Why Don't We Have Iridium Tools?

Abstract

Stardew Valley offers players the opportunity to grow crops, rear livestock, and mine, using tools often present in video games such as the pickaxe, axe, and hoe. Unlike other video games, one of the most precious materials within Stardew Valley is iridium, with players being able to upgrade tools to iridium quality during late stages of the game. This begs the question, why are iridium tools not used in the real-world? This paper will consider the properties of iridium, and cost of materials to answer this question, suggesting instead that platinum-iridium alloys would create more suitable tools