No matter what age or what your experience with video games are, you most likely have heard of a little game called Minecraft. Maybe you have seen an advertisement for it or you have watched a younger (or older) family member play it.
“What is Minecraft?” The literal answer to that question is that Minecraft is a 2011 sandbox game developed and published by Mojang Studios for Windows. It was originally being developed by Markus “Notch” Persson using the Java programming language and fully released on November 18, 2011.
Currently, it’s available on almost every gaming platform available with its two versions of Java and Bedrock. Java is played on PC’s, while Bedrock is played on… well everything else. Both can be purchased in a bundle for $30, and are rated for everyone ages 10 and up. It can be played both offline in a single player world as well as online with friends.
In reality though, Minecraft is so much more than a game. It has created a community of loyal players that have stuck with the game through thick and thin. This has allowed the game to stay relevant for more than 15 years. It has won numerous awards over its life and still continues to grow both through official patches as well as community mods.
At its core, Minecraft is a game about exploring and creation. Whether playing single or multiplayer, you are dropped into a world made of blocks where the only limit is your imagination. You can spend hours exploring a vast, infinitely generating world visiting villages, exploring caves and fighting monsters. Alternatively, you can just stay in one spot, developing your house by utilizing the surrounding materials. Either way, you are playing the game exactly the way it was meant to be played.
With the base game, there is an almost infinite number of hours you could spend in Minecraft. The base game, dubbed“Vanilla” Minecraft, is only the tip of the iceberg for what is possible. Java, the platform which the game is developed on, is one of the most popular high-level, class-based programming languages available.
Due to this, Minecraft’s community has been able to create amazing mods that can completely change how the game works. Do you want to add a factory building? Try Tekkit. How about a hardcore, ruthless survival experience? RLCraft is right up your alley.
Granted, sometimes these mods can be difficult to install by themselves. But even then the Minecraft community has made custom programs that can automatically install and manage these mods, completely for free. The Minecraft community is really the backbone of the game. Most changes to the Vanilla game are inspired by the community’s voice through votes and forums.
Specific Minecraft communities have also created their own “stories” within the game. The most famous and recent example of this is the “DreamSMP”. This was a Minecraft server which numerous popular content creators played on. It had a semi-scripted story that engrossed viewers throughout the COVID lockdown and a few years after. Besides the DreamSMP, there are numerous other Minecraft multiplayer servers that are completely free to join.
But take away all the mods, the servers, the community. What are you left with? For some, it is just a game about breaking blocks and slaying monsters. For others, it is an escape to a far off fantasy. A way to shed off the stresses of the day. An outlet to let your creativity flourish.
Minecraft is one of the few games that really extends past one particular genre. It has a built-in Creative mode that gives you an infinite number of materials so you can build quite literally everything from architecture to pixel art or even just a simple house. Using in-game items some people have even been able to make a working computer in Minecraft which they used to play Minecraft within Minecraft.
In short, Minecraft is a game that started out as a simple game about breaking blocks. Now it’s evolved into a massive community with talented people who push the boundaries of what is possible in Minecraft. Sure, it may not be for everyone, but it’s still worth trying at least once.
