Wednesday With Sach: What Is Minecraft, and What About...
Yea, yea, I know it's not Saturday.
Minecraft - it's a word that immediately brings a number of images to mind. Dirt houses to massive scale structures of real (or imagined) places, small groups of friends to huge multi-event servers, building, destroying, helping, griefing. Creepers. Myriad mods. Videos, livestream shows, and series that are almost beyond counting.
Many talented people have made (and continue to make) incredible things within, and around, the game: complex mods which can add every conceivable customization, videos that range from hilarious musical parodies to in-depth play sessions and tutorials, adventure maps and texture packs which demonstrate mind-blowing levels of creativity, and so much more. Recently, this got me to thinking - what is Minecraft to different people? Is it just an open-ended sandbox? A tool to express an idea? A game engine itself, that lets the builder decide what the rules are?
Rather than ponder over this alone, I thought I'd ask you guys the question directly: What is Minecraft to you? What do you do in it? What are some of the best parts of it, or parts you think could be different?
NO WRONG ANSWER
Of course, this is a broad question, and one without a wrong answer. In a game without clear objectives, I'm not sure anyone can say with certainty that a specific way of playing isn't right. Even among people who play the game in a similar fashion, there are countless variations in what each person considers "fun".
BIG NAMES, NORMAL LIVES
In addition to the above question, I had an idea that could use your input: How would you feel about interviews with notable community members? I'd like to ask Youtubers, modders, livestreamers, artists - nearly any creative person - questions about what it's like doing what they do. Over the years, I've heard some pretty crazy speculations from players about what Youtubers do, or how "easy" modding is (it isn't), or things to that effect. Would you guys like to hear from these people first-hand, what it's like to do what they do? Let me know below!
As for the interviews, I think it's a fantastic idea.
It is where I have 100% Freedom to do whatever I want. If theres fire, theres me. Thats the Nether. If theres Ender, theres me. Thats the End. If theres diamonds, theres me. Thats the Overworld. It also lets me hang /w friends
Minecraft to me is the right game, made, at the right time, by, the right people. I have never played a game that has kept me this interested for all this time, and I know this is not by chance or the luck of the draw that Minecraft is what it is today. I feel Minecraft embodies a lot of the standards many of us gamers honor. This game is a one-time fee for a full game, not some stupid pay to win game or one that dictates how you should do it. Minecraft essentially is like a good leader in community of people who have been waiting to have someone come beside them and help them become all they can be. Something about this game just inspires us to go beyond the limits of the game engine and make it more personal to ourselves.
I have seen animators, businessmen and women, artists, story writers, scientists, and celebrities rise up because of Minecraft, and I feel it's not that Minecraft is this wonder game or anything, I think it's because for once there is a gaming company out there, Mojang, that doesn't copy right us to death, but instead sits back and lets most of us enjoy the game as we see fit. Though you may not realize it, there are strong leadership principles at play in your company that has somehow seeped in through your game Minecraft beyond your team into the players and now we the players have almost in a way become an intricate part of Mojang! One of the things I was trained in college during my times in leadership class was that it was the leader's job to supply the resources and the vision and then let the people be the people, and that's exactly what Minecraft and your company, Mojang, has done for us.
Again, it's not that Minecraft is some wonderful game or anything. God knows I've gotten bored of it many times. But it's the blood, sweat, and tears you guys put into it, the extreme effort you take to keep Minecraft a game of freedom and growth that makes this game truly remarkable.
I have been running a Minecraft server since January of 2013 and I'mma be honest, it's a Christian server. I founded my server because of my love for Minecraft and because I knew God wanted me to make a server here that would be a place for people to come and be loved and accepted, no matter who they were or where they were coming from. The biggest reason why I chose Minecraft over all other choices, besides the fact that God told me too, was that I knew in Minecraft I could run my server any way I wanted to. No one had to tell me a list of rules I had to abide to, no, I could call the shots and modify the server anyway I saw fit. Because of this freedom, God has sent many awesome men and women to our server whom He has ministered to and helped, through us, to come out of places of depression, constant anxiety, low self-esteem, and even suicide.
And so I want to thank you guys for making us a game with enough freedom for us to be ourselves and allow Jesus to move as freely as He wishes on behalf of the world He loves so deeply!
So what is Minecraft to me? Minecraft is a key that was formed just right to help people find themselves, a place where people can go and not be judged, a teacher for those who wish to learn more, and a game that has forever changed the world. And it is all thanks to you Mojang! To you Jeb and to you Notch, and all the team member who worked long grueling hours to produce such a game, if only for fun, that has set the world on fire. Thank-You! Keep up the good work! This is the ONLY game I have seen both sports fanatics and gaming nerds get along sometimes seamlessly, it's truly awesome! Thank-You, snd may God bless you and your game, in Jesus' name amen!
When it comes to your last question, don't just interview the YouTubers and the prominent people, also interview the server leaders and people of that nature too! They are the ones that keep many of your players coming back, they deserve recognition too!
Thank-You,
Brandon B.
Minecraft is one of the only games where it is possible to do anything you want, and I mean anything. Because of the fact that Minecraft can act like any type of game, it will continue to grow and bring even more possibilities, I dont just mean new items, blocks, etc, I mean in terms of the actual game itself. There is always room for new ideas.
Earlier on PMC, i read through a thread where people said they thought Minecraft would die in ~5 years, it wont happen... Why? Because there are no other games to replace this and I doubt there will be one anytime soon that doesn't look like a complete ripoff of Minecraft. The only reason people get bored of a game, is because there is no longer anything to do within it. Push the limits, do what YOU want. If you want to create a chicken that eats tacos, flys to the moon and back, to bring you a chunk of space rock with alien eggs inside of it that hatch and take over your world, do it!
how could they make it better? RE CODE THE GAME IN C++! not only would it make the game easier to run on older computers, it will also add so much more creative flexibility for mod makers map makers and mechinima artists. now when i say recode the game in c++ i am not suggesting mojang make the game look more like real life. in fact i think that would be an absolutely horrible idea minecraft looks just fine as the blocky game it is. but coding it in c++ rather then java will make it run better on old and new computers and add a whole new level of flexibility for mod makers, map creators and red stone professionals. if we have to wait till minecraft 2.5 or 3.0 then im okey with that. but java is very a very limited programming language. 4j studios had to re-code minecraft in c++ to get it to run on consoles properly. just think of how awesome minecraft would be if the pc version was re-coded in c++!
especially with ftb launcher, where i like to challenge myself to make infrastructural systems, like, "hey, maybe i should make a fully automated resource collection system that basically fills chests with...EVERYTHING!" and i can spend hours on end getting it up and running. basically, it's a game, a stress relief, and a tool i can use to create whatever i want.
I would love to see some interviews with famous Minecrafters, hear how they play, etc.
on survival, when you start survival you begin doing all the boring stuff which you really need to get through to the fun stuff
of survival. Creative is where you build the most incredible builds in minecraft! From creating one world too making it a whole MAP
anyone can join. Using redstone is something i realise is quite hard to master for being one of the best minecraft redstoners. But when you get there you can really know everything and you could especially create an internet inside a game of the internet (Just an opinion).
I really do think that all players in minecraft should come together to help create the BEST minecraft Maps, BEST mods yet BEST Maps!!
And many other things!!
Please don't ask me for an interview at this age I am in!!!
Yes, PLEASE interview people who do the things.
This perfectly describes how feel about Minecraft!
Minecraft makes realizing your own creation possible with little work compared with working with an all-out, complex engine. You don't need to know OpenGL, bootstrappers, or, heaven forbid, Assembly to get your creation out to the world. Minecraft is perhaps the most convenient digital content platform ever created. That's why we have so many mods that people created for free. Minecraft tears down the boundries to building your own content. That is what Minecraft is to me.
I think that lots of people like Minecraft and continue to enjoy it because they think "Oh, I'm going to build the biggest building ever!" Then you realize everyone else has the same reaction.
From "Willy Wonka & the Chocolate Factory" (1971). It's almost like the lyrics were written to describe Minecraft.
Hold your breath
Make a wish
Count to three
Come with me
And you'll be
In a world of pure imagination
Take a look and you'll see
Into your imagination
We'll begin with a spin
Travelling in the world of my creation
What we'll see will defy explanation
If you want to view paradise
Simply look around and view it
Anything you want to, do it
Wanna change the world?
There's nothing to it
There is no life i know
To compare with pure imagination
Living there you'll be free
If you truly wish to be
If you want to view paradise
Simply look around and view
Anything you want to do it
Wanna change the world
There's nothing to it
There is no life i know
To compare with pure imagination
Living there you'll be free
If you truly wish to be
Personally I love exploring/gathering resources while my SO loves building awesome things like villages and castles so we often work together to see his ideas through.