I’ll admit — a lot of the wistfulness I feel for the good old college days comes from the excitement I used to feel during back to school season. The laughing kids in the Target aisles gasping at the overly expensive supplies, excited to show their tired parents to beg them for notebooks with whatever their interest is that year (mine were always the ones with Star Wars or Marvel characters). The nervous jitters as you pick out an outfit for your first day, only to wear oversized sweatshirts for the rest of the semester. Printing your syllabi in the library to take full advantage of your printing grant, only to run into someone you haven’t seen in forever with the same weary but excited look in their eyes. The joy-filled hugs with friends that you run to catch up to across the street, desperate to hear about what they’ve been up to this summer. The wobbly desk in the corner of your favorite coffee shop that somehow has no one sitting in it, soon enough to be covered with your laptop and readings, and feels a little bit like home.  

Such wistfulness is heightened by the fact I (and the class of 2020) missed out on graduation and the end of our senior year, and will probably be nostalgic for what could have been forever, but still. It’s been a rough couple of years for all of us, especially students. We’re starting a new chapter of our lives unsure of what the future holds — all while our world is going through it, to say the least. 

One activity I’ve always found helpful during times of stress is picking a video game to fall in love with (specifically, those that don’t lose their charm over the long periods of time I may have to spend studying). Playing video games may even relieve symptoms of depression, such as stress and anxiety, according to several studies published in the Games for Health Journal. While students should definitely focus on finding a schedule that balances schoolwork and everything else in life, it’s not a bad idea to relax and tune into another world for a little while. Here are five games that can help you start your school year the right way. 

Animal Crossing: New Horizons

Nintendo Switch

If you’ve been following The Interlude for a while, you probably saw this one coming. But really, what better way to cope with those 9 a.m. labs than with a getaway to your own personal island? Animal Crossing: New Horizons offers players the unique opportunity to create a world of their own from scratch — all while interacting with friendly animal neighbors. Why stress about the ever-constant fear of not getting a job post-grad when you can make Bells selling fruits and fish to little raccoons? New Horizons can also be played with multiple friends, so feel free to hop away to another island if you get bored of your own. Or just start a brand new one! Your world, your rules.

Stardew Valley

Nintendo Switch, PC, PlayStation 4/5

Stardew Valley is, in my opinion, timeless — which is a bit ironic considering the importance of time in its gameplay. Inspired by classic farming games such as Harvest Moon, Stardew Valley offers a simple but charming story about a protagonist who inherits their grandfather’s farm. Help restore a beautiful pixelated valley while gathering materials, growing crops, and interacting with townsfolk. Like in real life, players only have a limited time each day in-game to do these activities. As the seasons change in-game, so do the interactions and events the protagonist encounters. The recent 1.5 update also introduces several new storylines, characters, and an island to explore. Live out your best cottagecore life in the comfort of your own dorm.

Persona 5

PlayStation 4/5

This one is for all the manga and anime lovers out there. Set in Tokyo, Persona 5 is the sixth game in the Persona series, which follows a protagonist known as Joker and his friends as they become vigilantes with secret powers — all while dealing with the struggles of high school. With an exceptional art style and intriguing storylines, players solve puzzles, interact with colorful NPCs, and explore the Metaverse, a supernatural realm filled with enemies known as “Shadows.” Although the idea of going anywhere near a high school may seem dreadful, Persona 5 creates a compelling world that will appeal to anyone looking for a distraction from the stresses of academic life.

Marvel’s Spider-Man

PlayStation 4/5

If you can’t help but miss the bustle of city or campus life after being stuck at home for more than a year, this is the game for you. Marvel’s Spider-Man invites you into the unique and web-weaving world of Peter Parker, a 23-year-old lab assistant dealing with the very real repercussions of being the popular vigilante Spider-Man for the past eight years. Play as one of Marvel’s most iconic heroes as he tries to balance his post-grad lab work, superhero shenanigans, and his forever failing personal life. The game takes place in Manhattan, where Parker swings from action-packed adventures to engaging sidequests, or on some occasions, simply rides the subway to work. Parker’s ever-present charm and struggles as a young adult trying to make it through the day can be relatable to any kind of student. And the Miles Morales sequel follows suit in creating an engaging and at times heartbreaking world of heroic feats.

Inbento

Nintendo Switch, Xbox One

This one is for the students juggling 10 different things at once and only have a few minutes to play anything that’ll keep their mind off their growing piles of schoolwork. Inbento is a simple, adorable puzzle game that follows a cat making lunch box meals for her kitten as he grows up, eventually graduates school, and finds work as a chef. Its nostalgic feel and sweet storyline can help anyone going through a period of homesickness while heading back to campus. Each puzzle creates a meal clearly made with love and moves the kitten further into the new and intimidating world of adulthood.