The Elder Scrolls Online Is Relaxing Because It Isn't

thegamer.com:

Gaming can be a relaxing pastime that distracts from the overwhelming anxiety of our day-to-day lives. But then you have games like The Binding of Isaac, Dark Souls, Hollow Knight, Metroid Dread, and genres like survival horror, competitive shooters, and time-sink MMOs. Gaming can be the polar opposite, a testing yet rewarding hobby that requires true investment to unearth its best qualities. That’s something I treasure about The Elder Scrolls Online—it manages to keep me on my toes without ever feeling job-like or overwhelming.

I’ve been unravelling my anxiety in therapy for the past year, alongside a cocktail of other mental health issues that culminates in a nagging little voice at the back of my head that gets angry at me for daring to slow down and take it easy. I used to work myself to death, juggling the student paper, freelancing, and my degree while at university, not properly clocking out until 11pm most nights, some even later. It’s been an ongoing problem that I’ve only just started to gain some clarity on, but since I was 13 I’ve had one relaxing escape that I continue to rely upon—ESO.

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That nagging voice can be hard to silence. You sit back on the sofa, hoping to relax after a long day, but end up getting lost in your own head, beating yourself down, stirring in self-deprecation. It isn’t fun. But games like ESO let me feel useful, even if I’m doing something completely useless. I can grind for materials to complete crafting writs for my guildmates, farm expensive and rare loot to stock the store, and dungeon delve as a healer where I keep my team afloat against the toughest of bosses. There’s a challenge and