Stardew Valley is a game full of opportunities, like a sandbox full of toys that lets the player build and entertain themselves freely with everything provided. Between farming, fishing, and going on adventures, there is nary a moment without something fun or interesting going on. Improving the farm and building relationships with the townsfolk are simple ideas, but they have kept Stardew Valley very popular with players.
With all of the opportunities and choices in Stardew Valley, there is one that has a major effect on several areas of the game, and it is all up to the player's discretion. Early in the game, it is revealed that Joja, the corporation that the player formerly worked for, has been attempting to buy the old community center to turn it into a warehouse, which the mayor has steadfastly refused to do. However, if the player buys a Joja membership, he will relent and sell, allowing Pelican Town to become a company town. Stardew Valley's destiny lies with the player. Should it remain independent, or become corporate?
If the town is not sold, then in order to gain perks from the community center, the player will have to finish bundles that correlate to certain categories, such as crops and fish. Players have to try almost every pastime in Stardew Valley in order to finish. Each individual bundle also bestows a small but useful reward from little forest spirits called Juminos. Once all of the community center bundles are completed, the townspeople of Stardew Valley will celebrate and Morris, the JojaMart manager, will close JojaMart and leave. On the next rainy day, the abandoned JojaMart will be struck by lightning, turning it into a movie theater where the player can improve their friendships with the townspeople.
Joja Only Cares About Money, Not Pelican Town
If the town is sold, then the community center will be replaced with a JojaMart warehouse. The player will no longer be able to work on bundles, but must instead buy the community center perks for large amounts of gold, each of them costing five figures. However, the player will not receive the bundle rewards, only the large perks. For Joja in Stardew Valley, money is all that matters. In addition, the player will not receive a movie theater for free after buying all perks. Instead, they must buy the theater from Morris for 500,000 gold. In essence, it exchanges the exploration of completing bundles with buying everything for cash.
There is another aspect to this, and that is how it influences Stardew Valley's roleplay. At the beginning of the game, the main character was a Joja employee, and they were absolutely miserable, leading them to quit their job and move to Pelican Town. In Pelican Town, they are happier than they've ever been, tending to their farm and befriending the locals. If they were to sell to Joja, then they would be once again using their hard work to line the pockets of the company that mistreated them. Joja was horrible to Stardew's progatonist, so why trust it again? They will have gone in a complete circle to the exact situation that they tried to escape from.
Completing bundles for the community center may be time-consuming, but it encourages the player to experience all that Stardew Valley has to offer. However, the Joja route encourages players to simply do the same work every day for maximum profit and put all of their money towards buying perks from Joja. It is clear which path represents the true spirit of Stardew Valley. So ignore Joja's offers and spend your days foraging, farming, and fishing. The experience will be richer for it.