Sparsely decorated Year 12 Stardew Valley Farm makes players question how they approach farming

One Valley of the Stars fan sparked a discussion about sustainable farming (both in-game and in real life) when they shared an image of their barren farm from Year 12. Valley of the Stars is a cozy farming simulator that can be enjoyed in many different ways, depending on what players find most fun. For many, part of the fun of playing is decorating the inside and outside of the farm, but that's not the case for everyone.

ONE Valley of the Stars player passing Gaming_dino10_josh on Reddit shared a glimpse of his farm, showing that it is possible to play with minimal farming and decoration. The screenshot shows a riverside farm with nothing but necessities and otherwise completely barren.

The river farm is, as the name suggests, centered on the water, made up of several islands and surrounded by water. Gaming_dino10_josh's farm has a chicken coop on one island and a barn on another, while the main island has a greenhouse, two lakes, a farmhouse with attached stable, a pet house and, alarmingly, two sheds opposite one another. to the other. Five solitary sprinklers water a small handful of sparsely planted crops and several other buildings on the islands. Besides a handful of cherry blossom trees on impossible-to-reach islands, the entire farm is completely stripped of all plants.

Stardew Valley Farm sparks discussion about sustainability

Real-world forestry practices can be applied to Stardew Valley

The image of the sparsely planted farm caused several Valley of the Stars players I wonder if they are exaggerating by cutting down trees and uprooting plants. The first step for many players starting a new farm is to remove as much of the natural growth as possible. This often leads to having plenty of wood early in the game and then a self-induced shortage.

Reddit user and real-world forestry college student Umbra_Sanguis says he's shocked by how many trees people cut down on their farms in the game. They thin out the trees on their farm and "harvest wood responsibly and always leave forest areas undeveloped to balance the areas I have taken for myself."These sustainable methods"produce a lot of wood and charcoal without harming the natural beauty of the farm," they add. Some other players with real-world forestry and farming experience support Umbra_Sanguis on this, confirming that sustainable farming gets the best results in real life and in-game.

Our Take: Farming in Stardew Valley isn't for everyone and that's okay

Fans should be able to play however they want

Editor BucketListM points out that The only “correct” way to play this game is by doing whatever brings you joy. They praise the poster for not developing his farm as "you clearly like other aspects better"and they just didn't bother doing things they didn't actually like doing. They say:"You prioritized what brought you joy and that's a great way to play."

The original poster appears to have found joy in decorating other areas of the game rather than his farm, which is purely functional. They share images of some other locations around Pelican Town that are beautifully designed and create a stark contrast to the empty farmland. They say they farmed on all the islands until the first winter, then moved all the crops to Ginger Island and "never cultivated again."

It's very rare that a game about farming allows people to play the game entirely without farming anything. Valley of the Stars is the only one that truly allows players to have fun playing however they want. For some, joy comes from meeting and making friends with the people of the city. Others may prefer to explore, collect artifacts, or even tailor their clothing. Gaming_dino10_josh might think his farm is "terrible, probably", but in reality, there isn't a bad farm in Valley of the Starsas long as the player enjoys the process of doing so.

Source: Gaming_dino10_josh/Reddit, Umbra_Sanguis/Reddit, BucketListM/Reddit