Ever since it released back in 2016, I’ve not been able to put Pokémon Go down. It’s a combination of things that keep me coming back though, whether it’s the collectathon style of gameplay, constantly hunting for new Pokémon or costumes. Even Shiny Hunting, a much less tedious experience than most of the main series. Pokémon Go helps me decompress by being my permanent walking partner, even if I don’t always have it open, its always hatching eggs, or earning candy with my buddy Pokémon. Part of the draw and why it helps me to decompress is that everything is up to you. If you don’t want to get involved with the more difficult raids, or fight Team Go Rocket, you don’t have to, just continue to catch all those Pokémon. Or, be involved as heavily as you want, taking part in paid events, community days, raid hour. The ability to play with friends too is something I love doing. Everyone working towards the same goal, or competing to see who can get the most shinies in a certain event. As with many games, Pokémon Go is what you make it, and the role it plays in my day to day life, giving me something to check and explore with while I’m out and about, helps me to decompress.
At almost the other end of the spectrum, we have Mario Kart Tour. Released in 2019, it received consistent fortnightly updates all the way through to September 2023, with it now running repeats of the final year of tours. Ranked forces a decent amount of competition, but most of the time you are just competing against yourself to get higher and higher scores. As a massive Mario Kart fan, it has been a game changer to be able to pull out my phone whenever I want and be able to play some of my favourite tracks from across the series. Despite the lack of new content now, it's still fun to hop in and play the tracks, as with only 2 laps instead of 3, each race is less of a time commitment than normal, so getting a quick race in between errands or while waiting for things has been a huge help for me.
