How Great Games Do Progression | A Stardew Valley Video Essay

[@Frida_Caramel]

Last night I was telling myself “okay just one more day so I can get this done” then realized I had been playing for 6 hours straight. I freaking love this game sm

[@PingWine]

Wait what, you have only 170 subs? This production value is insane for the size! Edit: The reason why I though you were bigger channel was because your video was the first in search when I looked for stardew valley :D

[@JamesLikesGames]

thanks :) I appreciate the kind words. It's awesome to hear that I actually appeared high up in a search! very exciting stuff. Hope you enjoyed the vid!

[@nevercanyoucant]

so many progression systems in this game. Pure crack. Great content

[@JamesLikesGames]

all in a farming game too... insane!

[@Fulcrum_13]

I had such a hard time putting this into eloquent ways to coax my friends to start playing with me and this conveys it perfectly, great video

[@JamesLikesGames]

thanks for checking it out!!

[@dexlovesgames_dlg]

Oh hey neighbor. I saw you comment on SnowMan Gameplay video.. I immediately laughed about how similar our names are, and that James is literally my middle name. Good luck, and good video, mate.

[@JamesLikesGames]

yooo that's wild ahaha! thanks for stopping by bro. checked out your channel too!

[@fink7968]

Stardew valley is also a masterclass in macro and micro rewards. There are delicious dopamine releasing rewards throughout the entire play through, without many breaks. From breaking a piece of stone and getting some coal as well, all the way up to the final task (perfection). In between there are things like harvesting, selling, getting ladders in the mine, leveling up etc. Definitely why it's the most addictive. This is how it fails to be a skinner box.

[@JamesLikesGames]

yes that's a great point. they make every part of the game so satisfying, even just smashing up rocks!

[@SimonSlav-GameMakingJourney]

That's why you have to make a 10 hour long and design it for multiple characters.

[@JamesLikesGames]

yeah i think that definitely helps

[@inscrimbly]

this video is so well made!! it highlights so many of the things i love about this game!

[@JamesLikesGames]

thanks soapie! appreciate you checking it out :D

[@ph7dairymotel]

Great analysis, very well put together! Also how did you do that thing where you watered multiple crops at once

[@JamesLikesGames]

when you upgrade your watering can you can hold it down to water more than one square at a time. copper is a line of 3, steel is a line of 5, gold is 3x3, iridium is 6x3

[@ph7dairymotel]

@@JamesLikesGames omg thank u for telling me, i had absolutely no idea.... u learn something new about this game every day!!!

[@JamesLikesGames]

@@ph7dairymotel of course :)

[@Landyra]

I just wanted to drop a comment because this video deserves SO much more than just 2k views! 👀 I never make it much further than one or max two years into Stardew and just clicked the video out of boredom, but this was real fun and informative - without spoiling ✨ Hope your channel grows further from here - I'll check some more of your stuff! (also your voiceover is great! both clear and engaging~)

[@JamesLikesGames]

thanks :D appreciate the love!

[@al_7362]

great video ! this deserves more views! i was planning on getting the game because i like the farming aspect of minecraft and i also like animal crossing :) i was thinking of getting a game that will help me destress

[@JamesLikesGames]

In my original script, I had a line - "Stardew Valley is the most stressful relaxing game ever". It's super calming because you can play at your own pace, and yet because of the day/night cycle and all the chores you need to do it can feel stressful at the same time. Either way, I think you will like Stardew Valley and definitely recommend you play it!

[@MaartendeGeus]

This is a great breakdown of what makes stardew valley such a great game, well done! Keep up the good work, you have a new sub :-)!

[@JamesLikesGames]

thanks man! appreciate you checking it out and subbing :D

[@2kib249]

This is a great video and deserves way more likes

[@JamesLikesGames]

Thanks friend! Truly appreciate it

[@johnmirra4844]

Damn...great video!!!

[@JamesLikesGames]

thanks John!

[@lbdcbrosborris6242]

Really great and well put together video, keep up the awesome work dude.

[@JamesLikesGames]

thanks dude! appreciate it

[@rfauci7695]

My wife and I are on playthrough #4. Great game great video.

[@JamesLikesGames]

wooo! very impressive and thanks for checking it out!

[@Pekoe.]

Excellent writing dude

[@JamesLikesGames]

thanks man! appreciate you checking it out

[@BlueGooGames]

Great video! We’re maki g a game called Space Chef, which is somehow similar to and inspired by stardew valley so we’re thinking about we will have progression in the the game without it being grindy. However, with the bundles as a goal, it seems like there is not much fun to play once you’ve collected them all.. what do you think?

[@JamesLikesGames]

Thanks for taking the time to check it out! Yes - I do think that's a fair critique, as once you finish the bundles and get your farm to the state you want it to be, the game does begin to lose some of the motivations. I guess part of what makes Stardew so captivating is that it casts such a wide net in terms of what you can do (but this is something not all games can pull off), the freedom the game provides, and all of the secrets you can discover. Even then, it does reach a point where progress inevitably stalls. It's tough to really tackle as with time a game will naturally be completed, especially by those super devoted to it, so ultimately I think an important part is making sure your game has a loop that is engaging to begin with. If the game is fun - players will naturally want to progress. As with a lot of games nowadays though - I think patching in more content may be necessary. For example, I know Concerned Ape is/has been releasing a new patch with some more end-game content - but I haven't played it as of yet because I am playing on nintendo switch. As for Space Chef - do you mind me asking about it? Definitely curious to learn more and what the game is like!

[@zeez145]

Hey dude great video, I loved your thoughts on how the progression system works 😸

[@JamesLikesGames]

thanks bro! appreciate you checking it out

[@inkblot897]

How do format video essays?

[@JamesLikesGames]

sorry i'm not sure what you mean?

[@inkblot897]

@@JamesLikesGames I meant in terms of scripting and editing. Sorry i didn't say that initionally.

[@JamesLikesGames]

i usually either play the game first and record, then come up with the idea / script. Sometimes I'll script first and then get game footage. dunno if that answers your question or not, but i don't have any sort of set format i guess

[@zainy_inc154]

Great video man

[@JamesLikesGames]

Thanks for taking the time to check it out! Appreciate it :)

[@Niniminns]

I've played more than 300 hours on my first play through and I haven't completed everything yet. When I'm done with my first farm I might start a new game.

[@JamesLikesGames]

especially with the recent patches they added in a bunch more content too (take notes animal crossing lol) - so it still might be a while before you complete everything haha

[@Niniminns]

@@JamesLikesGames I've unlocked everything the new update has to offer so I'm currently working on catching all the fishes and crafting every recipe.

[@JamesLikesGames]

@@Niniminns damn! good luck you killing it

[@jacobwright5542]

Grinding is a major reason as to why I don't play fromsoft games.

[@JamesLikesGames]

yeah it's a bit of a different type of grind, but i def can see that and even I myself am not the biggest fan

[@aeugchad]

Role-Playing Game Game

[@JamesLikesGames]

lol! whoops

[@switchclaw]

Your voice sounds like Betosky

[@JamesLikesGames]

i actually haven't heard of them before?

[@aznsya]

ASMR!

[@JamesLikesGames]

i'll do ASMR streams

[@zainy_inc154]

Win

[@JamesLikesGames]

hell yeah

[@James11111]

"Rpg games" Literally unwatchable.

[@JamesLikesGames]

thanks for watching :D

[@zainy_inc154]

Win

[@JamesLikesGames]

hell yeah