Stardew Valley is a game with a clear goal: complete 100% of the achievements and objectives available and fulfill Qi’s “Perfection Tracker.” Unlike sandbox games, such as Minecraft or Terraria, the player can’t create whatever comes to their mind on a whim. There are clear crafting recipes in place and no overly complex technological systems that can be meddled with. Instead, a heavy emphasis is placed on catching all the fish, shipping each and every crop, reaching max friendship with every villager, and so on. Thus, to most players, overcoming all the in-game obstacles that lead to completion may seem completely antithetical to the gameplay presented. The game rewards grinding materials and gold with the 100% reward. So why do so many players gravitate to CJB’s Item Spawner mod?
With over 2.6 million downloads, the item spawner, which essentially allows the player to give themselves any item at any time, is one of the most popular mods created for Stardew Valley. Upon first look. I was skeptical of this mod’s existence. It truly does break the foundations of the game by circumventing any and all need for organic cultivation of items, so wouldn’t it make me feel like I was cheating? However, after interacting with the mod for a few hours, I was taken aback by the massive shifts in the game’s objective. Suddenly, a whole world of possibility opened up. My goal had completely changed.
Instead of attempting to reach 100% by the game’s standards, I noticed myself curating my farm and village to look as beautiful as possible. I was playing for my own enjoyment, not the game’s preset targets. I could spawn in every decoration I had always wanted but could never afford, allowing me to create a living space I was actually proud of. Through normal gameplay, I typically ignored my own house in favor of acquiring as many resources and achievements as possible. There is no achievement for having a pretty house, after all.
With this shift in goals came a reinvigorated enjoyment for the game. To be honest, I had been beginning to get a bit bored with the slow grinding of Stardew Valley. I’ve been playing since the beginning of the quarter, but at just over 50% completion, I didn’t feel as if I would ever see all that the game had to offer. For the average player, a similar sentiment is likely felt. It never seemed like I would play enough to get to a point in the game where I could experience everything myself – I didn’t feel content just watching Youtubers show off the endgame achievements and items. Actually experiencing certain events, such as reaching level 100 of Skull Cavern, regardless of how “earned” it was, granted me a sense of satisfaction. It made me want tosee what else I could do now that I had basically unlimited power. It motivated me to continue playing.
The tags for the mod on NexusMods include both “fair and balanced” and “unbalanced/cheating.” How a player perceives this mod is determined on how they want to experience Stardew Valley. What it inarguably achieves, however, is letting the player decide what to pursue next.