// KOTAKU — GAMING
From Stardew Valley To Destiny 2, Here’s Why We All Love Fishing Minigames
Destiny 2Final Fantasy XIVIndieStardew ValleyThe Elder Scrolls Online
Sometimes, when I have a tedious task to do, like filing my taxes, I’ll head out to the coast of wherever I happen to be, find a spot devoid of turtles or crabs or aggressive creatures, and just settle in on the shoreline. I can work on my boring task for a bit, then when I hear the tell-tale splishy splash sound of a bite, I’ll quickly go to reel it in and cast another line before continuing my humdrum work. Sometimes, I can catch hundreds of fish this way, and sometimes even reel in a treasure chest or two with goodies.
Both for seasoned fishers in real life and individuals who have never once been out near the water, video game fishing is a wonderful pastime. It seems like every game has a fishing minigame nowadays. They’re in action-y games like The Legend of Zelda and Hades, strategy games like Fire Emblem, RPGs like Persona and Tales, and (of course) sims like Stardew Valley and The Sims. These days, it’s almost weirder if your game doesn’t have some sort of fishing in it.
With great popularity comes great opinions, and as a result, I’ve seen a lot of divisive takes on fishing minigames over the years. What constitutes a good fishing minigame? Are fishing minigames good or even necessary? Should they be deeply involved, or just a little surface-level distraction in a bigger game?
I tossed out some bait, and reeled in responses from dozens of real life fishers, fishing minigame fans, and developers of fishing minigames to get a good sense of what it is that makes fishing minigames special. Here are some of their big fish stories:
To start with, I wanted to hear from people who had actually been fishing: not just once, but regularly enough to really understand what fishing is. Why do people like it? What’s most important to capture about fishing in a video game?
Over and over throughout these interviews, the word “meditative” kept coming up. Fishing is, by and large, a peaceful activity. Stephanie Tinsley Fitzwilliam, PR professional and head of Tinsley PR, explained that aspect very well. She tells me she regularly goes fly fishing in high-elevation alpine rivers, streams, and lakes. For her, fishing is “about being outside and soaking in the quiet atmosphere so that I can recharge from a hectic work week.”
Sometimes, she says, things go wrong. There’s a thunderstorm, or your line gets tangled. So patience is also a key part of fishing. “I don’t suspect those minigames ever show that part of fishing (getting stuck in trees multiple times, spending half your time undoing tangles or bird nests, the long, hot hike from the car to the fishing spot, overcrowded river banks or lakes, loud assholes being obnoxious, hikers throwing sticks for their dogs into the exact spot you are fishing in, etc).
“But here’s the key and video games are familiar with this feeling: people keep fishing because, just like hitting blackjack in Vegas, getting a fish on your line hits that serotonin in your brain. You always need one more hit, one more bite.
“…My best days fishing are when I can stand in a place like this for a long period of time and no one bothers me. No cell phone, no one can find me, no one needs me for anything. Those are the most memorable times for me—fish or no fish on the line. Just quiet, and peace, and all things natural.”