9 Video Games That Are Absolutely Perfect Stress-Relievers

2. Tetris

The oldest game on our list now, Tetris first released properly in the Western world in 1989 carried the almost saccharin tagline 'From Russian with Fun' when it was released on the NES and Game Boy. To this day it remains an iconic video game, up there with Mario. Though it has no humanoid character, the colourful 'Tetriminos' have almost become characters in themselves. Tasking players with fitting these blocks together to form a solid line - which would subsequently disappear - Tetris was deceptively simple and is perfect for the old adage 'Easy to learn, difficult to master'. Using buttons to rotate your Tetrimino is the ultimate in simplicity and repetitiveness. Tetris is so simple it can literally be played one handed. Putting your finger on exactly what makes Tetris so relaxing and fun will often point at its repetition and the need to have things 'tidy'. Tetris is a game built for the OCD in us all. As a game it is also ubiquitous in the modern age, appearing on anything with an internet connection. As a game to just 'pick up and play' not much can beat it.