Minecraft

Minecraft

Developer: Mojang

Designers: Markus “Notch” Persson and Jens Bergensten

Minecraft is a very unique creative and survival game where players can use their imagination to create anything they want to make by using blocks.  Minecraft does not have the best of graphics but what it lacks for in display, it surely makes up for in gameplay.  If you would like to learn more about the game you can visit the website here where you will be able to purchase it and gather info about the game. 

There are two types of gameplay, one is survival and the other is creative mode.  Creative mode allows you to just build things without the worries of dying or lacking materials.  While in creative mode you have the ability to fly around making it easier to move and get around objects, bricks are destroyed instantly allowing you to clear large areas quicker, and you have every possible item in your inventory.  I like creative mode for when I have an idea about what  I want to make. I will build it to see how much materials I will need.  Then I will switch to survival and try to build the same model by gathering the materials myself.

Survival mode is where you will have to fend off the creatures of the night while trying to build your house and gathering food to eat so you don’t starve.  In order to defeat the monsters of the night you must create armor and weapons. I like the survival mode because it adds a somewhat realistic value to the game that very few other games have.  One of the differences between this game and other is that there is no finish line, meaning you cannot simply beat the game.  Below is a video that is part one of the series “How to Survive the First Night”.  Simon and Lewis of Yogscast both help demonstrate what it takes to survive the first night in their funny and quirky ways.  The guys at Yogscast have many more Minecraft videos and I enjoy watching them.  I have linked Simon of Yogscast YouTube channel here which shows the majority of the Minecraft videos.

*Note* The version of the game they are playing is out-of-date!

The one thing that I really like is the multiplayer.  You could host your own server (which to me looks like it takes extensive knowledge about computers and internet routing), you can purchase a server, or you can play on other players’ servers.  If you have your own server you have the ability to “whitelist” people meaning that only certain people are allowed to play on your server.  Some servers make you apply to get into the server showing that you won’t just enter the server and destroy everything they have created.  Some of the most amazing creations are built in a multiplayer server. 

I became addicted to the game because I played with friends back when you could purchase the beta.  I have been fortunate being able to see the game grow into what it is today.  Even though my creations normally turn out nothing like I had imagined, I still love playing the game and watching videos of what awesome things people have created.  I would absolutely recommend this game to everyone to at least try.  Again you can purchase it on their website, for the Android cell phone, and it will be released for Xbox 360 in May 2012.