19 relaxing video games to relieve stress

Available at: PC, iOS, Android

Golf in the desert exactly what it says on the tin, and nothing more. There is a ball, a hole, and a desert area arranged in the center. That’s right. No group, no choice of clubs, songs, no items, no pausing, no restarting, not even an avatar. Just drag the cursor back to find out how strong the next shot is, and try to get A to B. When you do, a new hole appears, and you continue, endlessly. (Part technically speaking “the end,” but God bless anyone who plays long enough to see it.)

Golf in the desert it reads very easy on paper, and it feels like a critique of time-stealing, player-destructive mobile games. However, playing it borders on meditation. The exercise of minimalism is to create everything and nothing at once. There is a shooter at the top, but it doesn’t work, it just means how long you’ve played. You can shoot 60 on one hole, but there is no invisible eye judging you. Instead, you’re allowed to focus on the simple joy of throwing a ball in the air, watching it hit the sand and finally. plonk the hole. It’s more about sports than the rules of the game: golfandnot golf. And when something new appears – a well of water, a sunset, a wolf – it becomes very difficult.