Stardew Valley is a place where one disabled player can “Do it all on my own”
Many people love the Farming Lifestyle Sim Stardew Valley. Melanie*, a homemaker, says it is one of their favorite games. It’s a great game for someone who is often in hospital.
They say that it takes away the stress of being sick and in a hospital where my care is dependent on others to fix me. “It allows me to get out of the hospital and to solve the problem myself.” “I can clear the farm slowly over many days, but it’s possible for me to do it all by myself.”
Stardew valley‘s low-stakes achievements are more rewarding than other games that encourage you to save the world. Melanie states that she can forage plants to earn enough money to buy new crops and a new head. There’s also pleasant music and scenery, and there are no jump scares.
The new hat? “The hat’s importance is paramount!” “The hat is very important!” Melanie says, “And I’m not good at fishing minigame.”
Stardew valley is more than a fashionable distraction for patients in hospital. It also serves a special role for Melanie, a disabled person. “I have mentioned that I enjoy the feeling of being able do it by myself – and I can live alone in Stardew Valley. All the physical labor that I can’t do in real life, I can do in this game. I have the ability to make decisions on how I want my farm to look, run, and lay out. I can also earn my own money. I can even make my own purchases.
Melanie says that she is very lucky and privileged to be disabled. She has a great support network and is very grateful to the ability to rely on others for things I would not be able manage on my own. However, I am aware of the extent that I have to rely upon other people, which can be upsetting and scary. It really does impact a person.
Melanie can’t show love and care because of her mental and physical burden of managing chronic illness. “I feel sometimes self-centered, even though I am generally not.” Although they have found other ways to show care and give back, Stardew Valleyis where they can physically contribute to a greater whole. I love fetch quests!” Yes, George, I will fetch you a leek to serve some best-known purpose. That would be a great thing!
Melanie states that “[T]he fantasy is just putting in hard work and helping to transform a little run down town the same way the farmer in Stardew Valley was almost like a power fantasy.” Stardew valley is not about your farm, it’s about the whole community.
*Name has been changed to protect privacy
This is the first part of a series that explores how people play games in their own ways, through customisation, character choice, and other forms of inspiration. They show their ‘other me. Continue reading: God of War and Destiny 2 Dead By Daylight.
