The Thursday! Newsletter 1-14: My New Refuge
Volume 1, Issue 14
I'm a little bit addicted to a video game.
The game is called Stardew Valley and, before you laugh or heap derision on me, I'm very much aware of how ridiculous that first sentence looked. I'm nearly 53 years old. I have a PlayStation 3 tucked away my brother gave to me years ago along with a ton of games that I've never played because it is tainted by the Ring of Death. I've looked into buying a used one, but it's a bit down on the list of things I need and/or want to buy right now. The newest gaming system in my house that works is a SuperNintendo Chalmers. My "gaming rig" is an older iMac that won't play the newest games. Heck, most of the most-popular games won't run on a Mac at all. By no stretch of the imagination am I a gamer.
I found Stardew Valley thanks to a friend who shall remain nameless because, quite honestly, she'll get all proud of how she has me looking up parsnips on the internet and trying to figure out what's moaning in the distance every time it rains in the game and her head will grow five sizes too big and no one will be able to live with her. So I'm keeping that quiet. It's for the best.
Here is the game, in brief. You inherit a hardscrabble farm from your Grandpappy who is inexplicably dressed like a green-tinted Santa Claus. You do nothing with this inheritance until, one day, you are overcome with ennui because of your soul-crushing job at the JoJa Corporation. You take the bus to Stardew Valley and arrive in the town of Pelican...umm...Town. Once there, you learn your Grandpappy's farm needs a *lot* of work, but you're up for the job! Also, the town is full of interesting people who have problems of their own and things could be great there again, but only if you do your part. The whole point of the game is for you to figure out just what your part is. You learn to farm stuff and fish and set crap pots and mine for valuables and make friends and most definitely get home by 2 AM.
I understand there is a way to "win" the game but after putting in a whole bunch of time in "The Valley", I've found that I don't much care whether I "win" or not. I'm having too much fun figuring out how to make my farm a thing I can be proud of and also how to get it producing income at a decent level so I can do other stuff I want to do, like help make the town better, too. I'm also digging the soundtrack so much I actually bought it -- the first thing I've bought from Bandcamp ever.
Let me tell you why I'm hooked on the game. Stardew Valley is a good place to spend time. It moves at a reasonable pace. Some days I don't get everything done I want and other days I have a few hours to wander around and poke into corners I had not seen before. It rewards the curious. It gives me something a little different and interesting with every new season. I'm only in my first "year" of playing but I already know things I want to try when the next year begins anew. I've planned for that next year, too. There are trees on my farm right now that won't produce fret until later and I can't wait until they do.
The thing I like most about the game, though, is that Stardew Valley has changed for the better because of things I've done. My farm isn't quite as crappy as it was. The people in the town are nicer to me because I'm not a stranger to them anymore. The Governor actually liked our Mulligan Stew because of the delicious fish I tossed in. Even Pam doesn't seem to drink quite as much as she used to, though I admit I worry a bit about Penny. As odd as it sounds, Stardew Valley has become a but of a second home for me, not in the Willoughby sense of things, but more like the country village where Lionel's father has a manor house in "As Time Goes By". It is a good place to stay for a while and relax and enjoy the ambience and the people there. They don't quite treat me like a local, but most of them seem to like me and that's just fine. In time, I'll fit in if I want to.
Seems weird, doesn't it? I'm talking about a video game like it's a real place with real people. For what I need, though, it serves the purpose of a real place with real people. I can't very well lark off to a vacation home when the weather turns cold or when the world presses down on me a little harder than usual. I don't have a separate refuge, especially when all the places I might otherwise go are still closed because of...reasons. No library. No ballpark. No pizza restaurant that's not mostly vacant and where you're served your food in to-go containers even if you are eating in. There are no refuges, or so it feels.
But there's Stardew Valley. It cost me all of ten bucks when Steam put it on sale a couple of months ago. For ten bucks I found a nice little refuge where I can spent a couple hours here and there tending my farm or catching flounder from the dock or chatting with folks or making them happy by giving them a little gift or squishing wicked little jelly monsters in the mine with my crappy sword.
And I don't mind that all that much, really. So I'm a middle-aged guy who plays an 8-bit video game that came out four years ago, which has no obvious victory conditions. Eh. I can live with that.
What I can't live with is that snotty JoJa Mart manager and his 50 percent off coupons. He's ruining Pierre's! His aggression and low, low prices can not stand! Oh, Morris, you will rue the day. Rue!
Book Note: My copies are on the way and should arrive the week after Valentine's Day, assuming the USPS doesn't deliver them elsewhere or chuck them off a cliff or something. I should be able to turn them around very quickly when they arrive and have them to you very early in March. I'm sorry it's taking so long, but I'm limited by Amazon and the USPS. It is happening, though and I'm very grateful for your patience.
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Here Are the Arts and/or Letters I Promised...
This is Eugene Jacques Bullard, the first Black American fighter pilot, who never actually flew for the United States. His story is almost unbelievable. He was a pilot but first a decorated infantryman. After that, he ran a nearly legendary nightclub in Paris. The French gave him more medals than I think he could carry and he earned every one. Read this article about the man known as The Black Swallow then read this one. I'm serious. You'll be enchanted.
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Here Are Links, either Useful or Fun!
Let's start with food! My co-creator Cedar is not only a talented writer and artist but also cooks delicious things! Here is her recipe for a Blood Orange Ricotta Cake. I'm assured there is no actual blood.
Along the lines of my Flying Sticks of Dynamite thoughts from a couple of weeks ago, here's Seth Godin asking you to stop chasing the "cool kids" so you can do your thing patiently and with joy.
This year marks the 60th anniversary of the time Alan Shepard hit a golf ball on the moon. I'd love to see more people hitting golf balls on the moon. And Mars. And elsewhere in our beautiful Solar System.
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One Last Thing.
To paraphrase another smart author, Thursday! is free, but it is not cheap. To show your support, forward it to someone who'd like it or order my book (and leave an honest review, if you're so inclined). Is this your first time seeing my newsletter? You can read previous issues and subscribe right here.
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