A Criticism on Capitalism
“Stardew Valley” was released on February 26, 2016. Since its release, “Stardew Valley” has captured the hearts of many video game fans. The characters, style and color, and pixel art style work together to really bring the game to life. Some fans would go as far as to say that the game is a relaxing and therapeutic experience and allows them to step away from the stressors of everyday life.
Although Stardew Valley may present as your typical open-ended RPG, the argument within the game separates it from the others. The game starts with a monologue from the player’s late grandfather. He has decided to pass his farmland down to you, and now it is your turn to create a functional and fruitful farm!
The game itself is slow paced, and you can really do whatever you want. There are missions, tasks to complete for the townspeople, festivals, and more! You will never be unoccupied, and that is what so many players love so much about it.
However, I would argue that the most important aspect of the game is the criticism the game developer is making against capitalism. ConcernedApe, the game developer, uses the dialogue between players, the main task: completing the “Community Center”, and events to display his distaste for exploitation of consumers.
JoJa Corporation, the company that the player leaves in the beginning of the game, also has developments in your new community, Pelican Town. JoJaMart, a direct competitor of the town’s grocery store, is actively competing with Pierre, the store owner.
You have two choices here: buy a JoJa membership, and in turn, support capitalism, or refuse to support JoJa Corporation and only buy your goods from Pierre’s. However, throughout the dialogue the player shares with Pierre, we discover that Pierre is not much better than his competitor. For example, when talking with Pierre about his business, he claims that “My dream is to keep opening new stores until I become extremely wealthy”. Most of the townspeople reject JoJa and their twisted ideas about wealth, not knowing that their neighbor, Pierre, is just as rotten.
It is my belief that ConcernedApe’s “Stardew Valley” is asking us to be cautious about the people we are supporting. Although they may seem as though they have better intentions than their larger and wealthier counterparts, they could possibly be just as deceiving. Caution as a consumer is incredibly and increasingly important, as we move into an age where even life’s necessities are becoming inaccessible the average American.
There are many ways to interpret ConcernedApe’s message, and even more lessons that if I had the time to, I would love to share. I encourage you to investigate “Stardew Valley”, I am confident that there is something for everyone to enjoy!
