Every job requires some combination of problem-solving, strategy, and teamwork — just like every video game. But not every company you encounter will be as solutions-oriented, innovative, or collaborative as you might desire.

Aim to find an organization that will value you and your skills. Challenge your beliefs. How often have you written off a video game before even playing it? We all have internal biases that can alter our perception of the world. The same is true for our careers — you likely have personal beliefs about certain companies, industries, and job titles.

Instead, take the time to speak to people on the inside. Try again. Fail again. Fail better. But just like in video games, we can test hypotheses, experiment, process variables, and establish new ways of understanding our world. Have patience. Video games can be repetitive. The same can be said for work, and our lives in general.

The patience and hard work are what make the glorious cut scenes, rare achievements, and final fights worth it. In your career, the work you put in now will pay off long-term, too. Think like a creator.

Game developers often employ transformational creativity. This is when designers, often drawing on leaps forward in technology, drive revolutionary changes in the entire video game ecosystem.

But Proyer urges people not to be afraid to find fun in something not normally associated with adults. Socially acceptable adult games, like board games for instance, are often accompanied by a list of rules and require a specific environment to be played.

This does less to encourage creativity and spontaneous playful behaviour despite the elements of luck and strategy, says Proyer.

Sometimes activities like this also involve competition and the related frustration with winning and losing.

Essentially, the more unexpected the interaction or activity, the better for experiencing and enhancing your playfulness, he says.

Your enjoyment of play can depend on both your personality and your willingness to be open to new forms of conversation and experiences. Proyer suggests that if you're most playful at home with your partner or family, for example, try using similar conversational techniques with colleagues or more distant friends and observe the results.

With the evidence so strongly pointing towards a wide array of social benefits, it can't hurt to look a little harder for those small moments that make a much bigger difference than you might think to both yourself and the people you interact with. On the surface, it can appear that most adults do not play as often as they would wish — perhaps, as Proyer suggests, because socially-acceptable adult games are not that fun, and those that are might be seen as embarrassing depending on the activity.

But, Sebastian Deterding, professor of digital creativity at the University of York, says that in order for adults to engage in playful activities guilt-free, they can come prepared with socially acceptable "excuses".

He gives the example of The Mindfulness Coloring Book: Anti-Stress Art Therapy for Busy People by Emma Farrarons which aims to make the embarrassing act of adult colouring socially acceptable when associated with the "alibi" of it being therapy for successful people.

However, with the rise of social media in recent decades, the goal posts for what constitutes embarrassing play have been moved. Platforms like Youtube and Twitch in particular are popularising gaming culture.

Gaming Youtuber and Twitch streamer Mollie Faux-Wilkins, known as The English Simmer to her audience of over , subscribers, says that for her, playing The Sims a life simulation video game has never been embarrassing and was actually encouraged by her parents from a young age.

Playing The Sims, along with the majority of other video games, can be an isolating experience, she says. But with the creation and growth of her channel, she has been welcomed into a global community, making friends from across the world and connecting with like-minded gamers in a playful activity.

The Sims still attracts a large community of adult fans Credit: Getty Images. Video games are one of the few forms of adult play therapy that carry less social stigma, says Pallavicini. While some adults might feel the need to hide their playfulness, the market for video games and mobile gaming among adults has boomed in recent years.

Pallavicini puts the mental health benefits of playing video games down to achieving a state of "flow". She says flow is the " the optimal experience when nothing else matters" , and is also experienced by athletes and sports people when they are in the zone.

Playing to find the flow state can provide an enjoyable challenge and distraction from mental health issues, she says, meaning the player can work on their wellbeing without feeling pressured to improve.

Faux-Wilkins says that some viewers tune in because they resonate with her personality, while others might come looking to join discussions on the latest game update. The fact that being a YouTuber and online-gamer can be a full-time job addresses the stigma of what could at first be seen as an embarrassing activity for an adult, she says.

Along with millions of other online content producers, Faux-Wilkins is using the interest and enjoyment adults find in playing and digital entertainment to create a fulfilling career, and her audience are reaping the benefits that come with engaging with a playful community. As an adult with responsibilities, pressures and targets, it can be easy to lose sight of those small moments of play in day-to-day life.

But these moments make up the most memorable parts of the everyday and the funniest memories of friends and family. So with all the benefits that come along with it, it's not a stretch to say that making an effort to be a little more playful should be a part of your day.

Do you ever think wistfully about your childhood toys and envy that lost feeling of playfulness? Well maybe that feeling never really left you at all — it can be just a little harder to find. Join one million Future fans by liking us on Facebook , or follow us on Twitter or Instagram.

Once you finish the game, hop on into Dying Light 2: Stay Human , which continues the co-op fun with a new cast of characters. Stardew Valley 's online co-op doesn't add anything to the classic Harvest Moon formula besides extra players, but that single addition means everything.

All the fun of farming, forming relationships with villagers, and engaging in good old-fashioned agrarian capitalism is doubled, tripled, and quadrupled with up to three other players present since the game has you all share in the risks and rewards of each other's actions.

And as we all know, nothing helps plant the seeds of friendship like farming together. Gather resources, explore the wilderness, and work together to slay monsters. Sea of Thieves is not a perfect game—not by any stretch of the word.

The story feels both absent and convoluted, and for a game about the deep sea, it can feel shallow. Where it succeeds is in its core pirating gameplay. It's an absolute pleasure to get a crew of three to four people and man a ship together: one person steering, another on sails, another firing cannons, and another patching the boat or bailing it out when you encounter other ships full of players.

It takes coordination, and there are hours of fun to be had goofing off on the high seas. World War Z takes the smart, fast, anthill-forming zombies of the Brad Pitt movie and throws them into the anthology-style, globe-trotting format of the original book.

That lets it showcase a lot of different regions and cultures through the lens of a particularly devastating zombie apocalypse. The game is somewhat light on content, but there are enough difficulty levels, character classes, and unlockables to keep the four-player cooperative undead-hunting fresh and lively for a good while.

While you kick off on a familiar post-apocalyptic earth in this third-person shooter, you soon find yourself hopping through the multiverse, battling monster mash-ups that combine fantasy and sci-fi.

Slick combat, procedurally generated worlds, buildcrafting options galore, and truly memorable boss fights make this looter-shooter a great Souls-like game to blast through with friends.

We liked Remnant: From the Ashes , but Remnant 2 surpasses it. This revamped collection of Halo games has been available for a while, and it features an epic campaign that is hugely enjoyable to play as a duo.

You can get more strategic, mentor a newbie, or even play with your partner. Whether you want to relive the famous series' glory days or see what the hype was all about, this package makes it easy to inexpensively experience a half dozen Halo games. Visit mysterious alien worlds, harvest their natural resources, and build glorious optimized factories to smelt, refine, and manufacture.

Often described as Factorio with a first-person view, Satisfactory is just as addictive, but the exotic environments are fun to explore, and there are bursts of combat. The perfect choice for management game fans who enjoy the endless pursuit of optimization, you can get lots more done by splitting tasks with friends.

This is the fourth installment in the Darksiders franchise and continues its story about the Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse. It's a Diablo -esque dungeon crawler where you slash, shoot, jump, and ride cool horses. It's also the first game in the series that lets you play as Strife the fourth horseman , so there's a built-in novelty to Genesis for series fans.

And even for newcomers, there's something satisfying about blasting your way to big showdowns with scary, hellish bosses. God's Trigger is a top-down slasher-shooter starring a dapper angel and demon who must team up to fend off a lot of holy and demonic forces that are up to no good.

The premise is simple, the presentation is stylish, and the gameplay is fast, furious, punishing, and addictive. There's a lot to love here. Be warned, though: The game is tough, so make sure you only enlist a co-op partner who's OK with dying repeatedly, and then dying again.

Checkpoints are plentiful, but even so, this game is hard. If you can complete a series of twisted trials designed to test your endurance and sanity, then you may get to live.

Creep through abandoned amusement parks and orphanages avoiding the horrifying creatures and deadly traps that lie in wait. This chaotic, blood-spattered, horror game is one of those rare titles that works better as a co-op experience. You will laugh, scream, and die…a lot.

This one is still Early Access at the time of writing, and it can get repetitive. Trapped in the mysterious medieval Castle Rock somewhere in the icy wastes of Antarctica, you have to work closely with a pal to solve puzzles and escape.

These head-scratching conundrums will put your smarts to the test, not to mention your descriptive powers, as you relay information to your partner. Reece Rogers. Julian Chokkattu. Simon Hill. Backchannel Business Culture Gear Ideas Politics Science Security Merch.

Podcasts Video Wired World Artificial Intelligence Climate Games Newsletters Magazine Events Wired Insider Jobs Coupons. Courtesy of Larian Studios. Courtesy of Iron Gate. Up to 10 Vikings can work together to survive online.

Courtesy of Turtle Rock. Up to four players can take on the zombie hordes online. Courtesy of Activision Blizzard. Up to 32 soldiers can enter the fray online.

Most Popular. What Should Your Sex Toys Be Made of? The 5 Best Laptops for Linux I Install It on Every Laptop I Test. The Nanit Pro Camera Is a Super Smart and Expensive Baby Monitor. Courtesy of Devolver Digital. Courtesy of Kinetic Games. Courtesy of Hopoo Games.

Courtesy of Paradox Interactive. Up to 12 players can fight for the throne online. Courtesy of Digital Extremes. Buy at PlayStation Store PS4. Buy at Microsoft Store Xbox.

Buy at Steam Store PC. Gaming while high has become a unique way for many to relax and immerse themselves in digital worlds. The choices of games vary widely, and some are particularly enjoyable when in an altered state of mind. In this article, we'll explore various games that align perfectly with a high experience, ranging from immersive adventures to relaxing casual titles.

Playing video games when high can offer a different level of engagement and enjoyment. The sensory enhancements brought on by cannabis can amplify the gaming experience, making colors more vibrant, sounds more captivating, and gameplay more immersive. It's a way to experience familiar games in a new light or to find comfort in the predictability and simplicity of certain titles.

Depending on personal preference and the effects of cannabis, gamers might lean towards different genres. Some may prefer games that offer a visual feast, while others might enjoy titles that challenge their strategic thinking or simply provide a calm, relaxing environment.

These games are perfect for those who want to lose themselves in another world. Titles like Game C and Game D are great for a laid-back gaming session. Their simplicity and charm are heightened by the effects of cannabis, offering a peaceful escape.

Strategy games like Game E and Game F require a bit of thinking and planning, offering a different kind of stimulation. They can be surprisingly engaging when you're high, providing a satisfying challenge.

Playing Game G or Game H with friends can be a hilarious and bonding experience. The social interaction adds an extra layer of fun when high. Games in this category, like Game I and Game J , become almost transcendental experiences with their synergy of music and gameplay enhanced by cannabis.

Puzzles in games like Game K and Game L can become more intriguing and satisfying to solve when high, offering a cerebral yet enjoyable challenge.

Your enjoyment of play can depend on both your personality and your willingness to be open to new forms of conversation and experiences. Proyer suggests that if you're most playful at home with your partner or family, for example, try using similar conversational techniques with colleagues or more distant friends and observe the results.

With the evidence so strongly pointing towards a wide array of social benefits, it can't hurt to look a little harder for those small moments that make a much bigger difference than you might think to both yourself and the people you interact with.

On the surface, it can appear that most adults do not play as often as they would wish — perhaps, as Proyer suggests, because socially-acceptable adult games are not that fun, and those that are might be seen as embarrassing depending on the activity.

But, Sebastian Deterding, professor of digital creativity at the University of York, says that in order for adults to engage in playful activities guilt-free, they can come prepared with socially acceptable "excuses". He gives the example of The Mindfulness Coloring Book: Anti-Stress Art Therapy for Busy People by Emma Farrarons which aims to make the embarrassing act of adult colouring socially acceptable when associated with the "alibi" of it being therapy for successful people.

However, with the rise of social media in recent decades, the goal posts for what constitutes embarrassing play have been moved. Platforms like Youtube and Twitch in particular are popularising gaming culture.

Gaming Youtuber and Twitch streamer Mollie Faux-Wilkins, known as The English Simmer to her audience of over , subscribers, says that for her, playing The Sims a life simulation video game has never been embarrassing and was actually encouraged by her parents from a young age.

Playing The Sims, along with the majority of other video games, can be an isolating experience, she says. But with the creation and growth of her channel, she has been welcomed into a global community, making friends from across the world and connecting with like-minded gamers in a playful activity.

The Sims still attracts a large community of adult fans Credit: Getty Images. Video games are one of the few forms of adult play therapy that carry less social stigma, says Pallavicini. While some adults might feel the need to hide their playfulness, the market for video games and mobile gaming among adults has boomed in recent years.

Pallavicini puts the mental health benefits of playing video games down to achieving a state of "flow". She says flow is the " the optimal experience when nothing else matters" , and is also experienced by athletes and sports people when they are in the zone.

Playing to find the flow state can provide an enjoyable challenge and distraction from mental health issues, she says, meaning the player can work on their wellbeing without feeling pressured to improve. Faux-Wilkins says that some viewers tune in because they resonate with her personality, while others might come looking to join discussions on the latest game update.

The fact that being a YouTuber and online-gamer can be a full-time job addresses the stigma of what could at first be seen as an embarrassing activity for an adult, she says.

Along with millions of other online content producers, Faux-Wilkins is using the interest and enjoyment adults find in playing and digital entertainment to create a fulfilling career, and her audience are reaping the benefits that come with engaging with a playful community.

As an adult with responsibilities, pressures and targets, it can be easy to lose sight of those small moments of play in day-to-day life.