Stardew Valley is, at its heart, a game about community. As many players will know, communities are far from straightforward, even ones as small as Pelican Town. Even the tiniest of towns can come with their own ups and downs, long-standing issues, and petty grudges. There are troubled neighbors and family tragedies, as well as wholesome relationships and supportive friends. Alongside Stardew Valley’s delightfully bucolic focus that sees players navigate country living, there are darker elements that reflect a more realistic setting, like the game’s examination of alcoholism.
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The Part That Alcohol Plays In The Game
For any players that haven’t delved deeply into the game, or who might not have played the unexpectedly popular farming simulation before, it’s easy to think of Stardew Valley as just a cute game with adorable animals and colorful aesthetics that show off small-town rural living as the seasons revolve. While it does feature elements of farming, animal rearing, and quaint and seemingly simplistic design, Stardew Valley also has a more serious side – a side that touches on and sometimes examines issues like substance abuse, traumatic childhoods, and PTSD.
Some plots feel as if a player has stumbled into the middle of a soap opera, with illicit affairs and a wizard with a secret love child, but others carry a bit more weight. The most thought-provoking, complex, and heartbreaking of these are when Stardew Valley introduces alcohol into the lives of several NPCs. Alongside story arcs like returning soldier Kent and his traumatic experiences of combat, ConcernedApe has created characters like Pam and Shane, who appear to have struggles with drinking that not only affects their lives, but also the lives of those around them.
It starts fairly innocuously. Ale, mead, and wine are some of the many byproducts of farming in Stardew Valley that players can produce, and there are a few residents that prefer these items as gifts – an easy way to accelerate relationships with the local townsfolk. Stardew Valley complicates this as time goes on, though, as players start to realize that characters like Pam and Shane might have a more destructive relationship with the substance than it first appears. Romanceable NPC Alex also reveals his struggles with his own abusive and potentially alcoholic father, further portraying dependency on drinking as a damaging circumstance that doesn’t only affect the drinker.
Exploring Alcoholism Through Characterization
Pam’s apparent alcoholism has clearly impacted her daughter Penny, who has wine, ale, and mead on the list of items that she hates. This subtle clue to her own relationship with alcohol is a sad reflection of Penny’s life with her troubled mother and adds a tragic dimension to Pam’s reliance on her supportive daughter. They both live in a trailer in the eastern side of Pelican Town, and Penny’s attempts to care for both the home and her mother seem to be never ending and not always appreciated. Pam, on the other hand, can usually be found at the Stardrop Saloon where it seems she drinks away her troubles since losing her job after the town’s bus broke down.
Shane is another character who appears to have a drinking problem. He’s forced to take a job at the soulless JojaMart, despite the majority of residents’ resentful feelings towards the soulless mega-corporation that runs it. At first, appearing perpetually scruffy and bad-tempered, Shane might be easy to overlook. However, as players get to know him better, they see the softer side to the sour bachelor. His heartbreaking backstory and redeeming character arc provide some of the most interesting events and conversations amongst the bachelors and bachelorettes that players can pursue, as they see Shane reach rock bottom when he talks about his feelings of unworthiness and thoughts of suicide. Players will also see him turn this around, becoming determined to be a better godfather to Jas.
Players can still choose to give characters like Pam and Shane alcohol as gifts even after learning more about their characters or experiencing their touching and nuanced heart events, but this can feel morally wrong. When players themselves drink the alcoholic items, they experience de-buffs like reduced speed, clearly showing that they have a negative impact. But not everything is black and white, as many characters like receiving alcohol and seemingly have no issues with drinking. The inclusion of problems like apparent alcoholism adds depth and complexity to Stardew Valley, but it also doesn’t lecture or beat players over the head with them. Players can largely make their own assumptions and decisions, adding a level of maturity to the title that might surprise a lot of gamers.
Stardew Valley is available on Android, iOS, PC, PS4, Switch, and Xbox One.
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