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- Screenshot from Stardew Valley, courtesy of ConcernedApe

Chaos! A Stardew Valley Mom’s Hilarious 1,000+ Story

Originally posted on Total Apex Gaming
By Gabriel Montenegro | Last updated Aug 15, 2025 11:24 AM ET

Look, we’ve all had those moments where we think we’re doing something nice for our parents. Maybe you fix their computer or try to teach them the difference between commenting on a post versus DMing someone (an important distinction, especially for private discussions). In this case, it’s introducing your mom to the cozy and casual cottage-core that is Stardew Valley. Sounds wholesome, right? And it is, but not for the reasons you think! How this mom’s 1,000+ hour playtime was spent is an example of how open-ended games can incite unintended chaos.

“I Choose Violence”

Okay, okay, not actually. We are talking about a cozy game after all. But with what you are able to do within the game, there’s always someone who makes their own fun. So while Emilia meant to recommend Stardew Valley for her mother to play and make a cute sprawling farm, it didn’t exactly turn out that way. Instead, she inadvertently created a monster who spends the next 1,000 hours—yes, you read that right, ONE THOUSAND HOURS—systematically destroying every relationship in Pelican Town.

This isn’t your typical Stardew Valley playthrough where players optimize their wine production or debate whether Abigail actually eats rocks. No, this mom decided that peace was never an option and embarked on what can only be described as a reign of digital terror. Cozy what? Cozy who? Not for this mom!

The Art of Being Pelican Town’s Most Hated Resident

Generally, players are encouraged in Stardew Valley to build relationships, give the perfect gifts, and maybe settle down with their favorite person. However, this particular mom had different plans. She methodically worked her way through the marriage candidates—not to find love, but to break hearts.

The process is hilarious in its simplicity: court someone, marry them, then divorce them. Rinse and repeat! The result? You’ve now left a trail of broken dreams and a bad taste in everyone’s mouth. It’s like she took one look at the friendship system and said, “But what if I did the exact opposite?”

When Gaming Becomes a Full-Time Job of Villainy

A thousand hours. Let that sink in for a moment. That’s roughly 25 full work weeks dedicated to being the actual worst in a game designed around community and kindness. While other players are out here posting screenshots of their homey farm layouts or their prismatic shard luck, this mom was grinding away at her reputation like she was speedrunning social exile. You gotta respect the dedication!

It’s honestly impressive in the most terrifying way possible. Most people struggle to maintain their real-life relationships, but some people just want to watch the world burn. Or at least their bridges. She didn’t accidentally become disliked—she crafted her villainous reputation with the precision of a master strategist.

The Dark Side of Wholesome Gaming

Image from Stardew Valley courtesy of The Secret Police Limited and ConcernedApe

What makes this story particularly funny is how it subverts everything Stardew Valley represents. The game is literally designed as an escape from corporate and city life, a place where you can ease your pace, connect with nature, and build meaningful relationships. But this mom? Nah, she saw all of that wholesomeness and said, “I wonder if I can make everybody hate me?” and proceeded to burn every bridge in sight.

It’s a testament to the beauty of finding your own way of having fun in any game, regardless of genre. While some people try to play through Dark Souls using a Guitar Hero controller, she went a very different direction. So while everyone else is stress-farming their way to perfection, she’s out here proving that even in the most peaceful virtual environments, some people will choose chaos. And you know what? That’s okay!

The Truth Is As Wholesome As It Is Funny

In the days following Emilia’s post, she added a genuinely heartwarming piece of information to give further context to this whole situation. For starters, it was surprisingly her mother who got her into gaming! “My mom actually introduced me to gaming! The franchise we’ve played the most together is probably AoE, but back in the ’00s, we also played Sims, SimCity (totally different), Zoo Tycoon, and anything else we could get our hands on.”

While cute, it also makes things funnier, as it could imply this isn’t the only fictional universe she’s made her plaything. Imagine this headspace but affecting a whole CITY! I’d genuinely love to see what someone like her would do when she essentially has the powers of a god. But there’s more to this. In a following post on the thread, Emilia goes on to say, “I actually introduced her to SDV after she was dx with a neurodegenerative disease that affects her mobility and fine motor skills. Because she was stuck indoors, video games were a no-brainer solution for staying distracted while she recovered from a bad episode.”

And then adds that her mother claims that her playtime has actually helped with her use of her left hand. While this chaotically wholesome snippet of a story is entertaining, it highlights the importance of gaming as a means of helping the disabled. Just because you have physical or mental limitations that are out of your control, it doesn’t mean you still can’t find joy.

And this mom took this to its utmost extreme, and as a gamer, I respect that wholeheartedly.

This article first appeared on Total Apex Gaming and was syndicated with permission.

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