Why don’t we all just farm?

I’ve found a way to fix the divide in American society right now: video games. Specifically, games about farming. Riddle me this: What do industrialists in the South and tech-savvy coastal gamers share in common? A love for agriculture.

minecraft machines

the textbook of the century

Why don’t we just get Chik-Fil-A board members to appreciate LGBTQ+ relationships, and possibly even explore them themselves, in the charming world of Stardew Valley?

Why don’t we have mobile gamers, who have time and time again shown themselves susceptible to Skinner Box systems of reward (gacha games/loot boxes), try their hand at hard labor in a time when the United States is thirstier than ever for skilled workers?

To bridge the knowledge and access gap on healthcare, I’m sure there’s a way we could present the randomness of American health care infrastructure (is this medication covered? is my doctor covered? what the hell am i paying for?) in a pretty animated box that makes your controller rumble when you get your free monthly Loot Bill in the USPS Physical Notification Box.

Hang on, let’s step back there… Why don’t we just farm?

Kids who were raised on Minecraft know how to program computers - from raw binary!!! - better than I ever will. That’s impressive, and that’s the kind of generational skills gap that will make my frustration with printer drivers pale in comparison to the 200 IQ plays being debated during the singularity. What do they do with these skills? They farm redstone, wheat, whatever, and they build ever more and more ingenious creations. The skills arc of Minecraft builds to this - after you learn to brutishly use your bare hands to kill fauna for food and harvest materials, tools open you up to increasingly civil sustainability and morally unambiguous combat in the Nether/End.

The good news is that this behavior doesn’t need to be drilled in via bluelight screen to our children to save the future - adults too can learn to enjoy video game environments, and become stronger humans for it. My hope is that one day, we learn from the constant optimization of the video game world and apply it to our own world with an eye towards equality and humanity. Help me optimize my Farm Simulator 2021 file, Joe the Farmer, and I will help you optimize your tax situation while defending your benefits and rights like a good American. Let’s work together ya’ll.