The Stardew Valley co-op was a fun time to learn not only about the mechanics of this fun and relaxing farming simulator, but also to learn a little bit more about the people around you. For instance I learned that most of my classmates are either curious adventurers exploring every part of the map in the game, eager players trying to meet every NPC they can, responsible gamers making sure our farm had enough crops to make it through the winter, or some combination of the three. I also learned that some of my classmates are senseless agents of chaos who use Stardew Valley’s open-ended mechanics to wreak havoc on the map or even the class farm. At first glance this seemed to me like a strange way to play the game but on further contemplation I realize that this is as equally valid a way to enjoy the game as every other way. When I first got the controller I was doing my best to learn the controls, as everyone else was, and then immediately after I got the hang of it my entrepreneurial spirit led to my trying to increase the farms assets by buying crops to plant and acquiring a fishing rod so that I and future players could get fish to sell. I was happily trying my best to play the game as it was “meant” to be played – restore the wealth of the class farm. The “end” of the game is when the farm was fully restored and my character was outrageously rich, right? Everything else is just fluff or ways to expedite that process, right? This viewpoint was shaken when I first got my taste of the “chaotic” side of the game. A classmate convinced me to sit in the library after closing hours just to see what would happen. There was no consequence, of course, and even after closing hours the library operated perfectly normal, but I still had a nagging feeling like I was doing something “wrong”, like the game does not want me to play this way at all. That same player then, on his turn, went on to destroy all of our farm’s crops, cut down a bunch of trees, and then ate saplings until he fell unconscious- which was hilarious.
At that point it finally clicked for me that Stardew Valley has no objective. I understood that fact logically, but I didn’t really understand what that entails. Whether I realized it or not I was still trying to play the game the way I thought it was meant to be played, when the fun of Stardew Valley is derived from anyone playing the game in anyway they want. For some people that means trying their best to live the life of a farmer, for others that means chopping down trees and breaking into stores. There’s nothing intrinsically better or worse about either approach because the game accommodates it all. If anything, the chaotic players seem to have it figured out, uninhibited as they are by societal expectations and such.
I, too, found the chaotic play style that you described to be one of the most interesting aspects of our Stardew TA sections. It seems that this type of chaotic play manifests most strongly in multiplayer games. Sure, you could still sit in the library after hours if you were playing by yourself, but would you engage in more chaotic behaviors like digging up all of your own crops or building fences that block you from getting to places you need to go? Of course not. Chaotic play isn't about self-sabotage; it's mainly about sabotaging others. For me, this adds a new dimension to the notions of ethics and moral decision-making that games explore. I'm not that familiar with Stardew,…
I agree with much that has been said so far, however I do want to add the idea that it can sometimes be frustrating playing a game that has so many directions to go with a specific task in mind. For example, in our discussion section, one player really wanted to build a farm - a task which could very handily be done efficiently with multiple people working together. However I noticed they became a tad frustrated when the other people in the co-op all left to go fishing. Ultimately, it is not a major problem, as the game is not particularly difficult and it is possible to complete everything by oneself, yet the co-op nature of the game did…
I think there is a way in which this chaotic play here is a process of deconstruction. As a chaotic or "aberrant" player, you attempt to reverse engineer the design process and the way the code functions. Staying post closing time delves into how hard the game enforces rules it develops. Will it teleport you out? Will you get into trouble? And by slowly answering questions like these, both the design philosophy and the way the game behaves are brought to life. In the game not protecting the other people's crops, it speaks to the way the game encourages not only exploration, but strengthening interpersonal relationships. The game asks you to find a sense of trust with other players and…
I've always thought of Stardew valley as a game with multiple objectives and areas of engagement, but with no clear goal. Some players will enjoy farming, foraging, and talking to the townspeople, simply to relax. Others try to learn the most profitable crops and optimize their farm, while others still could enjoy the adventure and mystery of the mines. All of these playstyles have merit, and players may enjoy crossing between different playstyles. It's interesting, then, that co-op introduces more ways to play that were absent from the single player mode. If there weren't any other players, there wouldn't be much point in destroying your own crops or blocking yourself in. I wonder what other playstyles could emerge from multiplayer…
No one in our class played the game quite so chaotically, but there were a couple similar instances. There was a moment when someone started building fences across the road to trap the rest of the players within the boundaries of the farm. Some people seemed annoyed by this, but I, frankly, found it delightful. Count me as one of the players that when I sat down, I immediately started thinking of all the impish mischief I could get into. First, I wanted to dig up all my coworkers crops, but I eventually chickened out. Later, I felt a strong urge to blow off my farm duties and explore the sewer, but then I worried that I would n…