In our last cast of 2024 we discussed Stardew Valley. Our conversation included all the ways to play (multiplayer, defined or undefined roles, etc.), our histories with the game personally, comparison to Harvest Moon, systems complexity and gener consideration, roleplaying by your own moral compass, as well as who Stardew Valley is for in 2024 (and then into 2025).

In the liner notes, we highlight the interesting variations on play that many streamers and let’s players have done with Stardew. There are people playing for the social interactions (interacting with the town’s inhabitants), min/maxing their farm, roleplaying one of the ideological positions the game presents (JOJO mart versus the independent or traditional farmer), speedrunning (of course), and more.

2025 begins with Path of Exile 2 in early access. We couldn’t wait to play, and considering Toben’s investment in the genre (as a researcher), this should be a good one to kick off the new year.

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