This is seventh of ten essays contained within the second issue of the Adult Analysis Anthology, an experimental collection of longform writing that seeks to expand the breadth of critical discourse around adult games and adult game culture. I will be re-publishing the web versions of all essays from the first two issues of the anthology to this blog over the course of the next few months, but if you’d like to support the creation of more high-quality writing about adult games the full anthology is available for purchase on Itch! Anthology logo by Pillow!
Written By: blit
Heads up: this essay contains mentions of bondage, transformation, extreme size differences, and complicated consent.
Coziness in Games; An Exploration of Safety, Softness, and Satisfied Needs was published in 2017, and still shows up in gamedev discourse today. The business part of the title (aafer the semicolon) tells the reader what’s up: we’re here to talk about feeling safe, satisfied and soft.
- Coziness, to the authors, is safe. Cozy experiences are low risk, and often stress familiarity, reliability or openness to vulnerability.
- Coziness is, to the authors, abundant. Basic needs are being fulfilled – things like shelter, food, and water. This gives cozy experiences the time to focus on other needs, like connection, belonging, and intimacy.
- Coziness is, to the authors, soft. They’re talking about an aesthetic sense of softness here, the ways we use art to signal to someone that they can let their guard down, relax and move a little more slowly. Communication is authentic, sincere.
So, then, how do porn games help foster experiences like this? I’d like to talk about three adult games I’ve played and how I’ve found them cozy:
Continue reading “This Abundance Of Sex Is Kinda Nice, Actually”