Farming simulation game Story of Seasons influences Japanese man to become a farmer in real life
Marvelous, the developer of the Story of Seasons (Harvest Moon) series, shared via the official Story of Seasons blog on October 10 that they had received a Letter of Appreciation from a Japanese agricultural association in Hokkaido called the “Doto Asahi Agricultural Cooperative Association.”
The agricultural association addressed the letter of appreciation to Marvelous to express gratitude after a certain Japanese youth became inspired to become a dairy farmer as a result of playing the Story of Seasons series.
Story of Seasons is a series of agricultural simulation games published by Marvelous. Specific content differs from game to game, but players spend their days growing crops, raising livestock and similar, while also enjoying adventures, romance, and other activities. The farming and dairy farming elements of the game are simplified to some extent, but it’s still important to stay on top of things, checking up on your crops and livestock and taking appropriate steps to nurture them. It’s a game that conveys the importance of life and nature.
It seems that these characteristics of the series had the effect of actually inspiring people to take up farming in real life. The Doto Asahi Agricultural Cooperative is an agricultural association located in Betsukai Town, Hokkaido, which is one of the leading dairy farming areas in Japan. The two new farmers from Betsukai Town in question are Wada Yuhei and his wife Wada Yumi, who started their farming business through “third-party succession,” i.e., by taking over a business not previously belonging to a relative or employer.
In the official newsletter of the Doto Asahi Agricultural Association, Wada Yuhei tells of how he was influenced by the Story of Seasons series to become a farmer. As Wada played the game in his childhood, he became more and more interested in actual farming and real cows. Later on, he thought about working in agriculture as a researcher and went on to graduate school pursuing this goal, but his previous aspirations came back to him after all, and he decided to start a new farming business in Betsukai Town, which offers good conditions for new farmers.
Cows are the representative animal of the Story of Seasons series, appearing frequently on box art, the series’ official website and in-game in various titles of the series. Wada doesn’t mention which game in particular struck a chord with him, but in all of the games, the cows are so cute that one has no trouble relating to his feelings.
Currently, the number of farmers in Japan seems to be decreasing rapidly. According to data from the Japanese Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry, and Fisheries, the number of major farmers in 2005 was about 2.24 million, but by 2020, this number reduced to about 1.36 million, a decrease of 39%. Among existing farmers, 70% are 65 years old or over, and 11% are 49 years old or under, which tells of little young people are involved in agriculture. However, support for new farmers through “third-party succession,” as in the case of Wada’s farm, and subsidies have been actively provided in recent years (minorasu). Perhaps due in part to such efforts, the number of farmers in the 20-49 age group in 2020 increased by 22,000 compared to 2015. These circumstances also explain why the agricultural association was touched enough by Wada’s story to send the developers of Story of Seasons a thank-you letter.
The Story of Seasons series has had a long run with its first title being 27 years old this year. Having this in mind, it’s entirely plausible for the game to have had life-changing decisions on someone by now. In the future, the series could influence even more farming enthusiasts to be born.
Written by. Amber V based on the original Japanese article (original article’s publication date: 2023-09-25 12:56 JST)
