Many of us have dreams of ditching our stable, secure careers in order to pursue artistic dreams, but few of us pluck up the courage to do it.

Three years ago, Melbourne-based graphic designer Gavin Aung Than was looking for a way out of his comfortable but boring office job.

"I worked a regular nine-to-five and I'd been doing that for many years and it was really unsatisfying," he told 7.30.

"I had always kind of had this idea to be a professional cartoonist and I've always been scribbling. I was always that kid at the back of the classroom doodling away."

Mr Than realised he wanted to use his talents to help people, and came up with the idea of using quotes from famous thinkers, artists and leaders as the basis for a comic on the internet.

"It could be someone like Albert Einstein, Mark Twain or someone more current like Malala Yousafzai," he said.

The idea for Zen Pencils was born, but Gavin had a problem.

He could not hold down his day job and work on Zen Pencils, so inspired by the quotes he loved he took a leap of faith of his own.

"Looking back on it now, I don't know what I was thinking to be honest, because I don't know if I would do it again. But yeah, I just decided to quit," he said.

He did not only quit. He and his wife Jessica Ong sold their house to pursue his dream of drawing a comic full-time.

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Zen Pencils: Gavin Aung Than becomes comic star after trading in job, house to pursue dreams

Games are supposed to be fun -- there's no denying that. Most games played have some sort of objective, be it shooting bad guys, racing against a clock, or beating other players at obtaining an objective. But some of the best games are the ones that are designed to be fun with no pressure, no competition, and no clocks. One such game, that utilizes a touch screen as more than a keyboard, is Zen Bound 2, by developer Secret Exit.

At its core, Zen Bound 2 is strangely cathartic. The player is given a statue and a set length of rope, and it is up to the player to wrap the statue in the rope. For as simple as it is, the game requires a little bit of thinking or fiddling to get the levels right, but never at any point does the game feel frustrating or tiresome.

Players swipe to spin the statue around, aiming the rope carefully where they would like it to wrap. Once the statue is entwined, the player ties off the knot around a glowing nail and moves to the next level. The levels start off easy, and get progressively more difficult, but it should be noted that this game wasn't designed to be hard, but rather relaxing.

Zen Bound 2 is inherently soothing to play, with a calm atmosphere and down-tempo, 45-minute sound track. The 3D models and lighting are stunning, and there are over 100 levels of play to enjoy. Zen Bound 2 is designed for iPad and iPhone, and costs $3.

Who Zen Bound 2 is for: Players looking for a casual, relaxed game to enjoy

Who Zen Bound 2 isn't for: Anyone who wants a game with high-stress objectives with deep consequences for failure.

by MacNN Staff

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Hands On: Zen Bound 2 (iOS)