Honestly, so do we sometimes! Toxic positivity is a real problem, and lots of words and ideas like 'wholesome' (or 'family values') have been warped into dog whistles and harmful purity tests, or used to dismiss serious concerns.

The question of what makes a game wholesome is one that comes up again and again in our community, and while common themes sometimes emerge from those conversations, we think it devalues the discussion to suggest that there's ever going to be a comprehensive final answer. If a game is cute and cozy but contains harmful stereotypes, is it wholesome? We say no! If a game is violent, but that violence is about overthrowing an oppressor, is it unwholesome? We say no! The opinions presented by our curation are just that: one group's opinions. Something we've always tried to be mindful of is that what looks wholesome to one person might not look wholesome to someone else. That's up to you to decide! It's subjective and we don't want to pretend that it isn't. We want to be a part of showcasing the breadth of experiences that games can have for players. For many years, the most critically acclaimed titles have been the ones with the darkest themes and grimmest depictions of life, but there's also a whole world of hopeful video games with rich storytelling, innovative gameplay, and beautiful art and sound.

One of the goals of Wholesome Games is to change how we think about which games are taken seriously. Since then, the community has grown to nearly 500k members across Twitter, Discord, TikTok, YouTube, and more. Wholesome Games is a community that started on Twitter when indie game developer Matthew Taylor began curating games according to their feelings of comfort, compassion, and coziness. How did you know!? What is Wholesome Games? We've got them all archived in this YouTube playlist! Can we co-stream your events? Where can I view past Wholesome Games events?

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