Stardew valley is a popular game with people in my generation. Like most video games it's a power fantasy.
In this case about growing food, having a functional "third space" in your community and fixing public transit. Pure escapism.
Also there are magic forest spirits and dungeons with monsters and treasures.
Two of the most momentous parts of the game are when you fix the public bus and when you get the ferry service working again.
You bring all of the materials to fix the boat but still need to buy tickets to use it because buying tickets for a nice functional local public transit system are kind of part of the whole allure.
Now I'm imagining an "Ooops, all infrastructure" version of Stardew. You move into a crumbling town, and instead of farming, you spend all your time fixing issues with transit, water, power, and the library.
You could even follow the classic farm arc, where you start out repairing everything by hand and gradually move up layers of abstraction, maybe through organizing fellow townsfolk to pitch in.
Mid-game you think everything is going great, and then someone tells you about the state of the sewer system.
Fair point, but I'd want to keep more of the social element of infrastructure.
I like the way Stardew gives you a cast of characters whose wants and needs are part of the story, and I'd like an infrastructure game that leans into that even more.
Everybody play my thrilling game where you persuade the townsfolk to pass an income tax to pay for maintenance workers.
Is there an analogue to Stardew's choice between the community center and the corporate franchise? You bet! You see, at a certain point the maintenance workers decide they want to unionize, and you have to decide which side you're on.
myrmepropagandist
Fighting for Democracy
beemoh