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ThinkPiece: What Makes You a Minecrafter?
Personal Reflection
I started playing Minecraft right after graduating from high school, which was fortunate, since otherwise I am not sure that I would have graduated at the top of my class. My friend talked me into buying it and joining a very small server that he found. I had no idea what I was doing. I died many times. Eventually, I decided that it would be smarter for me to spend a week in single player to figure out what the game was all about, and then I came back to the server.
The game was oddly addicting. I didn’t care much for combat, and I was terrible at coding or doing any redstone. But I loved to build. And I loved to lead. On the server I was on, I quickly set up my own town with its own rules and infrastructure. The server owner seemed to see my potential and, considering that I was older than the majority of the players, promoted me to staff very quickly. It was a position I wasn’t bad at, and one that I strived to become better at with each passing day.
Suddenly, I was starting my freshman year of college and I was the co-owner of the same server, under new and better management. We had given the server a total makeover, and it was for the better, because we started to get a lot more Minecrafters. Why was this game so special to me? Video games provide entertainment and have a lot of achievements, but nothing physical to gain from playing them. All of the rewards you may find in a game—whether it’s catching all of the Pokemon, rescuing Zelda and defeating Ganon, or gathering stacks of diamonds—are all virtual rewards. Why, then, do we choose to play?
Differences in Play Style
Everyone’s different. You could ask ten people what they love about Minecraft, and get ten completely different responses. It is a game full of potential. Players enjoy aspects of the game, ranging from plain vanilla survival, all sorts of mod packs, creative mode building, combative play, and so many more. As stated by Planet Minecraft in the contest description: “Whether you play to construct the greatest architecture ever conceived, express your artistic self through the design of blocky characters, maximize the game’s potential with coding wizardry, or even pour your heart into hosting a gaming experience that brings together players from around the world, you are, or were at some point, a Minecrafter… How have you made your mark in a land with limitless opportunity?”
Similarities in Play Style
Despite our differences, though, we all enjoy playing the same game, and we enjoy all of its features. Minecraft doesn’t have a set age limit, and with its flexible gameplay, it appeals to a wide range of players. The game also is available in multiple forms and on various consoles, giving its players more ways to play. Minecraft continues to update and undergo changes. The community is good, and produces quality content very frequently. Players are welcomed and encouraged to enjoy the game in whatever way they prefer. And with so many servers out there, you’re bound to find one that is a perfect match.
What Makes Me a Minecrafter?
This game means a great deal to me. It has been there for me during good times and bad. It was there when I went through my first breakup. It was there for me when I started dealing with health issues. It was there for me when I had to come off prescription addictive narcotics, try to keep my college GPA up, and keep myself sane. It was a powerful recovery tool.
And what did I even like about it?
I liked to create. And I liked to create with other people. Building things with my close friends was, and still is, my favorite activity. We’ve taken on large build projects before, such as our server capitol New Aether, and our spawn area’s Peles Castle and the hub. I don’t enjoy building in single player because then I can’t share it with others. I like to see what can happen when a bunch of people with different ideas and opinions come together and create beautiful and amazing things. I like to see each player on the server develop and grow into better builders.
I’ve had my creative slumps before, or as I like to call it, builder’s block (pun fully intended). It can be hard to come down from them because you want to create with all of these people, but feel inadequate. But I’ve always come out of them after time, and come back to create even better things. I am a server admin and co-owner.
I am a building master.
I am a leader.
And I am a Minecrafter.
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Credit goes to Planet Minecraft for the text graphic, Azurago for the Peles Castle screenshot, and Rosiesunny for the color palette edit.
Word Count: 805
Update: Thank you for the spotlight in the Popular Reel!
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Update #2 : by cirrus-mc 08/12/2016 11:27:05 pmAug 12th, 2016
Update: Added images to blog layout to illustrate what makes me a Minecrafter.
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These lessons in improvisation can quite easily be applied elsewhere. I also happen to be a plugin developer, and there you absolutely have to be adaptable. You never know when a line that appears efficient and straightforward will spontaneously throw an error and crash the server. For this reason, just as with redstone, you have to be able to excogitate various alternative solutions.
I think this is ultimately why I continue to play Minecraft, even though my appearances are infrequent. It's a constant learning experience, and that's what makes me a Minecrafter.
(but no really that's always what I refer to it as....)