Stardew Valley and Rural Fellowship

Pam lives in a trailer on the outskirts of town.

She drinks too much — every night, in fact. Cans and plastic six-packs litter the yard. With her heavy eye makeup and stiff curls, Pam loudly brags about her precious adult daughter to anyone who will listen, but privately she berates her and treats her little better than a maid.

Each of the neighbors has their own problems: Elderly Evelyn and George are raising their grandchildren after the untimely death of their daughter Clara. Local rancher Marnie is looking after her alcoholic nephew Shane and young niece Jas. A neighboring veteran suffers from PTSD and his wife, seemingly cheerful and patient, is breaking down under the stress.

welcome Stardew Valley.

Released in 2016 as a farming sim, Eric Barone’s beloved game continues the heartwarming tradition of his seminal works. Harvest Moon In the series, players farm, fish, mine, cook and craft on land inherited from their late grandfather, slowly becoming established and accepted into a closed-off community.

A few years have passed since then, StardewWith the success of Table games, Cookbooksand A series of concertsMore importantly for players, Barone continues to provide free updates to his labor of love. The latest update, 1.6, was so extensive and detailed in its attention to the tone and focus of the series that IGN said, I changed the game rating to 10/10 To reflect that depth.

But for all Stardew’s accolades, one of the game’s most profound and oft-overlooked strengths is how it manages to capture, without wallowing in pity or unnecessary sentimentality, the struggles of an underprivileged rural community, and the clear thread of acceptance and respect that binds its residents together in the face of seemingly insurmountable odds.

On the surface, the Valley functions as an ode to pastoral joy, a promise of what life could be like; ifRestoring vitality to a community by slowly restoring an abandoned farm is a staple of the genre – in fact, the player character flees to the valley to escape a dreary corporate life where people literally die at their desks.

But as much as the game portrays the valley as a place with unique traditions, quirky festivals, and lots of heart, it also makes a point of portraying the hardships faced by those who live in such an area. Stardew Valley is plagued by all the crises you’d expect to find in an underserved rural community: corporations churn out mass-produced trash and drive out local businesses, cultural and community centers disappear for lack of funding, and local doctors struggle to keep their clinics open with low patient numbers.

it is Stardew It perfectly recreates an isolated rural setting: a valley in a time and place far removed from the opioid epidemic and deindustrialization of the past, and no political conflict (though George, who is elderly and disabled, spends most of his day in front of a television that may or may not be the valley’s own Fox News).

But the characters are also struggling with the socio-economic problems that are ravaging the town.

At least one of the young people wants to escape: Sebastian is constantly plotting an escape to glamorous Zuzu City, local shopkeeper Pierre and fisherman Willie struggle to make a living in the face of corporate tacky trash, and Kent, Pam and Shane struggle with mental illness and addiction issues that have arisen or been exacerbated by the war, unemployment and a general sense of hopelessness.

Of course, since this is ostensibly a light-hearted farming sim, things get better: if the player character so desires, he can singlehandedly destroy Joja Corporation, satisfy the ancient forest spirits called Junimos and bring economic and cultural life back to the valley, or befriend the villagers and improve their lives.

but Stardew is also a game that is focused on the journey rather than the destination, with a strong emphasis on intentionally cultivating community as an antidote and resistance to the challenges that threaten to undermine the village’s inhabitants. The game isn’t willing to overlook the flaws and failings of its tricky characters, but it still places these characters in communities where they receive support and assistance, but at the same time, they must rethink their actions and reconcile their lives with others.

Marnie offers Shane a room on her farm when he is at his lowest, depressed and an alcoholic; she hopes he will overcome his troubles over time, and he eventually does. Linus, the town drifter “Wild Man,” avoids people, preferring a life closer to nature, but Gus, the saloon owner, looks after him and feeds him. Harvey, the beleaguered doctor, gently and patiently urges George to look after his health, and George, after some rather rude behavior, softens and acknowledges both Harvey’s expertise and motives.

In Stardew Valley, the community fills the gaps where all else has failed.

As Bob Smietana, a national reporter for the Religion News Service, argues in his book: Reformed Religion This is also a role that churches can play locally, as religious institutions “go beyond providing disaster relief and basic supplies like food and shelter.” [They] It also gives us a sense of belonging, a sense of community, and a sense that we are not alone in life” (52).

Moreover, he acknowledges that long-lasting congregations survive precisely because they offer two important benefits: “a sense of community and belonging, and a rallying call dedicated to helping our neighbors” (9).

For Smietana, the church fills a critical need — housing, food, shelter and care services in areas where such resources are scarce or inaccessible. But the church also provides something else that is just as important: acceptance and relationship, a place where people can learn how to form community, grow and support one another.

This is especially important in isolated rural areas, where churches are sometimes residents’ only source of practical and emotional support: They repair medical equipment, renovate homes to make them more accessible, arrange transportation for far-flung chemotherapy treatments, do small-scale disaster relief efforts, support grandparents suddenly raising their own grandchildren in communities whose residents have been devastated by the opioid epidemic, host weddings and baby showers, and attend funerals.

Religion is Stardew ValleyThe town has an altar dedicated to a god called “Yoba” that villagers visit on Sundays. The game focuses on a struggling neighborhood, and the way the community provides its residents with something nothing else can offer serves as a reminder and call-out to what the church can do.

In an interview, Sumietana admits “Congregational governance is when people talk to each other, which encourages them to connect with and influence others.” In other words, churches (especially small churches) foster a unique environment in which congregations can develop relationships and daily knowledge of local people and local events and make a difference. Because they are embedded in the community, congregations know who is in trouble, who needs a ride to the doctor, who is sad and lonely, who is facing an addiction that is out of control.

and Stardew Something similar is shown: the villagers and the player character are bound together by intimacy and knowledge of the region and each other, and they resist the threats that overwhelm them.Indeed, the culmination of the “good” player’s arc is the restoration of the village’s community center.

Long abandoned and overgrown with vines, the first Community Center represents a forced change in economic and cultural priorities. To reverse this situation, players will need to spend considerable time and effort repairing decaying and broken things, such as broken minecarts, greenhouses, bridges, and buses. But these tasks require more than wood and stone. Players are encouraged to care about individuals, to build bonds beyond the shortcomings and reservations of others, and to take responsibility for the well-being of others.

The celebration at the end of the story is rewarding: Villagers rejoice along with the player character, enjoy new resources at the Community Center, and, inspired by the unfolding events, Themselves It’s about continuing the work of maintaining the town and maintaining relationships with each other.

Such change does not necessarily require a church, at least not necessarily. StardewBut the game’s tight-knit community and relatable, if flawed, characters remind us of the needs of disadvantaged rural communities that the church serves so well. Christians who are as committed to caring for hearts and spirits as they are to physical needs can join in the game’s essential work of community repair: repairing what is neglected, loving the unloveable, and cultivating communal spaces for joy, grief, and love.

Even without renovating an abandoned farm.