⭐Wish life was just like Stardew Valley?

[summon_salmon]

I was thinking today about how simple things are in the Valley. You want a friend? Give them a gift. You want progress? Put in the work, and you’re guaranteed a harvest. Even if you pass out in the mines, you just lose some gold and items—you don't lose your entire future.

The best part? Even if you’re burnt out and spend the whole year doing nothing, Grandpa’s ghost doesn’t judge. He just wants you to find peace away from the city.

I’m so tired of the real-world grind. I want to spend a rainy day fishing without guilt. I want to feel like chopping wood is "productive." I want to grow things and make wine and feel loved by a community.

Why does real life feel like I'm just pacing back and forth in a tiny room while the world passes me by?

 

[Lew Zealand]

This is probably gonna sound stupid but I'm going to write what I feel and see if it makes sense.

We didn't evolve to solve complex tasks and continually maximize productive time while becoming increasingly disconnected from other people by hiding ourselves behind flat opaque walls. We can do these things, we are capable. But just because we can doesn't mean it's the best or most natural feeling thing to do.

And no, the solution is not just to return to monke. Because that comes with drastically higher infant mortality, disease risk and reduced food production and the loss of many things which really do make life better, though it also comes with lower risks for some diseases and many modern conveniences which we could probably do well without. There's a balance in there somewhere but I sure as hockey sticks don't know where it is.

I think finding and experiencing a sense of community without making a point of finding the differences between us would go a long way. There are powerful forces pushing that emphasis of differences because it serves their purposes and that's all I'll say about that, but to counter that dysfunctional worldview we need to find our communities.

This one here in the SDV Forums is one of those communities, even if it's a bit disconnected as we're generally not much more than squiggly lines on a screen. Plugging the Multiplayer Forums here for those who do want more! But we all could find local communities where we can interact with other people a bit more and share experiences. Lol and this is NOT to say I'm already doing this, I need to do this as much as anyone and I'm not.

But we need to do this for ourselves and each other.

 

[Orphea]

Very much what @Lew Zealand said above. I also like the life in Stardew Valley, but only to a point.

 

[Slimeglasses]

Hmm… that would definitely be interesting. I think I like how we have it though. For me, I would probably get pretty bored with life if everything was so easy and low stakes. Not to say I don’t like the relaxing feel of SDV (I’m completely in love with the game), but for me it works better as a video game. An occasional escape from the pressures of life, you know? While real life and it’s challenges are hard, without something forcing me to get out of bed every morning (like school or social pressures), I’m probably to lazy to do so of my own accord.
That said, it would be nice if the world was as friendly as SDV lol

 

[Lenora Rose]

Further to Lew Zealand's comments about finding a sense of community: It's been observed by a lot of arts and charitable places that volunteering is down, or if not down yet, is noticeably aging and needs more young blood. A lot of in person hobby groups struggle to find new members because everything is online.

It's also been noted that joining a new group of people is HARD; people already there will have rapport and in jokes and established dynamics, and even when actively trying to include new people, may inadvertently do or say something that makes a new person feel like they're still on the outside, and don't have a place yet. And it can take like a year to get past that (and that's when people want you there!) Which is... hard, y'know, when there's online forums where you can lurk with none of that awkwardness until you DO get the jokes, then jump in at the much easier point.

 

[ABlueRose]

Everyone else talked about community, so I'll go a different route.

Getting into gardening, even if it's just a few small plants grown in garden pots in window sills, can be a good start. Idk what your setup is like, but if you can do it outside then it's even better. Spending time outside, or even just with some plants inside, can really help your mental health. It also gives you something physical to work on, and watch it's progress as you tend to it. Digital accomplishments are good, but something that you can physically touch is better for your brain, and gardening gives the added bonus of having something to eat at the end of it

 

[summon_salmon]

What you all said above really cheers me up . Actually I've been playing SDV since its first release. But I just joined the forum days ago, as I used to play the game on my own. The community is so heart-warming, and I am very happy that I took my first step to communicate.

I am about to graduate and look for a job, the turning point in my early (real) life hahahh... just like Eric Barone when he was making SDV. Probably faced with too much uncertainty, I feel a little frustrated and start to project my ideal world onto SDV. You know... Jobs are more difficult to get nowadays, and corporational propaganda is yelling to replace workers with AI all the time.

But at least I'm taking action. Things would turn out to be fine......Maybe I just need to relax and slowly tidy things up.

Love the community.

 

[dragonflySky]

I wish I could have one pair of pants that never wears out and never needs washing. And that interesting shirts could fall out of trees for free just for fun.

 

[Cuddlebug]

So, regarding the title question, I would say yes, I sometimes feel the same way. The idyll in the game is seductive, and I often find myself wishing I could swap places with one of my avatars for a while. But in the long run, it would probably get boring—who wants the same setting and small-town routine every year?
And the community here in the forum is really great, even if we're all only present through avatars. I like suddenly feeling connected to half the world, which doesn't really happen IRL, where the circle is more manageable.

 

[Lenora Rose]

So, regarding the title question, I would say yes, I sometimes feel the same way. The idyll in the game is seductive, and I often find myself wishing I could swap places with one of my avatars for a while. But in the long run, it would probably get boring—who wants the same setting and small-town routine every year?
And the community here in the forum is really great, even if we're all only present through avatars. I like suddenly feeling connected to half the world, which doesn't really happen IRL, where the circle is more manageable.

I do like that my real world friends don't say the same thing for 20 years straight. Ditto my spouse. Being occasionally surprised to learn something new about people you've known for decades (or watch them change) is one of the joys of the real world.

And I REALLY wouldn't have wanted my kids to be eternal toddlers.

 

[Lenora Rose]

What you all said above really cheers me up . Actually I've been playing SDV since its first release. But I just joined the forum days ago, as I used to play the game on my own. The community is so heart-warming, and I am very happy that I took my first step to communicate.

I am about to graduate and look for a job, the turning point in my early (real) life hahahh... just like Eric Barone when he was making SDV. Probably faced with too much uncertainty, I feel a little frustrated and start to project my ideal world onto SDV. You know... Jobs are more difficult to get nowadays, and corporational propaganda is yelling to replace workers with AI all the time.

But at least I'm taking action. Things would turn out to be fine......Maybe I just need to relax and slowly tidy things up.

Love the community.

it has been said that the ultimate seduction of farming and crafting sims is doing a bunch of work and having it result in actual product and income...