched for me to try. Lol!

To those exploring the cozy and simulation genres, Heartopia can be a good training ground. It’s accessible on mobile phones and it doesn’t really consume much space. I’ll write more entries about this as I progress throughout the game.

Then, a few days ago, Gelo (a best friend) and I had our fourth coffee date tradition. Some of the topics we seamlessly got into are aviation and our shared interest in mobile gaming to kill time. Unsurprisingly, he has been playing a known aviation game called Airport Simulator and he demonstrated the interesting gameplay as we enjoyed our lattes.

It’s pretty timely— my budding interest for aviation and travel is becoming stronger, hence this game is definitely education in learning the ropes of the industry as it provides details about airport management and fleet knowledge.

It also reminded me of some concepts I’ve been mastering since my undergraduate days in business education— financial management, retail management, customer relationship, and the like. Funny how, on my first two days, I got a huge loss because I got too fixated on signing contracts without paying much attention to my facilities and customer feedback. Pretty hypocrite, isn’t it? I gotta say it’s a good refresher for me though. As of now, this game is definitely something I am keeping for a long time, alongside The Sims. Thanks, Gelo! Looking forward to yapping more about this game in our future coffee dates!

Maybe this year isn’t about grinding ranks or chasing wins—it’s about comfort, curiosity, and having fun without stress. Cozy games feel like a warm cup of coffee after a long day: familiar, soothing, and surprisingly fulfilling. Between Heartopia adventures, airport mishaps, and coffee-fueled game demos, I think I’ve found my gaming pace for now. Here’s to playing slower, learning along the way, and enjoying the ride—one cozy game at a time.

PS. Expect more gaming entries in the future.