What is Minecraft?

Before we continue, I would like to thank the commentators on my previous post for their help and support. I now finally know how to embed a video. Praise the Gods!

Anyway, about a week ago I stumbled upon this sandbox game called 'Minecraft', and I have been in love with it ever since. Allow me to show you a screenshot so that you can get a rough idea what it's all about.

For some reason the animals in this game just love to swim

Please excuse my inability to post larger screenshots. Once again, if you know how to properly post larger pictures without wrecking the blog, do not hesitate to let me know! Let's get back on topic.


As you can see, the world of minecraft is made up mostly of huge blocks of about a meter by a meter by a meter. There are dirt blocks, stone blocks, gold blocks, wood blocks, etcetera etcetera. The goal of the game, if there is any at all, is to collect these blocks through various means, refining them, and finally constructing buildings and creating tools with these refined blocks. Through a randomly generated, interactive world, the game provides the -in my opinion- ultimate sandbox.

A screenshot of my very first building project

There are so many things you can do in this game that it's probably impossible to list all of them, but allow me to try and list them anyway. The things I have enjoyed so far in this game are:
  
Exploring the literally endless world 
Every time you come near the borders of your world, the game generates a whole new chunk of world for you to explore. There is literally no end to it.

Exploring and exploiting underground dungeons, mines and caves
The world generator creates many caves and the like, some so massive that you could spend entire days wandering around in them. Many minecrafters, including myself, have at one point gotten lost while exploring one of those.

Constructing the most daring things
Probably the most important aspect of Minecraft is the fact that you can build pretty much anything you can come up with given the different blocks in the game. Skyscrapers, bridges, underwater bases, fountains, entire networks of railroads, the list is limited only by your imagination. 

Battling zombies, creepers, etcetera
At night, different kinds of enemies show up who will attack you on sight. Hungry zombies, exploding creepers, arrow-firing skeletons, giant spiders, and the list goes on. Home-made armor and weapons are not a luxury in this game!

Inside of my first building

Minecraft is often accused of being rather addicting, providing you with a world just begging for you to explore, exploit and enhance it with your self-made structures. This accusation has proved itself to be true in my case. Nevertheless, unlike MMORPG's, Minecraft does not force you to continue playing for several hours straight every single day. It is possible to load your world, collect some coal or work on one of your projects or whatever, and exit the game again after ten minutes or so. That is, in my opinion, the beauty of this game: it is addicting, yet it does not force you to give up your hobbies and social life for the sake of in-game rewards and satisfaction.

The basement of my house where I store my valuables

You can also play the game online with friends or strangers, however this is still somewhat buggy and under development (the entire game is still in its alpha phase). You can buy the game for €9,95, which is in my opinion a very low price considering the hours of gameplay this game provides (in fact, the amount of time of gameplay this game provides should probably be measured in whole days instead of hours). I will end this post with one last screenshot and the link to the official Minecraft site. I hope I have made you interested in this game.

Screenshot taken from the roof of my building

OFFICIAL MINECRAFT WEBSITE