'Eric Gave Me That Letter From Grandpa' — Stardew Valley Community and Creators on the Game's 10th Anniversary

For Stardew Valley's 10th anniversary, we didn't conscionable talk to creator Eric Barone (ConcernedApe) astir the game's contiguous and future. We besides went retired into the assemblage to find retired however Stardew Valley has changed the lives of its players, from mundane fans to fashionable contented creators. Here, we've shared 3 stories – from a euphony workplace creator, a speedrunner, and a mod shaper – connected however Stardew Valley impacted them. And we've interspersed those with testimonials from fans whose experiences with Stardew Valley person helped them flooded idiosyncratic challenges, enactment done grief, and link with loved ones.

Responses person been precise lightly edited for magnitude and clarity.

"Over the past 10 years [my woman and I] person played [Stardew Valley] disconnected and on, connected our ain farms and unneurotic erstwhile co-op released, and we ever travel backmost for more. We're sitting connected good implicit 1,000 hours of combined playtime. We emotion everything astir the crippled – the music, the characters, each of the creatures and animals and crops, and astir of each the story. There is truthful overmuch bosom and world packed into this game. For my woman and I it's what we crook to for comfort, for joy, and for nostalgia... I person bought this crippled arsenic a acquisition astatine slightest a twelve times, and volition proceed to bash so. We person played unneurotic four-player with my champion person and his woman and we're each nearing 40. I person fixed it to coworkers and friends and family. We person the cookbook and the committee crippled and a twelve shirts. Stardew Valley is truthful important to us." -u/SPECPOL

"It's a comfortableness I tin ever autumn backmost connected during hard times. On pugnacious days I footwear up my saved game, and fish, farm, oregon walk countless hours decorating until I consciousness amended (and it ever works)." -u/WildMoonChild0129

"It was the archetypal video crippled that I felt I could wholeheartedly stock with my young children. Even though it has immoderate big storylines successful it, I knew they would spell wholly implicit their heads. We played unneurotic successful the surviving room, everyone connected their ain device, but chatting each the portion astir however our melons were coming successful oregon however annoying Clint was being. I named each of my chickens aft my daughter’s classmates, and each of my cows aft my son’s. It faded aft a while, but came backmost with a roar aft we took ourselves to Symphony of the Seasons erstwhile it came done municipality past year. They are teenagers now. We each started playing again and doing three-part harmonies astir the location of the champion songs. (I similar to bash the baselines: bleep blop- bleep bleep blop.) It’s our peculiar amusive thing. None of their friends are into it and they usually archer maine that they can’t ideate sharing it with anyone too us." -u/Sad_Hovercraft_1367

"It's fundamentally what has kept maine sane passim crab treatment! I consciousness similar ConcernedApe is portion of my aesculapian squad astatine this point

"I was diagnosed with precise assertive but treatable crab past February and person been done brutal chemo, countless hospitalisations, 2 large and 4 insignificant surgeries, and americium presently successful circular 11 of 16 of immunotherapy... I had to instrumentality astir 5 months disconnected enactment (back portion clip now!) truthful I spent a batch of clip successful furniture playing Stardew!

"I person astir 2,000 hours successful the crippled and done my attraction I person done loads of small situation runs. I'm presently connected workplace fig 4 of my colour tally situation — based connected the dye cookware colours, I tin lone merchantability items which are red/orange/yellow/green/blue/purple and my extremity is to marque 1 cardinal golden and decorate the workplace successful the colour theme.

"I person been surviving successful a hellish clip of my beingness the past twelvemonth but my husbandman lives safely and happily successful the Valley and it gives maine strength." -u/RedTheWolf

Malblueeyes

During the tallness of the COVID-19 pandemic, Malblueeyes abruptly recovered herself with a batch of other clip connected her hands. Her occupation had been deemed inessential, and she was retired of work.

With her escaped time, she turned to Stardew Valley. Her hubby saw her playing more, and suggested she effort streaming it. At first, Malblueeyes wasn't truthful definite she wanted to. But past 1 day, she conscionable went live. She didn't adjacent archer him she was doing it.

"This was ne'er a happening that was planned," she says. "It was a happening that astatine the clip I needed thing to marque maine consciousness similar I had a purpose."

Malblueeyes had loved Stardew for years, having played since 2017. It was precise antithetic from thing she'd played prior, and was her archetypal existent assets management/sim game.

"There were conscionable truthful galore moments wherever I was conscionable sitting backmost going, 'My God, I'm having a batch of amusive and I'm not terrified.' And so, I just, however could you not emotion a crippled that is arsenic hard arsenic you marque it?"

On stream, Malblueeyes started conscionable playing casually. Later, to absorption her streams a spot more, she began to bash "Challenge Farms," oregon farms wherever you effort to execute definite goals nether precise constricted conditions, specified arsenic lone increasing 1 harvest oregon lone raising animals. She began to prime up a pursuing connected Twitch. While a batch of her assemblage conscionable seemed to beryllium determination for bully vibes, she says that a ample fig of radical were first-time players, asking questions connected however she was accomplishing definite things in-game.

"If you're a Twitch streamer, you consciousness that unit to cognize stuff," she says. "And I figured retired precise quickly, adjacent with the 1,200 hours of Stardew I had connected my Xbox, that determination was a batch to Stardew I didn't know. And so, I started processing these situation farms that would unit maine to face aspects of Stardew that I was different unfamiliar with oregon conscionable didn't truly interact with unless I had to. So, similar unlocking the Joja Warehouse, that's go a staple successful my situation farms due to the fact that I had ne'er done it earlier and shockingly enough, a batch of Stardew players don't, they refuse. And so, 1 of the champion ways I've discovered is to let radical to vicariously acquisition that done my situation farms. They don't person to unlock Joja, but they tin astatine slightest spot what it's similar to unlock Joja."

One of Malblueeyes' archetypal situation farms was called "Floja," wherever she unlocked Joja lone raising wealth by increasing flowers — an enactment she hadn't truly engaged with successful Stardew Valley before. She had a large time, and kept doing antithetic situation runs. Until 1 day, she was struck with a antithetic idea.

Oh, it was truthful bad. It was awful. But astatine that time, it was similar the coolest happening I had ever done.“

"I was sitting and I was watching 1 of my friends streaming 1 nighttime trying to deliberation of situation farms and it was somebody's day successful her chat and I was conscionable tootling astir and I thought, 'Oh, you cognize what would beryllium fun? Making a blessed day farm, that would beryllium amusive to marque a blessed day farm.' So anytime someone's successful chat and they accidental it's your birthday, it's my birthday. You conscionable spell connected the workplace and you person a small enactment acceptable up. And past I thought, 'Okay, but what different than conscionable a array and flowers, what's truly going to acceptable this workplace apart?' And that's erstwhile I thought of the flute blocks. That's however that started."

Stardew Valley includes "Flute Blocks," blocks that are placeable retired successful the satellite that play a selected enactment erstwhile a quality walks past them. By combining strings of these, players tin plan small melodies that volition play arsenic they walk. Malblueeyes wanted to marque 1 of these for the Happy Birthday song, but she self-admittedly isn't a musician. She tin work music, but can't place notes by ear. So she went hunting for assistance online, trying to fig retired what enactment she should adjacent commencement on. It was past that she discovered Music Farms: farms dedicated solely to playing elaborate tunes by walking done flute artifact mazes that often span the full map.

"I took the blessed day workplace and I balled it up and I threw it away, due to the fact that who wants Happy Birthday erstwhile I tin bash thing adjacent bigger? And I spent 12 hours doing He's a Pirate. That was my precise archetypal euphony workplace was He's a Pirate from the Pirates of the Caribbean soundtrack and I was truthful arrogant of it. And erstwhile I look backmost connected it now, oh, it was terrible. Oh, it was truthful bad. It was awful. But astatine that time, it was similar the coolest happening I had ever done."

With immoderate encouragement from friends, Malblueeyes showed the Music Farm to her audience, and everyone loved it. So she started making more. As she improved her skills, she yet opened up a transmission constituent redemption inducement truthful her assemblage members could petition songs, and was rapidly deed with galore requests for each sorts of analyzable songs.

"And I would fig retired a mode to bash it," she says. "I would ever archer people, 'Give maine a week.' Nah, I would beryllium determination for hours aft watercourse and fig it retired and marque it work. And past the precise adjacent watercourse I would beryllium like, 'Your farm's done. It's done. Let's ticker it together.' And radical conscionable loved it and I loved it. And I had ne'er felt truthful captious earlier successful a community."

Malblueeyes took a interruption from Twitch for astir 2 years, during which clip she was inactive making euphony farms and posting them connected TikTok. She couldn't assistance herself. She started streaming again backmost successful November, and portion the interruption was much-needed, she's gladsome to beryllium backmost successful the community.

"It makes maine blessed to marque different radical happy," she says. "And I don't deliberation that there's thing I've ever done that has ever made radical arsenic blessed arsenic erstwhile they petition a euphony workplace and I marque it for them. People just, they emotion it and I emotion it."

"Got maine done the accent and isolation of covid. It's amusive to spot however precocious I tin get my income astatine the extremity of each twelvemonth portion clearing my mind. Great game." -u/onebluephish1981

"It helped maine done grieving some of our dogs who we mislaid wrong a twelvemonth of each other." -u/spookychick12

"Stardew came retired close earlier I graduated precocious school. At the time, I felt overwhelmed by the value of deciding what to bash with my future. I didn't get into my imagination programme astatine my imagination school, but I did get into a large schoolhouse and needed to prime a large soon. I was perpetually reminded that puerility was astir to end, and what happened adjacent could impact the remainder of my life.

"Then, I recovered this cute farming crippled that reminded maine of the hours I spent connected Harvest Moon: A Wonderful Life, and for the archetypal time, I wasn't disquieted astir my future. I was disquieted astir having the close items prepared for the assemblage center, oregon guessing which gifts would marque my villager friends happy. Then, I work astir ConcernedApe's communicative and however helium excessively began this section with a doorway closed... and helium chose to unfastened a window. That acceptable maine connected a way to prosecute crippled improvement connected my own, and I fell successful emotion with it. There's thing truthful peculiar astir this creation form; creating your ain worlds wherever different radical tin relax, situation themselves, oregon conscionable escape. I didn't deliberation immoderate of it was imaginable until I played the implicit labour of emotion that Stardew is.

"It's inactive a large portion of my life; I've gotten each of my friends into it, included the main overture successful my wedding, person seen some of the concerts, and adjacent got to conscionable the large antheral himself successful New York. I made definite to convey him for the interaction he's had connected my beingness arsenic good arsenic plentifulness of different farmers retired there." -u/TinyBoatDev

"When I started playing, I was successful college. I had conscionable met my partner. Now we're grown ass adults with a location and a 1.5 twelvemonth aged son. I can't hold until our lad is aged capable and we tin play with him!

"Actually, confession: I already made a prevention for the babe connected my Switch due to the fact that he's ever trying to property buttons portion I play. So acold helium hasn't made it past the archetypal time due to the fact that each helium does is locomotion successful circles, unfastened the intermission menu, and effort to propulsion distant his tools. But erstwhile he's ready, it'll beryllium determination for him!" -u/pyramidheadlove

Lichatton

Lichatton, a Stardew Valley streamer, speedrunner, and satellite grounds holder, did not commencement retired playing the crippled with immoderate large ambitions. She ne'er adjacent intended to beryllium a streamer erstwhile she archetypal went unrecorded 1 New Year's, conscionable arsenic the timepiece ticked into 2021.

It was acknowledgment to the proposal of a streamer person that she was inspired to effort streaming for the archetypal time, playing Stardew Valley's new-at-the-time 1.5 update. Lichatton had already played Stardew Valley earlier and adjacent had a record connected Year 8, but describes herself astatine the clip arsenic much into League of Legends. Her streams managed to pull a fewer viewers, and 1 day, immoderate speedrunners showed up successful her watercourse and suggested she springiness that a shot. So Lichatton rushed to implicit a food bundle, and loved it truthful overmuch she started moving regularly.

Now, Lichatton is the satellite grounds holder for reaching Level 50 successful the Mines, has implicit 15,000 Twitch subscribers, and implicit 8,000 hours successful Stardew Valley itself.

I came backmost upstairs and I looked astatine him and I'm like, 'I conscionable got a satellite grounds off-stream. Do you deliberation radical volition beryllium huffy astatine me?'“

"I told my husband, I'm like, 'I conscionable request a break. Can you ticker the baby? I'm going to spell speedrun,'" Lichatton tells me. "And past I came backmost upstairs and I looked astatine him and I'm like, 'I conscionable got a satellite grounds off-stream. Do you deliberation radical volition beryllium huffy astatine me?'"

No 1 was huffy astatine her. Lichatton says that the assemblage that has formed astir Stardew Valley is 1 of the champion things astir the game. She's recovered it particularly affable toward women successful a mode that different online gaming communities are not, and successful speedrunning particularly she's seen an summation successful the fig of women connected the leaderboards successful caller years.

"Stardew Valley is simply a precise supportive community. I haven't ever had trolls connected Twitch oregon thing similar that, due to the fact that my assemblage usually bashes them. But they speech to each other's communities, truthful similar each of my friends are Haboo's [another record-holding Stardew Valley speedrunner] friends oregon different people's friends and it's benignant of similar radical bounce astir from 1 spot to another."

Speedrunning Stardew Valley has changed implicit the years, peculiarly with large spot updates, Lichatton explains. Patch 1.6 particularly shook things up owed to each the contented that was added. "I'll springiness you an example," she says, offering 1 that admittedly whitethorn not marque consciousness if you haven't played Stardew Valley yet but which should click instantly for avid players. "Community Center, earlier you needed to bash a location upgrade for 10,000 golden and 450 wood to beryllium capable to get 2 of the items for 1 of the bundles, and present you don't request to upgrade your house. So that changes things rather a spot due to the fact that you request little money.

"Even the mining has changed a lot, which is benignant of wherever the grinding came from. Because earlier you would tally connected erstwhile patches, but past we discovered that you tin get a nine connected level five. So the enemies that you termination springiness you a accidental astatine a ladder, truthful that benignant of changed everything up and shook it up."

Now, Lichatton is moving connected what she describes arsenic a "randomizer" of Stardew made by a person of hers. You take a missive of the alphabet, and the randomizer gives you an point successful the game, and you play to spot however accelerated you tin get that point successful a caller file. "We're astir astatine the extremity of it. We're connected Z. So for Z, she did Zuzu City Express, which is simply a poster you tin get from the crane crippled successful the movie theater."

Future ambitions for Lichatton see moving connected her times for reaching the 120th level of the Mines. She besides wants to yet bash a modded playthrough of the game, arsenic she's ne'er played with mods earlier contempt each the hours she's sunk in.

"I deliberation the coolest happening I've been capable to bash due to the fact that of this crippled is, my hubby and I got to beryllium connected [Summer Games Done Quick] a mates of years ago, and that was a very, precise rewarding experience."

Stardew Valley and speedruns of it person changed Lichatton's day-to-day beingness significantly. She present has a monolithic audience, caller goals to reach, caller friends, and a pursuing she ne'er imagined. But portion she loves some speedrunning and streaming, she besides conscionable loves Stardew for what it is.

"Stardew is conscionable 1 of those games that ever got maine done hard days," she says. "You tin person a atrocious time astatine enactment and spell location and you're conscionable going to beryllium successful a blessed Stardew satellite wherever you tin farm, you tin bash immoderate you want, you tin conscionable bent out. It's conscionable 1 of those games that's ever been a portion of my beingness and it's very, precise peculiar to me."

"I’ve been playing for a small nether 2 years, but it’s my favourite crippled successful the world. I bash spell done ruts wherever I won’t play for a month, past nonstop for hours everyday. I emotion decorating my location and farm, dating Haley, memorizing everyone’s loved gifts, each portion keeping way successful a meticulous spreadsheet. It’s besides bully to emotion thing that was made by a bully person, ConcernedApe has created an unthinkable crippled that I volition everlastingly rave about." -u/ks_wizard

"I started the crippled 8 years agone implicit the holidays aft my stepfather abruptly died and was successful this weird limbo. I don't retrieve however acold I progressed successful my workplace that week but it was the calm, relaxing vibe I needed to not deliberation astir existent life. I'd played Harvest Moon/Story of Seasons truthful I would person played it yet but it holds a peculiar spot successful my bosom to assistance bring calm operation and comfortableness I needed that week.

"I've made respective farms since past but I'm presently backmost connected that archetypal workplace prevention trying for my archetypal perfection.

"To maine this crippled is cozy perfection I volition everlastingly instrumentality to. I volition ne'er repay [ConcernedApe] the intelligence stableness and amusement he's fixed maine for lone $15. (Technically much arsenic I've gotten it connected each level I ain to effort to propulsion much wealth astatine him)." -u/get_hi_on_life

"As idiosyncratic who has struggled with addiction and immoderate utmost beingness lows, Stardew has been a precise wholesome flight for me. It was a pleasant distraction during betterment oregon anytime I felt similar achieving a tiny extremity successful the game. The euphony was ever calming and serene, and I truly similar what ConcernedApe has had to accidental astir the roots of the game's instauration and the meaning it gives to radical astir the world." -u/wikkineaver

"It brought my bride and I person together.

"She started playing it astatine the proposition of our children. One nighttime I amazed her. I bought the game, created my person, and joined her online crippled that she had created for our kids to articulation her. When she realized it was me, she was rather shocked to accidental the least. Cozy games are not truly my thing, but present aft much than a twelvemonth we've reached perfection once, started a mates much farms, and tried retired immoderate Palia. She and I playing cozy games unneurotic has benignant of go a nightly ritual." -u/PiperDon

"It was the archetypal happening I felt similar I could bask aft becoming a parent for the archetypal time. I struggled profoundly aft having my archetypal baby. Looking backmost it was astir apt [post-partum depression], but astatine the clip I didn’t cognize what was incorrect with me. My hubby yet convinced maine to download this crippled and it was thing that brought maine joyousness successful hard times. Even now, aft 5 years of playing the game, I inactive play it often. When I’m not playing the game, I’m astir apt watching Stardew Valley related contented connected YouTube. I conscionable precocious deed cleanable astir a week agone aft 5 years of playing and I whitethorn person cried a little. This crippled volition ever beryllium peculiar to me." -u/phyrgianhalfcad

Devin Hedegaard

Devin Hedegaard went to schoolhouse for accounting… lone to extremity up making 1 of the astir fashionable Stardew Valley mods ever, and eventually, moving connected Stardew Valley itself.

Hedegaard, aka FlashShifter, had perfectly nary existent acquisition modding erstwhile helium archetypal started connected Stardew Valley Expanded. He tells maine helium utilized to messiness astir successful Photoshop making avatars and forum signatures, and helium had made customized maps successful Advance Wars and StarCraft. He started playing Stardew erstwhile it came retired successful 2016, but it wasn't until helium was laid disconnected during the tallness of the COVID-19 pandemic that helium discovered its modding community.

At the time, helium says, determination were lone astir 800 oregon 900 disposable mods for the game, successful opposition to the much than 28,000 present disposable connected Nexus Mods. Hedegaard downloaded a clump of them, and loved them truthful overmuch that helium started teaching himself however to marque his own. He learned however to program, marque pixel art, constitute music, and make maps. All of this yet led to Stardew Valley Expanded, a monolithic enlargement for Stardew Valley that adds "28 caller NPCs, 58 locations, 278 quality events, 43 fish, reimagined vanilla areas, 3 workplace maps, a reimagined satellite representation reflecting each changes, caller music, questlines, objects, crops, festivals, and galore miscellaneous additions."

Why grow the already expansive Stardew Valley?

"Well, the mode I looked astatine it is, Stardew Valley is already cleanable the mode it is. You don't request mods to bask Stardew Valley. I fell successful emotion with mentation 1.2 of Stardew Valley, and that's conscionable each Eric [Barone, creator]. That's wholly conscionable Eric's enactment there, each himself, and you spot what the crippled did to me. It made maine privation to marque a immense mod for it, but erstwhile it came to maine wanting to grow the valley, the mode I went astir it is I conscionable wanted much of everything successful the game. I wanted much NPCs, I wanted much locations, I wanted much crops, I wanted much quality events, I wanted much machines, much items, much quests, much of everything. You tin deliberation of my mod arsenic a well-rounded repast with each the nutrient and potatoes and greenish beans and possibly a cocktail connected the side. It's the afloat show, a afloat repast of everything. There are immoderate mods that conscionable absorption connected immoderate potatoes, determination were immoderate mods that conscionable focused connected immoderate meat. A batch of enactment that goes into that, but I was fueled by my emotion for the game, my emotion for the community, and I had a batch of determination and a batch of excitement astir the crippled successful wide that conscionable fueled my tendency to adhd everything that I did implicit each these years."

Stardew Valley Expanded archetypal released successful 2019, and astatine the clip included 3 twelve caller quality events, 3 caller locations, redesigned immoderate basal crippled maps. Hedegaard was going to halt there, but the mod started to stroke up. It became truthful popular, helium didn't privation to permission it there. So helium made it adjacent bigger. He was successful the process of moving connected mentation 1.15 of the mod, erstwhile his beingness was abruptly upended.

"My car got stolen and I was screwed, due to the fact that I didn't person theft security connected it and I was successful a hole, and not to notation I had each my pupil loans I had to wage disconnected still," Hedegaard explains. "I'm conscionable like, 'What americium I going to do?' I was modding afloat time, but modding afloat time, I was making a spot of wealth from it, but it's capable wealth to wage for nutrient and rent, not wage for my pupil loans and wage for a caller car. I similar Christmas, I similar buying Christmas gifts for my household and friends. It's like, 'What americium I going to do? What americium I going to do?'"

It was past that Hedegaard did thing astonishing. He reached retired to Barone, and asked him for a job.

"I was conscionable like, 'You miss each changeable you don't take.' So I went to the bureau and it was like, 'Yeah, bash you privation to prosecute me?'"

I was conscionable like, 'You miss each changeable you don't take.' So I went to the bureau and it was like, 'Yeah, bash you privation to prosecute me?'“

This isn't quite arsenic brainsick arsenic it sounds. Hedegaard did already cognize Barone – they had hung retired 3-4 times before, helium says, describing them astatine that constituent arsenic "acquaintances." They besides some lived successful the Seattle area, truthful it's not similar helium flew crossed the state to bash this.

Even much shocking was that Barone entertained the idea. He told Hedegaard that he'd person to deliberation astir it. Then, conscionable a fewer days later, Hedegaard received a occupation offer.

"I retrieve that time fondly, it was 1 of the champion days of my life," helium says. "At that moment, my beingness changed. My beingness had already changed erstwhile I had archetypal started playing Stardew Valley, it had changed erstwhile I had archetypal released my mod, and past the different clip it changed was erstwhile Eric hired maine that day."

That's however Hedegaard came to beryllium employed by ConcernedApe, LLC and moving connected the adjacent update to Stardew Valley. Hedegaard was besides capable to implicit mentation 1.15 of Stardew Valley Expanded, which helium considered a "finished" product. He's inactive providing bug fixes to the mod arsenic needed, and is readying connected updating the mod to beryllium compatible with the aboriginal 1.7 update erstwhile it lands.

But different than that, he's afloat devoted to Stardew Valley itself now. The game, its creator, and the occupation that helium present holds and loves person transformed his beingness successful the champion imaginable way, helium says.

"I deliberation that this is what I was calved to do, it's similar my destiny oregon my destiny," helium says. "I wasn't meant to beryllium an accountant moving astatine Joja Corp, going successful with a suit and necktie successful downtown Seattle, due to the fact that I was truly starting to consciousness like… I'd spell location and I'm like, 'I don't privation to bash this anymore. I privation I would get a missive from Grandpa,' and you cognize what? Eric gave maine that missive from Grandpa. And it changed my life. His game, what helium made, moving for him, moving with this team, everything that Stardew Valley has fixed to maine has improved my beingness truthful overmuch and it's made maine truthful happy. Part of my improvement process is I conscionable privation to springiness each that emotion and happiness backmost to the assemblage and to the satellite and to support creating… I similar seeing radical beryllium happy, I similar seeing radical playing this game, seeing radical travel together.

"...I consciousness like, arsenic clip goes on, much and much and much radical volition play. Heck, adjacent 20 years from now, determination volition beryllium adjacent much millions of radical who person discovered the game. What's brainsick is Stardew Valley is 10 years old. In twelvemonth one, twelvemonth two, immoderate radical had kids, they had babies, and 8 years later, their kids are present playing Stardew Valley. The adjacent procreation of players are playing Stardew Valley. It's crazy. Eric and I and the full team, we profoundly recognize however overmuch Stardew Valley means to people, and that's wherefore we ever privation to bash close by the assemblage astatine each turn, each possibility. And similar I've been saying, to springiness each that emotion and happiness backmost that we've gotten."

Rebekah Valentine is simply a elder newsman for IGN. Got a communicative tip? Send it to [email protected].