If you’ve ever thought about how we attract the next generation into agriculture, here’s something worth considering... Pasture: The Livestock Simulator is a new Australian-made video game built out of the Northern Territory, designed to replicate the realities of large-scale cattle operations.
We’re talking mustering with helicopters, managing thousands of head, making market decisions, and experiencing life on a cattle station - all in a format that young people already engage with daily. It’s not just a game. It’s a new way of telling the story of our industry.
What sets Pasture apart is who’s behind it. This isn’t a big overseas studio having a crack at agriculture - it’s two Territory blokes, Nathan and CJ, who’ve lived and worked in the environments they’re now recreating.
Nathan is a born and bred Territorian, starting life in Katherine at the bachelor export yards before finishing school in Darwin. Like plenty of young blokes, he drifted away from the bush early on, more interested in games and technology than horses or station life. With limited pathways into that world — and not much interest in further study — he joined the Army at 17.
After a mix of jobs and business ventures, Nathan eventually found his way back to the Territory with a fresh appreciation for the lifestyle he’d grown up around - and the skills and perspective to start building what he’d always had in the back of his mind: Pasture.
CJ is a born and bred Territorian, spending his early years on a rural block outside Katherine before moving to Nhulunbuy, where he grew up. From a young age he had a passion for video games, saving up during high school to build his first gaming PC with ambitions of becoming a programmer.
However, with limited opportunities in Nhulunbuy, he ended up as a chef by chance. This took him around the world, working across Australia, London and New York, before the Territory called him back home. After returning and seeking a change, CJ transitioned into civil construction, eventually starting and running his own company for 14 years.
It was during this time that he met Nathan through business, and the two bonded over their shared passion for games. When Nathan introduced the idea for Pasture, CJ immediately saw the potential... and together they founded Salty Games to bring that vision to life.
There’s a simple idea driving this project: the farmers of tomorrow are already on screens today. And whether we like it or not, that’s where interest is being formed.
We’ve already seen how games like Farming Simulator have sparked curiosity in machinery and farming systems. Pasture is aiming to do the same for the Australian cattle industry - but with a local, authentic lens.
Early signs are promising. Thousands of players have already jumped into the demo, experimenting with livestock movement, working together in teams, and even figuring out drafting concepts without the game formally teaching it. That kind of engagement is hard to manufacture - and incredibly valuable for an industry that needs more people coming through.
What Salty Games are building goes beyond entertainment. The long-term vision includes deeper simulation around genetics, animal health, land management and market dynamics - effectively creating a digital gateway into understanding how the cattle industry actually works.
For an industry that’s often misunderstood or overlooked, this is a chance to connect with a global audience in a way that feels natural, engaging and scalable.
The project is currently live on Kickstarter, with funding aimed at expanding development and bringing the full version of the game to market.
If you care about the future of Ag, attracting young people into the industry, or simply backing a couple of Territory blokes having a proper crack - this is one worth supporting - YOU CAN HELP BACK IT HERE.
Because if we want the next generation to understand agriculture, we need to start meeting them where they already are.
Quick note: if you do choose to back the project via our link, and the project reaches it's goal, RFTTE may receive a small commission at no extra cost to you - it just helps us keep the RFTTEJOBS platform running and continue supporting the industry.
