Playing Stardew as a collective in our gaming session revealed to me how other people play the game, and in such a differing manner to myself. I was shocked; I learnt new things; and, I found myself watching several different styles of play. Every person has a different viewpoint, personality and complex which makes them unique and themselves. Stardew valley acts as the perfect platform for one to find out more about another through their gameplay and different outtake of the game. To me, this was the most valuable part of our gaming session and I was able to learn so much about my peers.
First, I immediately noticed how each person around me organised their inventory and stocked it with different items. For most, their inventory was neatly organised with an array of items helping a player’s every need – from fishing rod to food to raw materials. However, for me, my inventory was scrambled and unordered exactly how I usually play. I quickly realised how my day-to-day unorganised spontaneous self was being televised through the game and my peers organised, structured routines were also replicated through the game. I was watching a reflection of our very own personalities. This initial idea developed as we gamed into the two hour session. For instance, I soon found myself watching other screens and finding out more about my peers’ gameplay and strategy.
I love to explore and am constantly curious; this sentiment of exploration mirrors the way I play Stardew. I am constantly trying to find small details in the game that one could not if they were following a rigid, efficient path. I am not efficient, yet try to learn more about the game by taking an unorthodox approach to my gameplay. I found myself taking interest in fishing and learning about how different techniques and fishing spots can dictate one’s daily catch. I found myself entering houses and trying to enter every room in search for more game details – just to be met with “you’re not good enough friends with Sam to enter his room”. I spoke to every person I came across and scouted the map for any advantage or new piece of information – coming across a note from my virtual Grandpa explaining how he would return “on the dawn of my third year”. By comparison, I looked over to my peers farming, collecting materials and making virtual money. Our different approaches left me with a small prediction and insight into their personality and daily routines.
My myopic approach left me with little resources, but a greater nuanced knowledge of the game; while my peers long-term approach left them with more capital to expand off of the game and gain a deeper understanding over time as they would progress further than me. I quickly realised this and now I have begun playing with my focus on different aspects of the game whether that be monetary one day or quest-centric another. However, what I really learnt was that with any game one’s personality can be discovered and analyse through every in-game decision that they make. So the next time you start playing a video game with another person, friend or peer take a look at their decision making and priorities, and you will learn a whole lot about them before even speaking to them…
