Date of Award
8-2026
Document Type
Thesis
Degree Name
Master of Fine Arts (MFA)
Department
Digital Production Arts
Committee Chair/Advisor
Dr. Joseph T. Kider Jr.
Committee Member
Professor Anthony Summey
Committee Member
Professor Tony Penna
Abstract
Why do some games feel cozy, and others miss the mark, even if they are tricked out in bright colors and festooned with bows? This thesis examines the emerging genre of “cozy games” to better understand why some titles successfully evoke comfort and relaxation while others fail, despite relying on conventionally cute aesthetics or farming-sim mechanics. Although cozy games have grown rapidly in popularity over the past decade, the genre remains under-studied and is often dismissed as frivolous, reflecting the broader historical devaluation of media associated with women. Accordingly, this study argues that understanding cozy games requires examining women’s relationship to computer gaming, their motivations for play, and the ways cozy games can challenge established power structures within game culture.
Using the framework of 4E cognition, embedded, embodied, enacted, and extended cognition, this thesis proposes that coziness is shaped less by surface aesthetics than by the reduction of player stress and the presence of systems that streamline cognition. Five key components are analyzed through this lens: aesthetics, narrative, game mechanics, game dynamics, and gaming community. Comparative charting of selected titles demonstrates that games widely perceived as cozy tend to score highly on their use of 4E cognitive principles, while aesthetically ``cute'' games that neglect these features often fall short. This research is tested through the design and development of Little Burrow Bakery, a cozy woodland baking game that applies feminist design principles and 4E cognition to its character, environment, interface, and gameplay systems. Ultimately, this research provides practical guidance for the future design of genuinely cozy games and subjects this category of media primarily consumed by women to the same level of scrutiny that men’s media has always had.
Recommended Citation
Wilcox, Mary Catherine M., "What Makes a Cozy Game Cozy? Looking Through the Lens of Feminism and 4E Cognition" (2026). All Theses. 4825.
https://open.clemson.edu/all_theses/4825
Author ORCID Identifier
0009-0005-5376-7664