Having come from competitive multiplayer games in the past, settling into the Stardew Valley solo experience was a breath of fresh air. I was enjoying what felt like a peaceful cozy game, farming and meeting the characters, but when I first entered the mine my competitive spirit was reinvigorated in a place I did not expect. This took off even more so when I started a multiplayer world with a couple of my friends. We decided our goal was to make as much money as possible and maximize the efficiency of the farm. In between growth cycles though, there was not much to do around the farm so once again I ventured into the mine. Immediately I was rehooked, but this time the mines felt even more enticing. Most probably this was because I was now in the mines with my friends and while ultimately our goal was to work together to get to the bottom of the mine as per the quest we had, the presence of the mobs in the mine allowed for us to compete. The best strategy in advancing in the mine was to have as many players as possible mining to try and uncover the ladder to the next stage, while one of the players predominately dealt with the mobs. However, the most coveted position for us was the player who had to deal with the mobs, it served as a signifier of who had mastered the combat mechanics the best. Obviously establishing this position was a bit contentious when starting, as everyone believed they were the best at combat, leading to a few deaths in the mine, as lasting longer while at lower health was sort of the metric for ability. Fortunately for my ego, I was able to rise above the competition and establish myself as the designated guard within the dungeon. One thing we did not realize initially was that while our money pool was shared, the exp gains were not. Because I was doing most of the combat, my combat level was the highest, causing me to do the most damage and reinforcing my role. Likewise, my friends levels with respect to other aspects of the game, like farming, became higher than my own, and they had greater incentives for sticking to their initial roles. Specialization served to further entrench me within the world of the mines. Despite the many aspects of Stardew Valley, I lost sight of them within the mine. I’ll admit I was no longer the best teammate and was not strictly contributing directly to our group goal. In fact, my daily routine had shifted from waking up, tending to the crops and then going to the mine for part of the day before interacting with a few villagers and finally going to bed, to waking up and sprinting straight to the mine. Herein lies my insight from playing multiplayer, for better or worse despite working on group goals, I was drawn towards parts of the game that I had more fun with, putting more of the grunt work on my friends while I was frolicking in the mines. Not only was I not directly helping, but there were several times, more than I care to admit, where I would die from the mobs in the mine while trying to test my limits, or from breaking out of the zone, realizing it was 1:30am and passing out before I made it back to my bed. Overall, while playing multiplayer expanded the ways in which I could interact with Stardew, I still ended up focusing on the mines, my favorite part of the game.
Whoops its 2am
