There Is This Neat "game" Called... Kind Words!

Dear Wynncraft Community,

A little while back, I was getting a bit tired of the constant pressure of Final Year High School Exams, perhaps a little bored of completing practice exams everyday, so I figured - Why not just look through the list of top Steam games that I may never afford just to satiate my craving for cool games, and then go back to doing some more English Essays?

(NB: In the period of writing this post, I am actually in the MIDDLE of my exam period. Truly, I have nothing better to do, huh?)

Looking through the list, you find the usual games that you usually expect, like Baba is You, Portal, Hollow Knight, Cuphead. Yes, games that I would attribute to be some of the finest games made in the 21st Century, which makes me sad that I already spoiled myself with the countless playthroughs on Youtube. But then, something else caught my eye. A five dollar game.

Kind Words (lo fi chill beats to write to).

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In hindsight, it is a very different game from the others that made the Top Steam list. For one, the main premise of the game is to write letters to real people, about real problems, and receive kind words from strangers.

The main idea for this concept is this: That people deep down are innately kind, encouraging and thoughtful for each other, contrary to popular belief. And also, that venting out inner frustration and problems is actually good for your mental well-being!

Also also, writing letters has now become so old fashioned, that it has become a literal symbolic meaning to care and think about one another, especially when what you want to write down is extremely limited, so you must focus on the positive things you want to say first.

It is not a game, it is therapy! (And like all therapy, it may not work for everyone, so do keep that in mind!)

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Here is the gist of how the game works. Someone out there, likely feeling down with some troubles sends out a request that is sent out to the community, and anyone that see it in their request list can reply to it in the form of a letter, either to help, encourage or cheer them up. Then, the person who receives the reply may give thanks in form of a collectible sticker. It is mutually beneficial, as it feels good to get nice letters, and also it feels great to have helped someone, and be thanked for it.

But that's about it, a request then a reply, then an anonymous thanks. It is short, where the request is only limited to 7 lines, and the reply is limited to only 14 lines, yet somehow it makes every word placed in that conversation, more well-thought out and meaningful.

Really though, the fantastic thing about this game is how it keeps the conversation open. It gives stressed out people a platform to talk out loud about real problems, which is the first step of obtaining a real solution. The community is positive and encouraging, and the developers seem to be on point with their moderation and report system, to take care of trolls, and also potentially worrying requests or letters.

Here is a couple of the warmest letters I received when I tried it out:

Spoiler: A Little Collection of the Warmest Replies I received on Kind Words

More on here: https://imgur.com/a/EUVMwZv

There are many other issues talked about on here too. Things like Depression, Break Ups, Loneliness, LGBTQI, Work, School. Many of these topics are, in nature, quite serious at times. The game looks to spread awareness for all of these, and even teaches you to be compassionate about others. You may not be able to make their problems go away, but it helps to deliver comforting words and encouragement, sprinkled with some real advice.


So why am I sharing this with the Wynncraft Community? Simply put, I have read posts out here about people who have struggled with their own mental health and personal real life problems, many of us who prefer not to admit it openly to our real life mates yet, so we choose to talk it out online on the forums of a Minecraft Server. Since we are basically a part of the modern Internet world, I figured many might find some interest in this sort of thing.

Do note, that you are still taking advice from strangers online, so likely you won't find real meaningful advice, especially due to its short nature. But, knowing that others also face the same issue, getting that bit of hope, finally coming to terms with it, is sometimes the difference between finding the solution and not.

Overall, I think this review sums it up best: "I felt sad so I wrote a letter and threw it into the void. The void wrote back and was very kind, it made me feel better." It is a wholesome concept, and I do hope that those of you who do check it out (It is $5 USD, and likely to deter trolls) may find something interesting and helpful out of it.

Later,
- PikaLegend_