Behind the scenes with Stardew Valley developer Eric Barone
Eric Barone – also known as ConcernedApe – grew up in Auburn, playing video games. One game he particularly loved – Harvest Moon, a farm simulation game that invites players to tend to a farm and start a life in a small town. There was something different about it. It was quieter, simpler.
After Barone graduated from UW Tacoma, he found himself living in Seattle with not a ton of job prospects and plenty of time on his hands.
“So I decided to start making a game, a slightly bigger game, to get better at programming and put on my resume,” Barone says.
Originally, the game was a resume-builder that was supposed to take six months. Six months turned into four years. Barone lived in Capitol Hill for part of the those four years, working as an usher at the Paramount Theater while developing the game. The game was a farming simulator that paid homage to his favorite series as a kid – Harvest Moon.
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