New convo topic. What's a game you haven't played and don't really plan to, but one you absolutely admire the crap out of?
Stardew Valley is that for me, personally. It's made by a gamer who loved a certain series, in this case the Harvest Moon series, but believed it could be improved - and decided to step up and show what could truly be done with a farm sim. So with that he worked diligently, 10 hours a day, by himself, to create a game that polished the Harvest Moon formula and added a butt-numbing amount of content, with lots of charm that distinguished it from its higher-budget inspiration.
Yet despite how hard he himself worked on it, he never forced anyone else to help. He believes you're free to work yourself to the bone if you want, but NEVER to force someone to do that for you. And the game itself also takes a stand against crunch culture with its megacorp antagonists (pretty obviously a shot at Wal-Mart), while also promoting support for small businesses.
It's the kind of game that'll really stand the test of time, with lessons that will hold up even years from now as well as a cast of characters you can easily get attached to.