toxic positivity in cozy gaming | gamer's hearth ep. 3

Does cozy gaming have a toxic positivity problem? Or rather, a cozy toxicity problem? We’re exploring that topic today by using specific games such as Palia and Disney Dreamlight Valley as case studies?
Get cozy and let’s sit around the hearth together!
‧₊˚ Sites mentioned:
• Toxic Positivity: adaa.org/learn...
•Polygon Article: www.polygon.co...
•For such a cozy, casual game this sub is negative as hell: / for_such_a_casual_cozy...
•Cozy Toxicity and the Palia Gaming Community: / cozy_toxicity_and_the_...
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[@Fleurs_]

Lae this was a fantastic video and raised some super interesting points. I definitely haven't seen all of the points you've made but that isn't to say they don't exist and probably due to my lack of involvement directly in reddit and discord - particularly with Palia. From my personal experience I feel this attitude is so strong with Disney Dreamlight Valley, I have always tried to be fair and honest with that game (and it's downfalls). I do hate the policing of opinions within the community but if we just go into everything with rose tinted glasses improvements will never be made. Constructive criticism is a great tool for game devs which in turn benefits players, no one should be shut down for this.

[@laelindria]

Thanks so much, Fleurs! That means a lot. It's a tough balance to find for sure between giving games and developers the benefit of the doubt and avoiding those rose tinted glasses like you say!

[@Kimbuucha]

I used to be a test engineer for Microsoft and EA and let me tell you, we WANTED the feedback from beta. It validated our feedback that devs often ignored and only listened to if it came from the public but also, helped make the games that much better

[@BreakdowntheFacts]

Thank you for sharing this. This happens way too often within the cosy community. It’s extremely toxic on discord.

[@HarrietRosie13]

This was such a great video, as someone who isn't really involved in any Discourse around games it was a really good insight. I think you're so right when you talk about someone being such a fan that a game becomes part of their identity. Then if someone criticises the game it's like they are criticising you and that can be hard for them.

[@CozyCatGames]

I'm really loving where this podcast is going! I had it playing while brewing my morning coffee this morning and i really see this as a great source for cozy gamers to have discussions about topics we are all thinking about!

[@CoorieDoon]

This was a brilliant video to watch and so many relatable points! I think with all things it depends on how active/aware you are of a whole community as there's some things I've definitely not seen. But I also have potentially subconsciously put distance to avoid areas where it might be frustrating, either for negative or positive reasons. Like for the Palia discord, I was often checking what was going on relating to lore, storylines, etc but after seeing a lot of comments (going both ways) I've generally stayed away from interacting there unless I need info on completing a quest or to find a species of bug/fish. Overall I think a lot of people need a realisation that being able to analyse a game and critique it isn't an overtly good or bad thing, it's okay to have an opinion, as long as you aren't being malicious or purposefully attackful.

[@laelindria]

This is so true, you make so many good points here! Thank you so much. I also try to avoid interacting in the discord now except for news updates and such.

[@Zectifin]

Palia pitched itself as the open world of a typical MMO with the gathering of MMOs without the combat, with added life sim elements such as designing your house and doing things like farming, cooking, etc. They talked about how exploration will be an important part of the world. I know designing a large open world MMO is difficult, but they don't have to design a big them park, enemy mobs, balance those mobs, etc. All they need to do is make a large expansive world and they said it would keep expanding since exploration is one of the most important features. Instead we got a very small world that is about the size of a 3d Stardew Valley. every nook and cranny doesn't have to be a big original handcrafted thing. This is why games with procedural generation work really well with exploration. I can play Minecraft or Terraria over and over and the worlds are huge and different everytime. Maybe they should have had procgen zones that refresh every week or month or something. as it is exploration is a joke.

[@ImaginePixel]

i agree with a lot of what you’re saying. i haven’t experienced too much toxicity in the cozy gaming community but for games like DDV, it was in beta but it was also a time where the devs needed feedback so that players could play and not be swamped with glitches. personally with palia, it was my first MMO and i ended up not liking it as much as i thought i would. also, it’s so glitchy and it lags sometimes. just started following you and this is the first episode i’ve heard from you and 10/10

[@MrDreamlight]

I've seen this from a few creators. They talk about "this amazing community", but the moment you offer a critique or a different opinion they get passive-aggressive or downright rude. I have unsubbed and blocked a few DDV creators because of the passive-aggressiveness.

[@elleserein]

I see this in Palia with people who just want to play by themselves? The community (not everyone) in game comes for them and demonizes them for not waiting to hit a flow tree, pallium rock, etc. I am a firm believer that we should be able to play how we want. 🥺 I think everyone should be kind but we are also allowed to have our own opinions and politely disagree without coming at each other/ invalidating each other. I do love all the games you mentioned but also agree there can be improvements. I appreciate your perspective. Just subscribed! 💛

[@laelindria]

Thanks so much, Elle! And oh my gosh yes the way people sometimes shame people for not sharing resources in the game is such a good example of that cozy toxicity showing up in-game and not just in community spaces.

[@diana7]

@elleserein @laelindria this 100% - just the other day I had this happen in Palia. I wasn't even the one who didn't "wait" to share the resources but was defending a person they were bashing for not having waited (even tho no one had called it yet at that point). I was trying to explain in chat that not everyone has time to wait and it's not their fault that this is how the resource system was implemented, that everyone should get to play the game as they want and that resources are now respawning faster than they used to so it shouldn't be so problematic. I had at least 2 people say that I'm baby-raging (I was talking calmly) and that I should uninstall the game if I can't play it with the "community" lol

[@goblinbugs]

i've been a cozy gamer for years, but the last year or so i have noticed SO much cozy toxicity! much more than usual!

[@laelindria]

Same, I feel like it’s a natural growing pain for a community that’s growing so quickly! But I will say overall I’ve found the majority of cozy gamers to be very fair and kind

[@goblinbugs]

@@laelindria absolutely! 95% of the people i come across are friendly, kind, and wonderful

[@bigrplayer4070]

Really enjoy this video and appreciate the amount of research you did in putting it together! Balance is so key in any type of game. Love your reference "torches and pitchforks" - lol, totally understand that mentality. I play some single player cozy games and am not involved in any community discord (i.e., forums, discord, reddit, etc...) so this was very enlightening.