Photo Illustration by Erin O’Flynn/The Daily Beast/Getty Images
Exploring an expansive cave system, growing dozens of seasonal crops, and romancing other farmers and townspeople are just a few of a player’s possible activities in “Stardew Valley,” the popular farming and life simulation video game released in 2016. But when I was scrolling through my Instagram feed recently, I saw an ad for a company attempting to add another item to the list: therapy.
“Meet with a therapist while playing ‘Stardew Valley,’” the advertisement said. As a therapy-going cozy gamer, I felt strangely targeted by the algorithm; apparently, so did many other users who wrote things in the comments like, “The algorithm is getting so specific,” and “I’m feeling called out.”
“The comments are so sweet and so funny, particularly the ‘Stardew Valley’ ones where they’re like, ‘I don’t want my therapist to judge me for marrying Shane,’” Brian Chhor told The Daily Beast. He’s the co-founder and CEO of Hero Journey Club, a mental health support network that uses gaming to facilitate group sessions, and the organization behind the Instagram ad.