Chapter 1: The Goal of Game Design Deep Dive: Cozy Games
1.1 Let’s Get Cozy
1.2 Utilizing User Experience
Chapter 2: Cozy Theming
2.1 What Are Cozy Games?
2.2 Lowering the Stakes
Chapter 3: Where Wholesome Came From
3.1 The Origins of Casual Games
3.2 Curating Cozy (and Wholesome) Games of the 2010s
3.3 The Wholesome Games Movement
3.4 The Success of Stardew Valley
3.5 The Appeal of Cozy/Wholesome Games
3.6 The Limits of Cozy and Wholesome
Chapter 4: Understanding UI/UX Design
4.1 What is UI/UX Design
4.2 Defining the User Experience
4.3 Playtesting Practices
4.4 The Causes of Churn
4.5 Assessing Approachability and Aesthetics
Chapter 5: Making Things Cozy and Wholesome
5.1 Defining Cozy, Wholesome, and Casual Design
5.2 Setting Stakes
5.3 Exploring Sandbox Design
5.4 A Relaxing Progression Curve
5.5 Is Everything Cozy (or Wholesome)?
Chapter 6: Conclusion
6.1 A Market Worth Exploring
6.2 Will Cozy Change?
6.3 A Stress-Free Ending
Glossary
Biography
Joshua Bycer is a Game Design Analyst with over a decade of experience writing for major sites, creating content on YouTube, and the author of the Game Design Deep Dive series. In that time through Game‑Wisdom.com, he has interviewed hundreds of game developers and members of the industry about what it means to design video games.
