Determination: Essays About Video Games and Us | Page 20

20 the main focus of the game is growing crops and raising animals , Harvest Moon offers a life experience beyond just that . The usual mountain , river , and beach surrounding the town are available for animal-watching , picking fruit and wild flowers , fishing , mining , and even encountering Harvest fairies ( the most magical aspect of the game ). In the town , you can go out to bars , befriend and flirt with other villagers ( sadly , only heterosexual romances are available ), and participate in the many festivals throughout the year . On top of all this , uplifting melodies play through Spring and Summer while more soothing and calm ones accompany Fall and Winter .

By Brandon Torres

Before the first release of Nintendo ’ s beloved

Animal Crossing or even Facebook ’ s dreaded Farmville - with its constant game invitations - there was Harvest Moon . Originally released on the Super Nintendo Entertainment System ( or , SNES ) in 1996 , Harvest Moon has continued to thrive through the years from platform to platform , making it all the way up to today ’ s 3DS . But unlike The Legend of Zelda series - another iconic staple to Nintendo ’ s platforms - not much has changed as the series continued . Rather than brand new experiences with each entry , the pleasure of creating and maintaining a productive , calm life has held my interest through the years .
Each game presents the player with a new opportunity to start from scratch . Through various circumstances ( being found shipwrecked , grandfather ’ s inheritance , etc .) the character takes ownership of a farm and from there , the adventure is up to the player . While

20 the main focus of the game is growing crops and raising animals , Harvest Moon offers a life experience beyond just that . The usual mountain , river , and beach surrounding the town are available for animal-watching , picking fruit and wild flowers , fishing , mining , and even encountering Harvest fairies ( the most magical aspect of the game ). In the town , you can go out to bars , befriend and flirt with other villagers ( sadly , only heterosexual romances are available ), and participate in the many festivals throughout the year . On top of all this , uplifting melodies play through Spring and Summer while more soothing and calm ones accompany Fall and Winter .

“ I would love to have my own ranch ,” I told my father one day , years ago while playing Harvest Moon on my GameCube . Having grown up on a ranch himself , he was fascinated by the idea of a game about farming and ranching . Even as young as a middle school student , before