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Gaming A Letter to Minecraft

Discussion in 'Article Discussion' started by CardJoe, 28 Nov 2010.

  1. CardJoe

    CardJoe Freelance Journalist

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  2. cgthomas

    cgthomas Cpt. Handsome

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    An article to my heart - well said
     
  3. adidan

    adidan Guesswork is still work

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    WTH is minecraft?

    * quickly googles *

    Seriously? Sat in a minecart in 1980's graphics hell?

    It takes all sorts.
     
  4. CardJoe

    CardJoe Freelance Journalist

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  5. Meanmotion

    Meanmotion bleh Moderator

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    I'm mostly of the same opinion though I'm a bit more willing to conede that creating stuff for the sake of it can be fun, or at least I wished I found it to be so - I'm actually a bit lazy for such things.

    I think what puts me off most is having to pay for the privilege of doing all this creating. I appreciate all the hard work that has gone into creating minecraft and that it should be rewarded but it does feel a little bit like going to a fine restaurant then paying for the privilege of cooking the food yourself.
     
  6. billysielu

    billysielu Minimodder

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    I agree that Minecraft is a waste of time. I'd go so far as to say the same for Black Ops - you have nothing to show for your time. I'm almost at the point of saying that for every single game (after all, how many games actually get you excited these days?).
     
  7. cjb119

    cjb119 What's a Dremel?

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    I think a lot of people are still forgetting the game is *not* finished!

    At the moment we've got something that is a basic sandbox, with a hint of survival. This morning Notch is talking about making the survival a bigger part, needing to eat, having item weights etc.
    Tribal combat has also been mooted, esp in multi-player.

    If the developers can keep working to a goal of a proper game, without the masses of asshats that complain at anything ruining things, I think MineCraft has a very good chance of turning into an excellent game.
     
  8. smc8788

    smc8788 Multimodder

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    Ah, another opinion of a game formed from looking at screenshots or videos on Youtube and thinking "zomg look teh crap graphics i can see teh pixelz", "what the hell is the point of this" or some other short-sighted phrase. I was very reluctant at first, but I just took the plunge and soon found out why the game is so popular.

    The game appeals to two different type of people IMO - those who like to build, and those who like to explore. I'm not much of a builder, I mean building stuff is fun and quite satisfying, but I'm not that creative. I love just going down into caves and exploring the randomly generated world, looking for dungeons to build traps, and battling the skeletons, zombies and ninja creepers along the way. I get the same thrill from descending into the darkness with just a sword and some torches that that I would in any other game. The only difference is that Minecraft has no overarching narrative or definitive endpoint (yet - Notch is supposedly adding these soon).
     
  9. alpaca

    alpaca llama eats dremel

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    you can build blocky youallknowwhats. (for this is a family forum).

    also: minecraft got me to first base. that's more than i can say of any other game.
     
  10. adidan

    adidan Guesswork is still work

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    If there is I'm missing it... :confused:
     
  11. Material

    Material Soco Amaretto Lime

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    Does anyone else think that by the time the game actually is finished everyone will already be over it? I get the feeling it peaking a little soon.
     
  12. DeX

    DeX Mube Codder

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    I would say most minecraft players probably had exactly the same feelings before they tried it. I.e. there's no graphics, there's no aim etc. why am I going to spend €10 on that?

    It seems to me that your colleagues have done you a disservice by putting so much pressure on you to play. If you try it and you like it you will have 'lost' the argument. If you try it and you don't like it, you'll be scorned for 'not getting it'.

    The way to explain something like minecraft is not to try to analyse it, or create pretty postcards but to just say "just try it".
     
  13. Material

    Material Soco Amaretto Lime

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    I agree, it's all Joe's fault :p
     
  14. Nexxo

    Nexxo * Prefab Sprout – The King of Rock 'n' Roll

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    You just don't get it. :p


    Actually, this started as a quip, but thinking about it, perhaps indeed some don't get it.

    Nobody can tell me that playing Black Ops is a more meaningful and constructive passtime. You are not really saving the world. You are not really developing important life skills (quite the opposite, possibly). Improving your skills at delivering head shots with a mouse and a virtual pixellated approximation of a gun is not improving your real life marksmanship in any way. And once you've finished the game it's finished.

    Minecraft equally is entertainment. It is building with virtual Lego. You develop no real life skills but at least 'building' something in minecraft is creative. It is basically the same as using a level editor in Doom, Quake or Half Life to create a new environment with clever traps and challenges, which IMO is always more fun than just playing a level. It's like some of the more beautifully surreal levels you can find in Active Worlds. I've seen mile-high baroque crystal palaces. I've seen beautiful Japanese gardens with waterfalls. I've seen floating cities in the clouds. Sure, it doesn't get you anything in real life but at least it is creative entertainment. I'm not sure that can be said of all the closed-story FPSs that people do seem to get the point of.

    And to complain about the graphics? Please. If you remember 8-bit you weren't there. Every game ever worth playing was programmed in the 80's. Everything since is just derivative.
     
  15. ffjason

    ffjason What's a Dremel?

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    Is minecraft not just a new form of art?

    A form of art where the creations can be shared and viewed from anywhere in the world.

    Pretty unique in my opinion. Although the game might not be for me, I think the functions it has are incredible.
     
  16. LionheartDamacy

    LionheartDamacy What's a Dremel?

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    Creating for no other sake than for creation itself denotes a pureness to the action unattainable by those done for ulterior motives--no matter how pure or well-meaning those motives may be.

    Be aware that you don't like something which appeals to the general public. Your dislike for those newly converted zealots (disliked only for their love of the game) is mirrored by all those who dislike you for not admiring the game. It's just two sides of the same coin, so you can't complain.

    And by the way, you should really try the game before publishing something about it (good or bad). A friend of mine despised Katamari Damacy... Hated it, refused to play it, and repeatedly told me how annoying it was. One day he watched me, and others, play. After an hour, he asked for a turn. And then... He really liked the game. Point being: Opinions can change quite easily from experience. You may still hate Minecraft after playing, but at least it will lend more credence to your words.
     
  17. asura

    asura jack of all trades

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    Perfect example for designing for designings sake can be found right here in the modding section. Yes there are rewards for the SketchUp design competition's that mnpctech keep on sponsoring, but those are just the icing on the cake. Some of us just can't stop designing...

    Never even looked as to what minecraft is, this is purely about design.
     
  18. Pliqu3011

    Pliqu3011 all flowers in time bend towards the sun

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    Why would you make a drawing?
    Why would you make music?
    Why place some beautiful statue in a park when just a bench is more efficient?
    Why would you even have a park when parking space is more useful?

    Minecraft is all about the achievement of building something you yourself find beautiful. "Creating beauty" is in itself one of the most satisfying things you can do in life, it's a kind of satisfaction you can't get from shooting some terrorists. That's what Minecraft's all about. When I was still playing with Lego I experienced that kind of satisfaction multiple times: I put lots of time in a something and, when I was done, I could look down on my work and think "Wow, did I just make that? I'm awesome!"
     
  19. Valinor

    Valinor What's a Dremel?

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    Grrr... power cut... time to re-type this ridiculously long message.

    So... thinking that a game (minecraft, for example) is a good game is fine, but trying to coerce others into joining you and then implying that they are a douchebag who doesn't understand anything when they decline to join is not.

    I haven't played minecraft much, I'm just speaking from the point of view of someone who knows others who play minecraft and has been asked several times to join. In the short time I was playing I managed to complete absolutely nothing of use - I realised after I stopped that I had wanted to stop ages beforehand, but just couldn't for some unknown reason.

    Does being unable to leave a game even though I wanted to make that game fun? Or just addictive (in the same way some drugs are - just less dangerous)?

    Oh, and by the way, playing FPS games does help slightly with real-life shooting - when I first used air pistols/rifles I was better than other people who had never played any FPSs.
     
  20. adidan

    adidan Guesswork is still work

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    Indeed.

    Oh hello Mr Emperor, what lovely new clothes you have.
     
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