Soapbox features allow our individual writers and contributors to voice their opinions on hot topics and random things they’ve been chewing on. TodayKevin recalls how Stardew Valley kept the spark alive and prepared him for life with his partner…
Relationships can be difficult. And when you add long distances, the difficulty curve can increase even more.
I girlfriend Lima and I were in a long distance relationship. Now we live together and are in a relationship without distance. But until that point, we could only see each other for scheduled chunks of time every one or two months. Still, it wasn’t easy, but it was worth it. But what really helped us was having something in common. And for us, we have developed a common ritual of playing Stardew Valley together.
I tried to play Stardew Valley myself around the time it first came out on Switch in 2017. I grew up with Animal Crossing and wanted to try this life sim – but it just didn’t work. I don’t know why either. I friends seemed to like them and the art style and gameplay seemed to be the best for me. But after sitting in various sessions with him, I eventually dismissed him and moved on.
Stardew me have to?
Fast forward a few years. One thing I’m grateful for in my relationship is that video games are a bonding experience for me and my partner. We grew up with games, we love games and we often play together. What’s especially nice is that we haven’t played all the same games – so we often introduce each other to new ones. I got her to finally play all of Super Mario Galaxy and she gave me the courage to start Dark Souls again. We ended up beating Cuphead together during one of our longer visits, but when she came home we needed something new to fill the void.
Lima suggested we start a farm together in Stardew Valley. I was open to the idea, but quickly remembered how the experience went when I tried it myself. Although a bit hesitant, I agreed, but was pleasantly surprised to see that two players could play online together on the same farm at the same time. Thanks, ConcernedApe! Maybe you saved my relationship with that move.
And so began our life together in Texacago—a not-so-clever portmanteau of our separate Texas and Chicago locations. But in beautiful Texacago, we lived together with people like Shane, Linus, Harvey and gang.
Slowly but surely, the game got me. I figured out how to grow crops better, saw how much there was to explore in the caves, and experienced the various backstories of the residents of Pelican Town. I was hooked. And it was the perfect substitute for distance when we couldn’t physically be together.
Joint account
However, communal farming has prepared me for communal living in ways I honestly did not expect.
In Stardew Valley, you have the option to share finances with other players on your farm. I thought that would be smart, because one day we’ll be living together ‘IRL’ and have to budget things accordingly. In general, it’s good advice not to hide big purchases from your partner, so if one of us saw the money counter suddenly drop, the other would notice. “Hey, what was that?”
On the farm, we shared the work and responsibilities equally. Some days she would focus on collecting items to fill the community center while I would be busy trying to catch the Super Cucumber with the gold star. Obviously it also helped us work together outside of playing. Some days it’s laundry day and dish day at the same time, but as we’ve learned, it helps to divide and conquer. Hey, it’s not as glamorous as taking over grandpa’s farm, but you can make a living, okay? It’s the little things that keep the spark alive.
We played through multiple annual cycles while living and farming together in Texacago, easily clocking over 150 hours in the co-op. After we started running out of content, it was hard not to feel a little sad, watching the game that helped maintain and strengthen our connection across the country shrink in available experiences. We maxed out our farm, earned more money than we knew how to spend, and completed additional content on Ginger Island.
It’s nice to know it’s still there and we can always visit there together to look back on simpler times.
Overdew reunion
Not long after getting fed up with the game, we finally managed to reduce the physical distance.
Lima came to live with me in Chicago, and our experience of living together in real life may involve a lot less digging for iridium ore, selling pumpkins at the Stardew Valley fair, or making sure we’re home and in bed by 2 a.m. or whatever, we’re already had some level of experience in maintaining a digital living space together and maintaining life in the beautiful Stardew Valley.
Plus, we even got to dress up as Emily and Shane at the local Halloween market, which is a lot like the Stardew Valley fair when you think about it. So while the game may be over, the experience lives on.
And hey, now we’re more than ready to work together on the couch Haunted chocolate shop.
Has your gaming experience ever turned into an unforgettable moment of long-lasting romance? Let us know in the comments and share your stories!
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