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Resources: Gaming

Written by Debbie Hughes, who is ADHD and Autistic and a modmin for Aucademy.

Here lies a comprehensive list of videogames that we recommend, sorted into categories that we may appreciate. Gaming is important for many of us, and we game for many reasons such as to chill out, to have fun, to socialise, for a challenge, to learn, etc.

Disclaimer: although I have played most of these games myself, I haven’t played all of them, so there may be mistakes in category placements (like a game not being in co-op category when it should be, for example.)

Devices key:

Categories:

Easy controls/simple controls

These games use mostly the mouse or pointer/cursor to move the player/complete actions. Other controls like buttons on the keyboard are either entirely optional or limited to one or two keys in addition to the pointer. For example, in Coffee Talk, the game is mostly dialogue so the main action is to click through the dialogue and select coffee ingredients. In games like A Bird Story and To the Moon you simply click where you want the character to go, and they will go to that spot. Night in the Woods has a few more controls that are 4 directions, jump, and interact (on PC this would be w, s, a, d, space, E).

Sandbox modes available/Open world

In gaming, sandbox basically means a mode of the game without storyline or fixed limits, usually creative, the player can interact without any predetermined goal. For example, in Minecraft, you can explore and create anything in the game world. Open world means you can explore the game world freely – e.g., in The Long Dark survival mode you can explore any part of the game world for an infinite amount of time.

Co-op/Multiplayer available

Some are local co-op (not online), some are online, most have co-op as an option in addition to single player.

Child-friendly

Calm/chill

Sub-category: Calm/chill games that are particularly low anxiety/consequences

Many of these games have no death of the player or fall damage (you can fall far and not lose health), if they do the consequences are very minimal (simply going back to a close-by checkpoint, for example). And they aren’t scary or anything. There may be some others on this page that fit into this category but I don’t know all of them well enough.

Mental health and/or disability-themed (warnings)

Some of these are very intense or heavy, some are more positive and light-hearted.

Collecting stuff

Puzzle-based

Driving

Exploration

Lots of exploration of the game world

Angry gaming (mostly shooters)

Horror/High intensity (for thrill/sensory seekers)

Executive functioning heavy (have to remember story)/Spoons-heavy/Story-heavy/Consequence

High difficulty – for those that want a challenge

Screenshot from The Long Dark

A-Z List:

A

A Bird Story (PC)

Alien: Isolation (PC, PS, Xbox, Switch, Phone)

Animal Crossing (Wii, Switch, Phone)

Any LEGO game (most consoles/PC)

Assassin’s Creed series (PC, PS, Xbox)

B

Batman: Arkham series (PC, Phone, PS, Wii U, Xbox)

Battlefield (PC, PS, Xbox, Phone)

Beyond Eyes (PS, Xbox, PC)

Beyond: Two Souls (PC, PS)

Big Brain Academy (Switch, Wii)

Bioshock series (PC, PS, Xbox, Switch)

Blasphemous (PC, PS, Xbox, Switch)

Broken Age (PC, Phone, PS, Xbox, Switch)

C

Call of Duty series (PC, PS, Xbox, Wii U, Phone)

Civilisation games (PC, Switch, PS, Xbox, Phone, Facebook Platform)

Coffee Talk (PC, Switch, PS, Xbox)

D

Dark Souls series (PC, PS, Xbox)

Days Gone (PC, PS)

Deadlight (PC)

Death Stranding (PC, PS)

Destiny 2 (PC, PS, Xbox)

Don’t Starve (Phone, PC, PS, Wii U, Switch)

Detention (PC, PS, Switch, Android)

Detroit: Become Human (PC, PS)

E

Elden Ring (PC, PS, Xbox)

Euro Truck Simulator 2 (PC)

Everybody’s Gone to the Rapture (PC, PS)

Explore Fushimi Inari (PC)

F

F1 games (PC, PS, Xbox, Phone, Wii)

Fahrenheit: Indigo Prophecy Remastered (PC, PS, Phone)

Far Cry series (PC, Xbox, PS)

Finding Paradise (PC)

Firewatch (PC, OS X, PS4, Xbox One, Nintendo Switch)

Forgotten Anne (PC, PS, Xbox, Switch, Phone)

G

Gartic phone (PC, Phone)

Genshin Impact (PC, Phone, PS, Switch)

Goat simulator (PC, Phone, Xbox, PS, Switch)

God of War (PC, PS)

Grand Theft Auto series (PC, PS, Phone, Switch, Xbox)

Gris (PC, Switch, PS4, Phone)

H

Harvest Moon (PC, Phone, Switch, PS, Xbox)

Heavy Rain (PC, PS)

Hellblade: Senua’s Sacrifice (PC, PS, Xbox, Switch)

I

I Am Bread (PC, PS, Xbox, Phone)

Injustice series (Phone, PS, Xbox, PC)

Inside (PC, Xbox, PS, iOS, Switch)

J

Journey (PC, Phone, PS)

Just Cause series (PC, PS, Xbox)

L

Left 4 Dead (PC, Xbox)

Life Is Strange (Phone, PC, PS, Xbox, Switch)

LIMBO (PC, PS, Xbox, Switch, Phone)

Little Inferno (PC, Wii U, Phone, Switch)

Little Mouse’s Encyclopaedia (PC, Switch, Xbox, Phone)

Little Nightmares (PC, PS, Xbox, Switch)

M

Mario games (Switch, Wii)

Mass Effect (PC, Xbox, Phone, PS, Wii U)

Metro 2033 series (PC, Xbox, PS, Switch)

Middle-earth: Shadow of Mordor/War (PC, PS, Xbox)

Minecraft (PC, Phone, Switch, Xbox, PS)

Monument Valley (PC, Phone)

Myrdalssandur, Iceland (PC)

Myst (PC, PS, Xbox, Switch, Phone)

N

Need For Speed series (PC, PS, Wii, Xbox, Phone, Switch)

Never Alone (Kisima Ingitchuna) (PC, OS X, PS3, PS4, Wii U, Xbox One, iOS, Android, Switch)

Night in the Woods (PC, PS, Xbox, Switch, Phone)

No Man Sky (PC, PS, Xbox, Switch)

O

Ori and the Blind Forest (PC, Xbox, Switch)

P

Phasmophobia (PC)

Portal (PC, Switch)

Professor Layton games (Switch, Phone)

R

Rayman Legends (PC, Switch, PS, Wii U, Xbox)

Red Dead Redemption 2 (PC, PS, Xbox)

Resident Evil games (PC, PS, Xbox, Switch, etc.)

Roblox (PC, Phone, Xbox) (not a game, but all co-op games on there, many free to play)

S

Samorost 3 (PC, Phone)

Shadow of the Colossus (PS)

Shelter 1 & 2 (PC)

Skyrim series (PC, Phone, PS, Xbox, Switch)

Slime Rancher (PC, Xbox, PS, Switch)

Spider-Man (PC, PS)

Spiritfarer (PC, PS, Xbox, Switch)

Splatoon (Switch, Switch)

Stardew Valley (PC, PS, Xbox, Switch, Phone)

Star Trek Online (PC, PS, Xbox)

Story of Seasons (PC, Switch, Wii, PS, Xbox)

Stray (PC, PS)

Super Meat Boy (PC, PS, Switch, Wii U)

Surviving Mars (PC, PS, Xbox)

T

Tales from the Borderlands (PC, Xbox, PS, Phone, Switch)

Telltale’s The Walking Dead (PC, PS, Xbox, Switch, Phone)

Terraria (Phone, PS, Xbox, Switch, Wii U)

The Binding of Isaac (PC)

The Night of the Rabbit (PC)

The Last Guardian (PS)

The Last of Us (PS)

The Long Dark (PC, PS, Xbox, Switch)

The Stanley Parable (PC)

The Vanishing of Ethan Carter (PC, PS, Xbox, Switch)

The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt (PC, PS, Xbox, Switch)

This War of Mine (PC, Phone, PS, Xbox, Switch)

The World Ends with You (Phone, Switch)

Tomb Raider series (PC, Xbox, Phone, PS, Wii)

To the Moon (PC, Phone, Switch)

Townscaper (PC, Switch, Phone, Xbox)

U

Until Dawn (PS)

Untitled Goose Game (Switch, PS, Xbox, PC)

W

Watch Dogs (PC, PS, Xbox, Wii U)

What Remains of Edith Finch (PC, PS, Xbox, Switch, iOS)

World of Warcraft (PC)

Wolfenstein series (Phone, PC, Switch, PC, Xbox)

Wreckfest (PC, PS, Xbox, Switch)

Z

Zelda: Breath of the Wild (Switch, Wii U)

Author bio:

Debbie Hughes (She/her), I’m Autistic and ADHD, I facilitate/modmin for Aucademy and I work for Gecko Community. I have an undergraduate degree and a Master’s degree in English Literature (Kent, Cardiff), so safe to say I like books. My other interests include: gaming, tea, wildlife and conservation, and The Lord of the Rings.

My favourite games to play right now (as of August 2022) are The Long Dark, Spiritfarer, Genshin Impact, and Tomb Raider 7-9 (Legend, Anniversary, Underworld). I have a PC and a PS4, but I just got a Switch as well so I can play Zelda.

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