Of all the many games loved and hated, have there ever been any like Minecraft? Mojang’s blocky little game might not seem like much, but it’s one of the few games out there that unite people across generations and backgrounds in their love for it.
15 Years of Minecraft Magic
The first time you venture into the uniquely personal “world” that Minecraft creates for you, you’re not sure what to think. There are trees around, a grassland, maybe even a mountain and a river. But the graphics are… well, less than impressive. Everything is blocky, like a 90s console game running on 8-bit resolution. What’s everyone so hopped up about?
You plough on, giving the game a chance to prove it’s worth the hype. You walk to the nearest tree and discover you can cut it down for its wood – the first resource that ever shows up in your inventory. It’s nothing special, and you start to get bored. But then the little square sun sets in the sky as a little square moon appears on the other side, and things start to get interesting. For most, there’s a good chance you won’t survive your first in-game night, which is only 12 minutes long in real-time.
How did this happen? How did this peaceful setting suddenly become a den of giant spiders, skeletons, zombies, and unnamed creatures in the shadows? You go online, watch a few tutorials, and now you’re hooked. It turns out that Minecraft is an Eden of potential, and the resources at hand can be used to make anything the mind’s eye can conjure.
Castles that reach the clouds? Viaducts criss-crossing mountain ranges? Cathedrals that will put their Roman counterparts to shame? It’s all possible, if not easy. “Builds” as they’re called in Minecraft take time and effort, and will quickly make you realise how limited your imagination can be if you’ve gone years without exercising it.
But that’s the beauty of it. Unlike first-person shooters, racing games or even quest-based adventures, Minecraft is the sort of game that is entirely what you make of it. Children love it because it’s a sandlot where anything is possible. Adults adore it because it’s an excellent way to unwind. Even if you’re just dabbling, Minecraft allows you to choose your style. Its ‘Survival Mode’ allows you to progress through the levels of being a wood-based explorer, to a stone-age farmer, to a diamond-and-gold bartering conqueror, all while fending off the dark creatures of the night.
If something more idyllic is what you’re looking for, then the game’s ‘Creative Mode’ transports you to a paradise of creative possibility, where the only limit is your imagination. It doesn’t matter whether you want to make a pen for your pigs or a fortress for an abode – there’s a sense of satisfaction, an unmatched feeling of commitment that comes with watching the sun set on a build you took many in-world (and possibly real) days to complete.
For 15 years since Minecraft was first launched in May 2009, the game has been bringing people together in their love for the beauty of its worlds. You can stroll through a forest of cherry blossom trees or explore an abandoned mine with the hope of uncovering long-lost treasures. And through it all, the beautiful, melancholy, now iconic music of the game keeps you company.
It’s not all peace and serenity of course. Maybe because of its beautifully panoramic backdrops, the appearance of hostile “mobs” (read: monsters) in the game is enough to give you the fright of your life. Experts of suspense and horror have tried and failed to recreate the sheer dread of turning around to watch a green Creeper about to explode next to you. But that’s just a part of the game.
Some people have used Minecraft for greater purposes than its creators could have dreamed. Online servers created for multiplayer gameplay have blown open the bounds of possibility. Teachers have used it to explain concepts to students. Conservationists have used it to raise environmental awareness. The sandbox gameplay has proven itself as more than just entertainment; it’s an educational tool and a platform for creativity.