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*Note* The version of the game they are playing is out-of-date!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

Our Interview on Europe!

New Video!

Studying Abroad Excitement

Studying abroad is great experience and will change your life. Like what was mentioned in previous blogs, there is a lot things to do, experiences, and life changing activities. In this blog I will talk briefly about each of these activities.

When you do a study abroad you to do many things that you can’t do in the United States or things you would not normally do. Some the students in my management and marketing class that went on the Europe study abroad this semester

One of the experiences you get is working with people from different backgrounds. You get a first-hand task of how people do business in other parts of the country. You learn what other students do for school and for fun. There is many new foods you get to try.

There is many life changing experiences that goes with studying abroad. You meet a ton of new people that you may never have met before.  You get to see a lot of new sceneries.

-Brock

University of Antwerp

  During our stay in Antwerp, because we were studying the European Union, we were studying at the university.  This university was incredible to say the least.  We were studying at the university a week before the school actually opened for the other students.  We got to pretty much explored most of the campus and saw the classrooms and the two open areas where there were gardens and places for students to sit out and enjoy the day.  I always loved walking through there because it was so quiet and everyone seemed so relaxed.
  I loved the atmosphere of the university.  The teachers seemed really cool and knew what they were talking about.  The teacher we had for our European class was extremely helpful and spoke very good English.  After class we sometimes decided to stop by their gathering area called the "Augora" perhaps I spelled that wrong but it was basically a meeting area inside the university where you could get food or drinks and just relax.  The employees were always cheerful and happy to help you.  If I had another opportunity to go back and study there, probably would have to learn Flemish, I would without doubt go!
  For more information on visiting the University of Antwerp with the group I went with visit here
-Ben

Saving Money, Gaining Experience

While studying abroad one thing that you will discover very quickly is how fast your money goes. Yes the American dollar is weaker than most other currencies, but while abroad you just can't help but spend a little more. One great way to find a way to cut back on spending is with food. C'mon do you really need to try a Big Mac in every city you go to. In my experience I found that the way to get the most bang for your buck is save the going out to eat on dinners with friends where you can actually try the authentic food of where you are. For the meals that come in between those, a simple trip the the grocery store works wonders. (And not just with fixing your appetite.) Being Europe I was able to take full advantage of the low priced stores Aldi and Lidl when shopping for food. There style is very similar to any grocery store you're used to, but compared a little more closely to the Cosco or SamsClub style. Buying food this way will greatly cut back the expense that food brings to studying abroad, and will ensure that your fridge is always stocked so you never have to go starved. The other way that buying food from a grocery store can benefit you is in the long run. If you can manage to go into a food store and figure out what you need without being able to read the labels, you will have one more life skill that who knows when it may be needed, but when it is... You'll love yourself for being able to do so. Many things are identifiable such as beef or chicken (you'll hope) but sometimes thins in cartons or containers are difficult to fully understand. That is why it is nice to have a little bit of experience with words such as juice or milk before going in. Getting rid of the hunger, saving money, and gaining cultural experience... a one stop shop for all three at the local grocery store!
-Dan

Check Out What We Had To Eat!

  While in Europe we had many opportunities to try different foods.  The only problem for me is that I am a picky eater.  However, I am willing to try new things even if that involves eating new foods.  For the most part I pretty much liked what ever I was eating which was a surprise.  There were a few things that I didn't like to eat when I was over there.  A few of the things that I did like were the pastries that were sold all around Antwerp, the waffles that were sold all around Belgium and the "french" fries.  The only thing that I didn't want to try was Duck but that was because everyone who already had tried it said that it did not taste very good.

  The main meals that we had were mainly steaks, burgers or chicken.  For the most part there was nothing wrong but something always irritated me.  Everything was pretty expensive and proportions were kinda small.

 Now for my favorite part, the desert.  The first thing I had to eat was a creme brulee, it was a creamy pudding topped with hard brown colored sugar.  It was probably the one of the most delicious things that I had in Europe.  The next was an ice cream desert that we had at a Japanese style restaurant.  When they presented it, the ice cream was in a second cup that was placed into a larger cup.  At the bottom of the larger cup there was some dry ice making continuous cloud of fog spraying out between the two cups.  Not really sure if the description helps but the picture below might clarify a little.

   Overall the food over there was really good.  I would recommend to anyone who is thinking of going to Europe and is a picky eater to be willing to try new things.
-Ben