minecraft

[guess Spearman]

www.minecraft.net

Anyone else like this game? It is a very unique and detailed crafting game. It is also incredibly popular. If you go to youtube there are entire channels dedicated to it and large numbers of walkthroughs. It is basically a crafting game. Everything in the game can be moved, mined, dug, destroyed or built. you can build mines, steps, houses, farms, and there are even circuits you can design. To keep it exciting there are 10 minute day/night cycles. At night and in dark places monsters come out. So you have to fight and/or hide from them until morning (you can sleep in your house if your safe in there to get to morning). They are constantly adding new features and new releases.

It is cheap to. 20 euros. I think that is about about $28. You can actually try it for free by signing up and then hitting 'cancel' after you log in. You can't get it in the store.

It also has an online version where people host servers where they build things together.

The downside is that it has rudimentary graphics. So if you get it for your kids they won't like that. There are a vast number of plugins and graphics add ons to make the graphics nicer. The game was written to allow fans to create plugins that you can add. There are plenty of web pages and you tube videos explaining how to add these. So if you get this for your kids, you may want to add a graphics pack before showing it to them.

I think its great for kids because you can be so creative with it. The learning curve is steep, however, there are so many help pages out there, that its not that steep. Plus large numbers of youtube videos explaining the game.

It is just really unique.

[Joe ST Dakhor Monk]

Minecraft is awesome!

[Link Von Kelsier Harvey High Prelan]

I just watch Tobuscus play it.

[Eerongal Seer]

minecraft is awesome. I've hosted a server for a few friends off and on for a while, though i havent updated for a bit. I dont really play as much as i used to say a year or two ago (bought it back when it was alpha).

[Ryan Forescout]

I recently had a roommate that was into minecraft. I watched him play a bit. Frankly, I don't get it. It's like a game level builder with an unbelievably crappy UI. Oh, and resource scarcity. He had to work very hard for the materials to make the tools to mine the materials he needed to build what he wanted to build. Oh, and he occasionally died, losing some of his hard work. And for what? Blocky 3D models? Hardly seems worth the trouble.

[Emeralis00 Hazekiller]

I like Minecraft. It reminds me of when I used to have legos and I have many good memories of playing with legos as a little kid. I feel the possibility of dying and the difficulty of getting resources makes me appreciate my work more. I have tried creative mode with infinite resources and with all those resources I don't feel like building.

[Zayde Pahn Kahl]

I recently had a roommate that was into minecraft. I watched him play a bit. Frankly, I don't get it. It's like a game level builder with an unbelievably crappy UI. Oh, and resource scarcity. He had to work very hard for the materials to make the tools to mine the materials he needed to build what he wanted to build. Oh, and he occasionally died, losing some of his hard work. And for what? Blocky 3D models? Hardly seems worth the trouble.

That can apply to just about almost any game. It's more about the sense of accomplishment of being able to build something grand that you put a lot of work and effort into. You could say it's... about the journey, not the destination.

[Sprouts Pahn Kahl]

I love minecraft! And it's definitely about emergent gameplay and how as you go about surviving your first night, your mind is populated by numerous ideas and plans on stuff to build. Which in turn leads to more ideas and more time playing the game. Wastes a lot of time

[Ryan Forescout]

That can apply to just about almost any game. It's more about the sense of accomplishment of being able to build something grand that you put a lot of work and effort into. You could say it's... about the journey, not the destination.

And the journey is full of tedious manual labor. Just sayin'.

[Emeralis00 Hazekiller]

And the journey is full of tedious manual labor. Just sayin'.

and real life isn't?

[Ryan Forescout]

and real life isn't?

Who said anything about real life? We're talking about a video game.

[Emeralis00 Hazekiller]

We're talking about a video game.

If you don't like it you don't have to play it. I was trying to joke, I'm sorry that you didn't get it. Besides, I like that I have to work for it.

[Zayde Pahn Kahl]

And the journey is full of tedious manual labor. Just sayin'.

And that's what the monsters are for. To keep it interesting and intense. Caving for resources is a pretty fun experience because you never know what's going to pop up around the next corner.

[Emeralis00 Hazekiller]

And that's what the monsters are for. To keep it interesting and intense. Caving for resources is a pretty fun experience because you never know what's going to pop up around the next corner.

*shudders* bad memories.

[story mode] I was attempting to seal a waterfall that was coming out of the roof of a ravine. To do so I had to build a bridge over to get there (right over lava). Almost as soon as I place the last bridge block, a creeper went down the waterfall and exploded. Somehow I had survive the explosion and fall and landed on the only stone block above the lava that as below my bridge. You could imagine my relief...but then another creeper came down and exploded. I died. It was sad, but I didn't like the world and was planning to delete it so the creepers just assisted.[/story mode]

Edited November 7, 2011 by Emeralis00

[guess Spearman]

I think it is a very good game for kids. Since its not a mind numbing game. They have to be creative. The new release added experience and levels. I think if they add more combat and levels, it will appeal more to kids, but they still have to be creative. There are literally 100s of youtube videos about the game.

I do want to warn parents, it has VERY basic graphics. That will turn kids off. Before you show it to your kids, you may want to do some googles. The game is designed to be easily modded and there are also a lot of graphics packs, that improve the graphics a lot. Kids might be turned off by these graphics.

A couple of other things you will want to do to get your kids into the game.

-- google minecraft wiki. You will get a list of things you can create.

-- go to youtube or google video and search for minecraft first day. The first day is hard. Since you only have 10 minutes to build a shelter and create torches before the monsters come out. You need to hide. if your child gets frustrated. go to options and just turn off the monsters so they can get started. They can always create another world.

There are literally 100s of videos on this game. It is incredibly popular. I think its a great game for kids.

There is an xbox 360 version coming next year. Down side is that I am not sure that version will have easy access to mods. The mods make the game fun. Fans write alot of extensions to the game. Anything from new items, to mapping utilities, to a really cool one called buildcraft (you can set up machines to mine for you and build things for you).

There is also an online version so you can play on people's servers.

[Oath Breaker Spren]

Frankly, I don't get it. It's like a game level builder with an unbelievably crappy UI.

Well then you understand rather well. I spent more time in the Warcraft 3 editor than I played the game. The fact that this got so much attention shows we need more and more user friendly level editors.