Review
A Stardew Valley player was surprised to discover a reference to the game while going through some HR job training. The moment is just one of several instances of Stardew Valley references found in the real world.
In the past, several gamers have pointed to textbooks containing questions based upon elements of Stardew Valley. These have sometimes made mention of characters and places, while others have actually used screenshots from the game, as well.
In this case, a Reddit user named DigLost5791 shared their discovery that their HR work training was referencing the NPC villager cast of Stardew Valley. DigLost5791 shared a screenshot of the training, which poses a question asking what kind of conflict resolution was being utilized in a scenario. There are no images of the game itself, but it’s clear that whoever wrote the question is a Stardew Valley fan, due to the inclusion of several distinct character names: Shane, Maru, and Abigail.
Stardew Valley Reference Seems to Be One of Many
Numerous fans have commented on the shared image. Some agreed that this seemed like a character dynamic that could occur in the game between the three characters. A surprising part of the community’s response is that it seems many fans have not only seen references, but also made their own. One player said that they used to design training materials for call centers, and would use Stardew Valley characters’ names in them. Another said that they did something similar when they were working on a physics textbook.
In some cases, it seems like authors of textbooks and training materials who incorporate their favorite games like this do it as a simple way to quietly pay tribute to the title. However, it’s also done at times to encourage the reader to focus more on the training or learning experience, as any fans of the game would likely brighten up at seeing Stardew Valley referred to in a textbook problem.
While not every game is a perfect fit for doing something like this, either due to content or the danger of litigious action from a game’s developer or publisher, Stardew Valley references have appeared in multiple publications like these. While it’s unlikely that any of them asked for permission first, the game’s developer seems to have a relaxed attitude towards references and tributes to his game, and the simple use of character names doesn’t really infringe upon anything. It will be interesting to see if ConcernedApe’s next title, Haunted Chocolatier, also sees references like these pop up after its release.
