By: Neo Choplosky/Sophomore Writer
Minecraft is a game based in a 3-D-shaped world that can be played on the computer, tablet, or console, and the main goal for players is to build. The game involves creating anything using building blocks, in different environments. Minecraft has been around for over 10 years, and is very popular worldwide. With the game involving crafting items, gathering resources, and building, it can be a great way for kids to learn to work together and be more creative.
There is also a survival mode, where monsters like zombies, giant spiders, and dynamite-like creatures called “creepers” are out to get you at night, but during the day, everything vanishes. You are the only player in your world; you have to farm for food and fight for your life.
Minecraft is considered to be rated E, which means for everyone. However, the game is rated most suitable for ages seven to thirteen, depending on which game is being played. One of the reasons Minecraft is very popular with these ages is because there are no rules to the game and children can create anything they choose. Not only this, but the game can also be set in multiplayer mode, which lets kids play with their friends.
Art by MojangThe history of the game shows the effort in producing it. In 2009, Swedish programmer and designer, Markus Persson (known to fans as “Notch”), set out to create a sandbox game. This would be a game that allows for free and organic exploration of a virtual world, for the launch of his new company Mojang AB. Sweden’s neighbor to the south, Denmark, had even shown appreciation for Minecraft. In 2014, state employees Simon Kokkendorf and Thorbjorn Nielsen of the Danish Geodata Agency completed a scale replica of the entire nation of Denmark within the digital world-building game to help drive interest in geographic data.
My personal experience with Minecraft has been great! With the ability to build mansions and make sculptures bigger than the sky, the never ending world is the only limit on creativity. It is a wonderful place to lose all sense of reality and be yourself in an amazing virtual platform. Do you dare to play?
