Although to the outsider, it may seem like Philip is embroiled in some kind of controversy, it is all nothing but a joke between fans of Stardew Valley. Nobody has been hurt, no offense has been taken, and no apologies are necessary. To understand what is going on, one first needs to know a little about Stardew Valley and the choices that players can make in the game.
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The Economics of Stardew Valley
In Stardew Valley, players take over their grandfather’s farm. Players can choose different farm types and, from rough beginnings, create something efficient and profitable. When players are not tending to their farm, they can partake in other activities including fishing, talking to NPCs and forming relationships with them, cooking, and exploring to name a few. For gamers looking for a slow-paced experience, Stardew Valley is the perfect game to relax with.
Many choices are available to players, and they affect the trajectory of the game and the community of Stardew Valley. One of the choices players are given at the beginning of the game is whether to build a Community Centre or a JojaMart Warehouse. Many perks come with choosing to build a JojaMart Warehouse, and it unlocks a more corporate means of improving the community. However, for a game that draws many gamers in for its promise of pastoral, stress-free living, the corporatism that JojaMart brings to the town can be unpalatable. It represents the greedy and uncaring capitalism that Stardew Valley is supposed to be an escape from.
Philip Goes the JojaMart Way
When Philip made a post on Twitter stating that he would be going the JojaMart route on his first playthrough of Stardew Valley, many of his fans advised him not to. In jest, some compared it to siding with a mega-corporation over a local business. Shortly after dozens of fans urged him not to go down the JojaMart route, Philip released a long apology on Twitter jokingly apologizing for his actions.
In the sarcastic apology, Philip claims his heart was in the right place, and he wanted to change JojaMart from the inside, and eventually put money into the local community through “Trickle Down Jojanomics.” With its comments about paying workers better and/or building another company that sends “rich people to space for a few minutes,” the apology also reads like a satire of real-world corporations. In a less-jokey reply tweet, Philip explains that he simply chose the JojaMart route because it does not force him to do specific things at specific times, although on his second playthrough of Stardew Valley he plans on taking the Community Center route.
In the end, the controversy is naught but some lighthearted humor about the economics of Stardew Valley, and whether going the JojaMart route truly represents siding with corporate interests. While the JojaMart route may be less popular than the Community Center route, there are still plenty of players who have fun siding with corporate folks, proving that there is no right way to play the game.
Stardew Valley is available on mobile, PC, PS4, Switch, and Xbox One.
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