Games for turning the thoughts off

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This thread is about games I like to play to relax myself whether I'm having a full blown melt down or just need to try to process in a different way because I've reached a logic wall.
1. Jerry's Game - this gem is from [Adult Swim]games and is from Rick and Morty. Yeah. If you haven't watched that show yet, I HIGHLY recommend it. In the game, one just pops balloons and gets positive reinforcement. If you watch the show, it gets really meta and I lol every time they tell me how awesome I'm doing.
2. Two Dots - can't remember who does this but its a visual processing haven from having thoughts. Just try it. Srsly. You will like.
3. Solitaire - just good, old fashioned solitaire. I can only rank for lowest moves, my scores aren't that high.

Over the last few years there have been studies showing that Tetris and such games with a visual/spatial emphasis can reduce flashbacks associated with PTSD. Flashbacks don't trouble me so I haven't tried it, but I do keep it in mind for future reference.

I've also heard something similar to that, Marky9. Apparently, if you can preoccupy yourself with Tetris (or something else) soon after a traumatizing event, then it will have less impact on you. It was something about how the brain stores it less vividly. I read a short news info on it some years ago.

Edit: I just found some links about it:
http://journals.plos.org/plosone/articl ... ne.0004153

http://www.scientificamerican.com/artic ... lashbacks/


I find Solitaire and MahJongg to be very helpful when I wanna relax and zone out. Sometimes I play it before going to sleep.

I have a couple.

1. Sumotori Dreams: This one sorta holds a special place for me because it basically let me keep my sanity when I was sick from taking Prednisone, which I just call the Nightmare Pill now. Do you know what "paradoxical insomnia" is? Neither did I. And then I took THAT. Suddenly, I learned. Among all sorts of other things that went horribly wrong for a freaking MONTH. I was too screwed up to do all that much in the way of complicated gaming, so a huge portion of what gaming I did do was just this one game. Such an incredibly simple little game, but it can be hilarious, and is just meant to mess around and see those guys just trip and fall all over the place and go through floors and whatnot. You'd have to look it up to see just what the game is like, it's hard to explain.

2. Goat Simulator: I'm in a bad mood? GOATS TO THE RESCUE. Seriously, it's hard, very hard, to STAY in a bad mood after playing this one. It's just... so damn hilarious. Mods make it even more hilarious. I've put who knows how many hours into this, and I still find new and unexpected bits of complete, wonderfully glitchy hilarity in this. The devs have done a good job supporting it thus far, too, with 2 large expansions to it (which were free).

3. Super Smash Bros U: Okay, this one can even distract me from my allergies. As in, it actually shuts it off. I dry up after playing this, thus clearing my sinuses (and the effect remains afterward, too). Every time. No, I dont know how in the hell this makes any sense whatsoever. Frankly, I dont CARE how it makes any sense. It's just another benefit to an already great game. It's hard for anything to bother me much when playing this.

4. Binding of Isaac: Rebirth: ABSURD REPLAY VALUE. You never know just what sort of loopiness will happen on any given run. The game promises hundreds, even thousands of hours of replay value, which it fully delivers on, and there's so much depth to it, and lots of decision-making to do (grabbing the wrong items at the wrong time, based on items you already do or do not have, can end your run really fast, often in a hilarious way), that I just find it freaking impossible to concentrate on things that have been angering me or whatever. It just doesnt get old, and a game not getting old means it can do alot for me, in this manner.

This one shuts down my brain pretty effectively, plus I like the music:

Most Mario games, Mario Kart, and other wacky games work quite well.

I just found a Goat Simulator free trial for my Xbox 360. I may give it a go.

Animal Crossing, especially New Leaf

Smash Bros Wii U ( while actually trying to accomplish something makes me suicidal, it's fun to just listen to the music and/or watch my Amiibo fight each other )

Saints Row The Third, because invincibility ( unlockable ability, no cheats ) plus explosive ammo equals the world's best way to deal with intense anger

Chibi-Robo, because it's adorable and incredibly fun ( I'm primarily referring to the GCN original )

Minecraft, in peaceful mode

Katamari, except certain bs stages like the cowbear or the temperature one

Forza Horizon, just driving around

Xenoblade Chronicles, just exploring the incredible world can take my mind off just about anything

I like playing RPGs where I can become someone else when I am depressed. If I'm just upset I like to play shooters. GTA is another good one if you just want to get out some rage.

Minecraft or FSX work for me.

If I just wanna calm down and get sedated, I'll play Solitaire or Mahjong.

If I wanna really lose myself into something, I'll play Pokemon, Rune Factory, Harvest Moon or Animal Crossing.

Bowling, the analog kind. Nothing turns my mind off of all my day to day concerns quite like throwing a heavy ball 60 feet at a set of pins, plus the alley is air conditioned and has cheap wells.