History Main / FarmLifeSim

* The Japan-only PC-engine game ''[[VideoGame/DaichiKunCrisisDoNatural Daichi-kun Crisis - Do Natural]]'' can be considered the UrExample, predating ''Harvest Moon'' by over five years. It can also be considered an early RealTimeStrategy game. You play as a family of cows, planting crops, selling them, and fending off invading monsters. The goal of the game is to populate an island with trees.

The Farm Life Sim genre is a sub-genre of {{Life Simulation Game}}s and {{Roleplaying Game}}s focusing on life as a small-town farmer. They're not realistic farm sims like ''VideoGame/FarmingSimulator'', but instead use a lot of ArtisticLicense while focusing on the general life of the main character.

* ''VideoGame/{{Roblox}}'' has some: ''[[https://www.roblox.com/games/2772610559/Farming-and-Friends Farming and Friends]]'' (the most realistic), ''[[https://www.roblox.com/games/3601201039/Farm-Life-HOUSING Farm Life]]'', and ''[[https://www.roblox.com/games/3126992939/SUBSIDIES-ARE-BACK-Welcome-to-Farmtown-2 Welcome to Farmtown!]]''

* ''VideoGame/HarvestMoonNatsume'' is a series of in-house Creator/{{Natsume}} games, created when Marvelous decided to switch translators of their ''Bokujō Monogatari'' series to Creator/XSEEDGames in the West. Natsume kept the brand name and decided to make their own games "inspired" by the series now known as ''Story of Seasons''. They include the same focus on farming and romance, with some changes here and there (for example, Notes replace Hearts).

** ''VideoGame/StoryOfSeasons'', which was formerly known as ''Harvest Moon'' in English and changed names in 2014, is the TropeCodifier and TropeMaker. You start as a young person who moves to a small town, where you start your own farm, meet various people, and usually have the option to settle down with someone and have kids. The games have varying degrees of MagicalRealism involving the local [[NatureSpirit Harvest Sprites]] and CrystalDragonJesus deity, the Harvest Goddess. The series is also an UnbuiltTrope to a degree, as the series creator never ''intended'' for it to be a "farm sim", but about life ''as a farmer'' in a small town and the characters they interacted with there, using farming as a backdrop more than the focus. This is why ''VideoGame/HarvestMoonAWonderfulLife'' (the creator's favorite game in the series) and ''VideoGame/HarvestMoonSaveTheHomeland'' are so bare-bones when it comes to farming and ranching. Over the years, ExecutiveMeddling led to more focus on the farming side, which caused the series creator to [[CreatorBacklash quit the series]] in the mid-2000s.

* ''VideoGame/HarvestMoonNatsume'' is a series of in-house Creator/{{Natsume}} games created when Marvelous decided to switch translators to Creator/XSEEDGames. Natsume kept the brand name and decided to make their own games "inspired" by the series now known as ''Story of Seasons''. They include the same focus on farming and romance, with some changes here and there (for example, Notes replace Hearts).

* ''VideoGame/HarvestMoon'':
** ''Harvest Moon'', now known as ''VideoGame/StoryOfSeasons'' in English, is the TropeCodifier and TropeMaker. You start as a young person who moves to a small town. There you start your own farm, meet various people, and usually have the option to settle down and have kids. The games have varying degrees of MagicalRealism involving the local [[NatureSpirit Harvest Sprites]] and CrystalDragonJesus deity, the Harvest Goddess. The series is also an UnbuiltTrope to a degree. The series creator never ''intended'' for it to be a "farm sim". The series started out as being about life ''as a farmer''. It was originally a series about a small town and the characters in the small town, using farming as a backdrop more than the focus. This is why ''VideoGame/HarvestMoonAWonderfulLife'' (the creator's favorite game in the series) and ''VideoGame/HarvestMoonSaveTheHomeland'' are so bare-bones when it comes to farming and ranching. Over the years, ExecutiveMeddling led to more focus on the farming side, which caused the series creator to [[CreatorBacklash quit the series]] in the mid-2000s.
** ''VideoGame/HarvestMoonNatsume'' is a series of in-house Creator/{{Natsume}} games created when Marvelous decided to switch translators to Creator/XSeed. Natsume was kept with the brand name so they decided to make their own games "inspired" by ''Story of Seasons''. They include the same focus on farming and romance, with some changes here and there (for example, Notes replace Hearts).

This genre dates back to 1996's ''VideoGame/HarvestMoon1''. Released late in the UsefulNotes/SuperNintendoEntertainmentSystem's lifespan, ''Harvest Moon'' was a niche but quirky game about the life of a young man who moves out to live in Flowerbud Village. The game was successful enough to get handheld sequels and eventually a true sequel in ''VideoGame/HarvestMoon64'', which takes place [[SpinOffspring two generations in the future]] and expands upon everything in the original. The popularity of the games led to the successful ''VideoGame/StoryOfSeasons'' series (originally localized as ''VideoGame/HarvestMoon'' until a change in English translators in the 2010s).

* ''VideoGame/HarvestTown'' is an UsefulNotes/{{Android Game|s}} created by QY Games, and published by [=Avid.ly=]. Typical to its genre, the game allows players to plant crops, raise animals, forage, mine, fish, and interact with villagers. It does have an unusual premise in that the protagonist ''isn't'' a CityMouse newcomer moving into an abandoned farm. Instead, they are a Harvest Town native who had left the village for the metropolis decades ago, and had become old and regretful in their old age. While reminiscing the past, they inexplicably underwent a MentalTimeTravel to the moment before their departure, whereupon they cancel their plans to leave, and are determined to rebuild the farm that they have neglected.

* ''VideoGame/CoralIsland'' is an upcoming game set on a tropical, southeast-Asian inspired island. As well as the farming, ranching, and social mechanics common to the genre, the player can also collect resources in a cave on the island and go diving in the island's coral reefs to clean up trash.

Despite its success, ''Story of Seasons'' had little in terms of rivals. The closest were games like ''VideoGame/AnimalCrossing'' from 2001 onwards, or ''VideoGame/{{Farmville}}'' and ''VideoGame/FarmingSimulator'' after 2009, which weren't quite in the same genre. 2016's ''VideoGame/StardewValley'' propelled the genre into the [[GenrePopularizer mainstream gaming landscape]]. It was essentially ''Story of Seasons'' with some added changes which appealed to both veteran ''Story of Seasons'' fans and newcomers. Originally released on PC, it became a SleeperHit which led to various ports. Many other developers took note of the game's popularity and were [[FollowTheLeader inspired to make similar titles]].

* ''VideoGame/AnimalCrossing'' has always been similar to a farm life sim, but ''VideoGame/AnimalCrossingNewHorizons'' adds onto the similarities due to the deserted island theme: the player can now grow their own vegetables, craft tools, and till the land.

* ''Atomicrops'' combines farming sim with a roguelike shooter, with the player cultivating a farm in the Post-apocalypse where they must go out and explore during the day while protecting the farm at night.

* ''VideoGame/VoodooGarden'' is a clicker game about harvesting the fruits of a garden that grows automatically, buying new plants for it, and crafting various magic potions.

The player is usually a CityMouse who [[FromNewYorkToNowhere decides to leave the ho-hum of urban life]] for a relaxing life as a farmer. Near their farm is a small town full of quirky individuals, including several potential {{Love Interest}}s that can be married if the player wishes. A good set of supporting characters is vital to this genre; the games can't work on farming alone, there needs to be a cast of interesting [=NPCs=] to befriend and interact with. There's also usually a MagicRealism element to the town.

* ''VideoGame/{{Gamedec}}'': The second case the detective investigates ''Harvest Time'' takes place inside a virtual reality world themed after this genre, the criminals are running the VR equivalent of a [[SlaveryIsASpecialKindOfEvil slave plantation,]] pressganging videogame addicts into farming lootboxes to sell for real world money.