I decided to download a mod for Stardew Valley called CHONKINS. To briefly describe this mod, it essentially turns all the farm animals and their byproducts into cuter, “chonkier” version of their original designs (chonk is characterized by animals that are overweight or fluffy, which adds to their endearing appeal for many people as this quality alludes to comfort or softness) and visually indicates whether or not the animal has milk or wool that can be collected.
After playing for many hours with my new mod (courtesy of the Stardew Valley addiction this class has given me), I noticed a difference in my gameplay; while previously I was a dedicated farmer, I began to downsize on my crops in order to tend to my growing population of animals in the barns and coops. My new focus and dedication towards the animals was reflected in the increase of my average daily profits to 5 figures. I am not certain why, but the fact that I found the modified animals so much cuter affected my Stardew Valley gameplay as well as my personal enjoyment of the game, as I realized I experienced much more excitement when allocating my time for my virtual pets that I embarrassingly grew very emotionally attached to.
I found it interesting that a nonfunctional and purely aesthetic modification of Stardew Valley improved my overall gameplay. Although turning all of my animals rotund did not directly contribute to my in-game achievements, the aesthetic appeal ended up influencing me to put in many more hours and much more effort into the game, effectively heightening my engagement and personal attachments with my farm. Additionally, while Stardew Valley sites, I discovered a grand abundance of visual mods, from changing all the buildings to a Victorian style to making Shane look like a sober man. This perhaps reflects players’ primal attraction to objects of beauty, which innately instigates feelings of happiness and content. The strong appeal of the aestheticism within video games explains why developers put great emphasis on the work of their design teams, and may have also influenced the overall success of many popular games we see today. Aestheticism is why many games have customizable avatars (with Stardew Valley included, as players can customize the appearance of their character, pets, home, etc) or purchasable appearance modifications (like Fortnite skins, for instance). From the developers’ blog for Stardew Valley that I previously viewed, many updates were solely dedicated to visual updates and changes for the game as it gradually increased in popularity.
Based on these factors, it is clear that game design is a crucial factor for both attracting players and generating income for game developers. Our natural affinity towards objects that visually invoke positive feelings greatly influences the development of video games, as the creators cater to the players’ enjoyment of their products in order to sustain the gaming industry. And in terms of mods, our gravitation towards aesthetics is a major reason why modding is so prevalent in gaming culture.
