A video game did not teach Grant Hilbert to farm. Instead, Farming Simulator became the focus of a YouTube channel whose audience and revenue—along with investments, education and advice from experienced people—helped him pursue farmland in Iowa. His story is a case study in how gaming can connect indirectly to a real-world career, not proof that a simulation provides agricultural training.
How gaming became part of Hilbert’s path to farmland
Hilbert’s interest in farming predated his YouTube career. Laurie Bedord’s February 14, 2023, Successful Farming profile says he visited his grandparents’ farm in northern Iowa as a child. As a teenager, he and a friend started The Squad YouTube channel. After a few months, Hilbert took it over and focused largely on Farming Simulator videos.
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The channel grew as he kept making content. The profile reports about 30,000 subscribers by his senior year of high school. In 2016, he began studying agricultural business and economics at Iowa State University. When a new Farming Simulator release renewed interest, he posted a video daily while attending classes. By the end of his junior year, The Squad had grown to about 600,000 subscribers, according to the article.
That audience created a potential source of income, but the route from gameplay to land ownership was indirect. The profile says Hilbert used YouTube revenue and also invested in Bitcoin, Bitcoin-mining equities and mining machines. It does not establish how much of his land purchases came from any one source, so it would be inaccurate to credit the game alone with financing the farm.
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What he bought—and what he farmed
Successful Farming reports that Hilbert bought three Iowa properties in late 2020 and early 2021. The figures below are those reported in the February 2023 profile, not independently verified current valuations.
| Purchase timing | Location | Acres | Reported purchase price |
|---|---|---|---|
| December 2020 | Mahaska County | 120 | $330,000 |
| December 2020 | Mahaska County | 88 | $460,000 |
| Early 2021 | Poweshiek County | 160 | $1,024,000 |
The article says the first property was partly recreational and that Hilbert later sold 30 acres of timber from the Poweshiek County property. The three properties together had 250 tillable acres; the total 368 acres purchased should not be mistaken for 368 acres ready for crop production.
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In 2021, Hilbert and his younger brother Spencer planted corn and soybeans. That first crop was a beginning, not evidence that a gaming channel by itself supplied the land, equipment, operating capital or farming know-how required for an agricultural business.
Did Farming Simulator teach him to farm?
No. Hilbert drew a clear line between the game and practical agricultural knowledge. In the Successful Farming feature, he said: “I get asked all the time if playing Farming Simulator helped prepare me for a career in farming. The real answer is no. Nothing from the video game taught me anything about farming in real life.”
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The distinction matters because a simulation can depict farming activities without providing the hands-on experience, local judgment or business preparation needed to run a real operation. In Hilbert’s account, learning came through other routes, including guidance from his lender, neighbors and agricultural sources. The feature also describes his Iowa State studies in agricultural business and economics.
Michael Barr, a financial officer at Farm Credit Services of America, emphasized the financial challenge for new operators in the same profile: “Today, the cost to operate a farm involves a lot more zeroes than it did a decade ago. It inherently adds more challenges and more risk for young, beginning farmers.” Barr also said, “Having good advisers to help you understand the different facets of the business can help lead to success.”
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- 400+ machines, new categories, 100+ agricultural brands family-friendly, relaxed multiplayer mode for 1-16 players New crops & machinery: grapes, olives and sorghum
- seasonal cycles add new gameplay mechanics production Chains add new economic Layer two brand-new maps + updated Alpine map
- vastly improved customization performance Boost on all systems latest Technology: DirectX 12, taa, amd fidelityfx Super resolution etc
- More than 400 machines and tools from over 100 real agricultural brands like John Deere, claas, case IH, new Holland, Fendt, Massey Ferguson, valtra and many more are included to sow and harvest crops like wheat, corn, potatoes and cotton
- Take on the role of a modern farmer and creative build your farm in three diverse American and European environments. Farming Simulator 22 offers a huge variety of farming operations focusing on agriculture, animal husbandry and forestry
What the story says about games, audiences and careers
Hilbert’s experience illustrates three different roles a game can play. Farming Simulator supplied material for videos; the videos helped him build an audience; and the audience, alongside other income and investments, contributed to a broader entrepreneurial path. None of those steps means the game itself functioned as vocational instruction.
- Simulation: A game represents farming through designed systems and activities. The profile does not quantify how well gameplay maps onto real farm work.
- Content creation: Hilbert turned his interest in the game into a sustained YouTube channel. Audience growth can create opportunities for creator revenue, but it does not guarantee a living or a farm purchase.
- Operating a farm: Land acquisition and crop production involve capital, practical knowledge and decisions beyond the scope of a gaming channel. Hilbert’s story includes education, investments, land searches and advice from experienced people.
The profile reports that, at the time, YouTube Partner Program eligibility required good standing, 4,000 valid public watch hours in the previous 12 months and at least 1,000 subscribers. It also attributes a 55% YouTube / 45% creator advertising split to Hilbert’s account. These are historical claims in a 2023 article, not current platform terms; they should not be used as today’s eligibility or revenue figures.
Hilbert’s next game project
The article says Hilbert’s company, SquadBuilt Inc., began in 2020 and describes American Farming as its first project. The game was designed around central Iowa terrain. Hilbert said, “We wanted to create a truly American farm game. It is modeled after central Iowa terrain.” The profile also reports licensing agreements to use Case IH, Unverferth, Maxx-D, Walinga and Landoll brands in the game.
At publication in February 2023, the feature said an Android and iOS release was scheduled during 2023. That is a historical release plan, not confirmation of current availability or supported devices.
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