At the time it first officially came out, it had already been played by millions. The game has become an international phenomenon.
In fact, to speak of an official release is to deceive, given the paying capacity of users. They enjoyed it in the alpha and beta versions of the test releases of Minecraft. Now we can quietly discuss the merits of the game and understand why so many people love it so much.
In an era when the creation of most games is a closely guarded secret, millions of people were invited to play and try out Meincraft before the final code was written. This approach has led to an unprecedented amount of helpful feedback for developers and at the same time enriched their wallets.
What is Minecraft?
Minecraft is a game about creation. A game about survival, discovery, community, loneliness, creativity, and desperation. First, you find yourself in a desert. No, it’s not that familiar desert, it expands after each step, until you make it to the peak and find yourself in a world three times the size of your native Earth. But that’s not going to happen, of course.
Your destination might be a forest, an uninhabited island, or the top of a snow-capped mountain. Things are always peaceful at first. Most players are far from immediately aware that monsters can appear from any unlit area. Caves and tunnels are by no means safe during the day. However, after 15 minutes of play, the sun begins to set…
Everyone who has played Minecraft says they remember their “first night” in all its colors. Some spend it on the grass-covered plains, escaping skeletons and zombies. Others panic and dig holes in the ground with their bare hands, then sit in them all night, watching the stars glow overhead and praying for day to come soon. Others hide in a cave, having previously sealed it with blocks of mud, and consider themselves safe until a poisonous spider materializes from the darkness and begins to bite.
But you soon learn that things must be different. The next day you zealously gather wood, build tools for yourself, find coal in the mines, and voila – you have a hut you built with torches. Torches, as a constant source of light, keep monsters in awe. With the arrival of a new day comes the need to gather even more materials. The hut becomes a real home. You build another floor. You try to build a fireplace, but a failed attempt convinces you to switch from wood to stone. Then you want to build a ladder to the roof so you can sit there at night and watch the hostile world of monsters roam the earth.
One night, you catch yourself staring intently at the moon. Suddenly, the game’s soundtrack debuts minimalist and sad at the same time. It’s impossible to understand why exactly now you feel terribly lonely and sad. At this point, it comes to you that you have been hooked by Minecraft.
You decide to continue exploring the game further, learning about geological formations new to you, which generates new ideas. It’s as if the environment fuels your creativity, and you begin to figure out how best to fill in every empty patch of land.
There’s something strange and primal about it. In terms of gameplay, there’s little reason to go outside your hut. But the desire to experiment, to create and tame the surrounding wilderness constantly drives the player to new challenges and new experiences. See that huge cave outside your house? It’s creepy. But if you have plenty of resources, you can explore the cave, clear it of monsters, hang torches on the walls, illuminating and securing it. As an added bonus, there is a wonderful opportunity to find rare materials in it, and the caves have a better chance of getting ore, you can hide your treasures there. The grim inevitability of your next cave exploration is that it brings a sense of relief in Minecraft.
But let’s just say you’re not the biggest fan of terror, isolation, or impromptu introspection. That’s where team play opportunities arise.
The simple fact of having other people around to talk and collaborate coolly changes the basics of Minecraft, but the resulting experience remains just as valuable and compelling.
The game’s servers are unique and varied. In some worlds, the sun is always shining, allowing users to collect the items they need and create whatever they want. These are the kind of servers where you’re sure to find soccer stadiums, giant statues, or even cathedrals. Many, however, prefer to keep the survival aspects, although obviously the danger is greatly reduced if you have a group of players working together. And, instead of having your own little tent for protection, you surround yourself with an entire city.
The sense of community inspired by a game about hostile worlds is a fascinating thing. Without any real leaders, gamers instinctively bond with each other, forming settlements, sharing resources gathered for the common good. After founding, building a perimeter, there is a town hall, gardens, farms. Or candy stores that look like a giant Queen Victoria Biscuit with candles. It really does happen!
Minecraft CaveDo you see that huge cave outside your house? It’s a great opportunity to explore the cave, clear it of monsters, hang torches on the walls, light it up and make it safe.
Exploring caves is also more fun when you have a common team goal. Players fight side by side to take possession of new territory when the cave is nearly exhausted. With friends, it’s easier to survive an attack by monsters lurking in the dark, easier to find a way out of a difficult situation.
The friendly game also has another very obvious bonus – you can show your creations to other gamers. And if you haven’t been on the server for a few days, you’ll be happy to see the settlement grow and develop without your help.
Minecraft isn’t the first game of its kind, and it won’t be the last. Nevertheless, there is something special about it. Yes, the visual aspects are good, but creativity and independence are its main qualities. Would most users be able to model a house in 3D Studio Max? Well, definitely not! But they can build a house in Minecraft. Its simplicity allows people to interact with its features.
In addition, materials differ not only visually – each type has its own unique properties, and by using and manipulating them for your own purposes, you even bring joy to yourself. From lining a fireplace with stone to keep the rest of the building from catching fire, to building complex logic circuits with magical red dust, there’s a rich variety of the game to choose from.
Yes, Minecraft is by far one of the most exciting and progressive games ever created, both in terms of its tendency toward procedural generation and emergent gameplay, and in terms of open development.
If you haven’t started playing it yet, get started soon. Most importantly, please don’t forget to build your hut before the sun goes down.