Stardew Valley

When Stardew Valley was first released I remember seeing it everywhere I went. Kids were playing it, Grandma’s were playing it, even people who didn’t like farming games were playing it. I have often wondered why this game was so incredibly popular when it first came out and how it has continued to uphold popularity 8 years after release.

Stardew Valley was released February of 2016, selling nearly one million copies just two months after its debut. To this day, Stardew Valley has sold over 30 million copies since. What made this game so incredibly desirable? Well, here is what I think; Stardew Valley has an “Overwhelmingly positive” Rating on steam. Pairing that with Eric Barone, also known as, “Concerned Ape” consistently being extremely involved with the community via Reddit and the games website. I think anyone who happened to stumble across Stardew without knowing what it is, would be interested in taking a peek at the game.

Eric Barone developed Stardew Valley by himself. I think this is important to note because, this gave him complete creative freedom with the game. He was able to create exactly what he had envisioned without anyone looming over his shoulder, approving or denying his ideas. The only people who had control over what he made, was his community. Having a community so invested in a game and having one developer who truly puts their all into a game, makes it shine a little bit brighter among the rest of the “indie game” genre.

I think there are multiple reasons why Stardew has ridden the wave of popularity for so long. Eric Barone is still producing updates for the game, even 8 years later. He takes his time with each update while some people may complain about a lack of new content. But I think the extended time period between content updates is important. Stardew valley is often explained by many as a “take your time, go at your own pace” sort of game. Many of its players are casual and like to take their time with the new content as it comes. I think this also allows Eric Barone to take his time with the new content he wants to provide. Making it seem like it was tailored to the player instead of just a quick cosmetic drop for some extra income like some big game companies produce in just a matter of days.

I also think that because Stardew Valley was opened up to the modding community, that gave the players more content to explore and play with in between updates. Some modders have even gone as far as to make entire new areas, characters and storylines for the game. Essentially making a free DLC just with the click of a download button.

I believe the combination of Eric Barone’s involvement and time put into developing the game, along with modders ability to put their own creative spin on Stardew Valley, is what has kept this game at the top of the list for farming genre games for so many years. I’ve met people who have put thousands of hours into this game and still continue to play it whenever there is new content or they simply just feel like picking it back up again. Stardew Valley’s consistent popularity has been its life source, many people know it, love it and play it. It would be quite difficult for Stardew to fall into the shadows with all the love and creative commitment that has been put into this game over the years.