I write a lot about self-care for the Columns, but I haven’t written about my favorite form of self-care yet—video games. You might be wondering; how can video games be self-care? Well, doing things you love can be very beneficial for stress, especially playing a cozy game and relaxing. My favorite cozy game, by far, is Stardew Valley.
On the very surface, Stardew Valley looks like a farming simulator. The basic premise is that your grandfather passed away and leaves his farmhouse in Stardew Valley to you. So you leave your office job behind and move to the valley and begin your life as a farmer.
Stardew Valley is so much more than a farming simulator. It’s about building relationships with the people of the valley, and potentially marrying them. It’s about adventuring, delving in the mines, and upgrading your tools to further your storyline. Yes, farming is a huge part of the game and the main way of making money, but there so much more.
The game is about making a life for yourself in the beautiful Pelican Town located in Stardew Valley. You come to find the unpopular Lewis as mayor, and the town slightly struggling. The community center that was once the gem of the town has fallen into disrepair. It’s your job to repair it and bring it back to life. To do this you must finish the bundles by bringing specific items to the community center. The goal of the game is to finish the community center, but the game doesn’t stop after the community center is finished.
After the community center is finished and the game seems over, new areas can be accessed! New characters, puzzles, and mysteries are unlocked!
In addition to all the content the game already has to offer, there are updates that can happen yearly at this point. There was just an update in the past month that added huge amounts of brand-new content, not yet available for all players yet. So far only players on the PC can access the newest update, but the creator of the game is working to get the newest update to all the other platforms. I am anxiously waiting for the new update to come to the Nintendo Switch.
Another reason I love the game is the multiplayer aspect! Playing Stardew Valley with friends is always a fun option, with up to eight people on PC able to play at once. I think the ability to play with friends in an already great game is just an amazing feature and the icing on the cake.
Stardew Valley is a wonderful game that offers countless hours of engaging gameplay that feels cozy and warm. It has been one of my favorite video games for years and I know that playing it will always cheer me up, even on a bad day. Stardew Valley never fails to put a smile on my face or give me a good reason to pass the time.
