That is a question which some Xbox owners may be asking themselves, because on the face of it, it seems a shallow experience where there is no point, no missions, no story, not even cool looking graphics.
I was one of those people, I was watching E3 in 2011 when Microsoft announced that Minecraft was coming exclusively to Xbox 360 and wondered what it all meant, I have to admit I was curious as to what all the fuss was about, but not much else than that.
Well, when the game finally hit this year I thought, I will download the demo and give it a whirl, but probably wouldn’t buy it and although I enjoyed the demo, I still wasn’t convinced.
That all changed when Mike was talking about it on the podcast and more importantly, the G4TE community server and how they had ingeniously come up with the idea of setting up an Xbox live gold account specifically for Minecraft, buying a copy of the game and leaving it running 24/7, therefore making it a persistent world that the community could drop in and out of and build to their hearts content.
The result? Well see for yourselves.
The first time that Mark showed me around, I was totally in awe of what this small community of gamers had managed to produce in such a small amount of time, from giant pictures of Bart Simpson to most recently The Space Shuttle, I wandered from one part of the world to another, it was like being a tourist in an exotic country, discovering something really cool for the first time and I constantly get this feeling every time I visit, because there is always something new to discover.
So to the question I asked at the beginning, what is the point of Minecraft, well, it could still be classed as a waste of time by some people, but I choose to think that Minecraft is an empty canvas, to let normal people like you and I be able to create whatever is in our heads, not everyone can be Picasso or Dali, but as G4TE have proven, with Minecraft and a little imagination, anything is possible.
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I agree Stu. I was a slow starter with Minecraft although I’ve warmed to its charms and now truly cherish the simple little shed (with orange roof) and basement workshop I’ve created and this is how it starts, lol
Awesome video too, it really is like a travelogue and I so want to go there but unfortunately I keep losing connection to the G4TE server?
Oh well back to tending my sheep and flowers *whistles whilst skiping over lovely pixelated meadow*
Mark this video is first class.
What a fabulous world. I want to live in it forever just like Lee.
I hate the taste of crow but in this case, its alright man.
WOw, I am all kinds of impressed. This really makes me want to give it a whirl. However: (a) I’m writing a novel (b) $20 still feels steep and (c) I’m still not convinced.
But mayyyyybe if/when it goes on special.. (Of course by then people will probably be bored with it.)
Anyway, great video Mark and superb work everyone!
Terrific video Mark! It’s been a few days since I’ve been on the g4te server, amazing how much everyone gets done.
And this is only some of what’s on the server! Mark’s had to restrict for length. I never get tired of wandering around in awe looking at what people have built and wondering how they can create such masterpieces in the same time it’s taken me to throw together a shack. Plus it’s not just cool builds, there’s also the fab community who are friendly and funny. G4TE rock!
great video, great buildings.
can’t see it being fun though, other than very addictive.
and I don’t have time for any more addictions, I’m a very busy man !
Very nice.
I was all set to jump into this, now Im not so sure. I dont think I could add anything of value to the world. It just all seams so grand.
I could help out on certain projects perhaps. Maybe become an apprentice.
MetricPizza – Don’t be put off by all the amazing architecture, everyone starts small and there’s still plenty of space to build on. The good thing about playing alongside guys who’ve done such cool stuff is that there’s plenty of experience and top tips that they’ll happily share with you.
Thanks for the kind words about the video
But its the people who make this game, a true community game where you can just chill and have a natter.