Minecraft is a sandbox game that allows you to build, explore, and create without limitations. You might know minecraft as a survival game where you get resources but minecraft is greater than that. For some players Minecraft is a way to decompress themselves after a long day of school or work, for others Minecraft is a way to express themselves in creative ways.
Minecraft is a game that reflects a world of blox, where you mine and craft materials. Minecraft consists of two main game modes, survival and creative. Creative allows you to have unlimited resources and. Creative mode, monsters can’t attack you, you can’t take damage or lower your hunger bar and you are able to fly. Creative mode is mostly used for building or experimenting. In survival you start out with nothing, you have to gather resources and survive on your own. Starting the game you have 10 hearts and if you take damage you lose hearts depending on the amount of damage. You can gain hearts by eating so you will have to hunt for food that is also useful for your hunger bar. When you spawn in the game you will have to quickly gather materials and find shelter before nightfall because at night monsters start to spawn and are there to haunt you. The end goal of minecraft is to find a stronghold underground and activate a portal that will lead you to another dimension called the end where you have to beat the ender dragon and be teleported back to the overworld although Minecraft just doesn’t end there. After being teleported back you are able to keep building and growing your world, you can also revive the dragon and defeat it again if you desire to. The thing is you aren’t required to beat it the first time either, you decide what to do and how to do it whenever and however you want because it is your world afterall.
Minecraft has watched me grow and was one of the first videogames my dad introduced me to when I was younger. I vividly remember sitting next to my dad while playing Minecraft on his old computer. I was terrified of the zombies and other monsters so I mainly played in survival mode, building different structures and houses. I’m not sure when or how it happened but somewhere along the way the game changed and so did my way of playing. There were new materials, new monsters, I became bolder and started playing in survival and with all those new updates, Minecraft allowed me to continue building my creativity. Sometimes I think back and remember the old minecraft before the major updates and feel nostalgic. I realize how much Minecraft has changed, how much I changed and how much Minecraft has been part of my life in so many different stages of it.
Many minecraft players all around the world and that vary in many different ages can relate to the feeling of deep connected to minecraft. This could be due to specific experiences of players or communities players themselves have built through Minecraft. Minecraft satisfies everyone in a different way. Adults and kids might get together and play as a hobby and\or to bond with their friends. Creators make content about minecraft for all age groups to enjoy. There’s thousands of videos posted on the internet about farming, buildings, minecraft servers, roleplays, for everyone to pick and watch.
Overall Minecraft is a game about experiences. You decide what to build and create, you decide what your goals are for the game, you decide what pace to go to and who to play with. Every experience is unique and special to a player. Minecraft is a game for you to create your own story, select where you start and choose what to do in the endless possibilities that Minecraft offers the player.
Carola Garduño-Diaz – St. Ignatius College Prep – DMSF Class of 2030
Photo Credit: Carola Garduño-Diaz