Now the point of this video was that in modern times we’ve lost a lot of our connection to the seasons through seasonality—in many places, out-of-season produce is readily available at the supermarket year round. Jobs are no longer so dependent on the seasons and people tend to work the same profession year round. There are still variations reliant on other events, like holidays for instance, but they’re less connected to nature and the elements.
Anyways I started thinking that this might be one of the reasons Harvest Moon and related games are so appealing to people. Without a doubt they’d be less enjoyable to play year after year if it wasn’t for turnips in spring, tomatoes in summer, and eggplants in fall, plus varying forageables, fishing, wild animals, etc. And perhaps the games themselves help fill in a hole that’s left by the gradual loss of seasonality in our real lives.
I found this all pretty interesting so I’d be interested to hear if anyone else has any thoughts on this! Do you think this contributes to your enjoyment of the games?
Original video I watched if anyone’s interested (not Harvest Moon-related at all):