For my critical play this week, I visited my farm in Stardew Valley. As a casual player of the game, I was immediately intrigued by the prospect of viewing Stardew Valley critically through a feminist lens. The game’s emphasis on community, cooperation, and anti-corporate sentiments, alongside its relationship-building elements, make it ripe for analysis. Stardew Valley is notable because it lacks competitive elements, which encourages players to engage with the game’s other mechanics: Building relationships, managing the farm, and contributing to Pelican Town’s wellbeing. It is evident that this focus on community and self-sufficiency resonates with the feminist values of cooperation and mutual support. In this post, I’ll argue that playing Stardew Valley as a feminist reveals its potential to challenge traditional gender roles and corporate exploitation, yet it also highlights areas where the game falls short in fully embracing feminist values.
My playthrough, as always, began with a scene of my character trapped in a dreary cubicle. This starkly contrasted with the lush, vibrant farm I inherited in Pelican Town. Right from the outset, the game begins its critique of corporate exploitation and consumerism. Later in the game, I would be presented with similar contrasts that make this critique clear. By choosing to restore the Community Center instead of supporting the corporation, I was signaling a rejection of capitalist values in favor of community and sustainability. Throughout the game, players have the agency to act in alignment with feminist critiques of corporate power and advocates for local, self-sufficient economies.
However, playing Stardew Valley through this lens also highlighted areas where the game could improve from an inclusivity standpoint. One major issue is its approach to gender and representation. The game is often lauded for permitting same-sex relationships and its flexible clothing options. However, I felt these options were often superficial – I read one analysis that described NPCs as ‘playersexual,’ meaning that these options aren’t true representation as they rarely portray any specific aspects of non-heteronormative relationships, and rather make all types of relationships generic. When browsing the Steam Workshop, I found mods created by players to add gender-neutral pronouns, indicating a demand for more inclusive options that the game itself does not provide.
Moreover, while the game includes diverse characters with various backgrounds and struggles, the depth of these storylines felt limited. For instance, I spent time interacting with characters like Shane and Pam who have storylines addressing mental health and addiction, but these issues are not explored in depth. I felt an immediate parallel to our discussion of Zoe Quinn and Depression Quest in class: Games have the capacity to engage players in meaningful discussions about these topics, enhancing empathy and understanding. Stardew Valley is especially well-poised to start such conversations, as the game’s overall premise fits in well with the overarching idea of community values and mutual support.
That is not to say that Stardew Valley misses the mark entirely. From Shira Chess’s perspective in “Play Like a Feminist,” a feminist game should not only tell stories that align with feminist values but also incorporate these values into its mechanics and player agency. Stardew Valley’s structure, which lacks a climactic end and exists in a “never-ending middle,” aligns with Chess’s idea of queer and feminist potential. This structure challenges traditional narrative forms centered around a singular, often masculine climax. To further integrate feminist theories, Stardew Valley could enhance its representation and inclusivity by incorporating more diverse narratives and deeper engagement with the characters’ struggles. Fleshing out Shane and Pam’s storyline would allow players to reckon with the reality of these issues, which would not only enrich the storytelling but also provide players with more opportunities to empathize with different perspectives and experiences outside the game.
Playing Stardew Valley as a feminist involves recognizing both its strengths in promoting community and cooperation and its shortcomings in fully embracing inclusivity and deeper social issues. Adding options for non-binary pronouns and more diverse gender expressions would make the game more inclusive. Additionally, deeper storylines addressing complex issues such as mental health, gender identity, and social justice could provide players with a richer, more engaging experience. Stardew Valley resonates with many players, including myself, for its compassionate, community-oriented gameplay. However, to truly align with feminist values, I think it must evolve to address deeper issues and offer more inclusive options.
Discussion Question: How could Stardew Valley’s portrayal of mental health issues be deepened to align more closely with feminist perspectives on narrative complexity and empathy as discussed in “Play Like a Feminist?”
