A Long Time Coming
I made it 6 long years without buying Minecraft. I steeled my resolve and resisted clicking every youtube video touting its secrets. I plugged my ears while walking past packs of chattering children, positive they were spinning tales of mining adventures. I didn’t even read the article about the dude who spent a year building an entire working computer processor, block by block. But Why?
I’ve always been one to resist a zeitgeist. I’d liken it to refusing to listen to pop music, simply because it’s popular. I guess deep down inside I considered my tastes to be too indie and experimental. I couldn’t embrace something so obviously adored by the masses. It’s probably why I still haven’t played Undertale. But, as time passes, and the long war wages on, we begin to forget why it was we started fighting. And Minecraft isn’t going anywhere.
Everything But Minecraft
I’ve always been a fan of sandbox games. Hell, I wrote an entire article about alternatives to Minecraft, listing games that brought new twists to the creative experience. (I still stand by those games. They are each amazing.) But, recently, Connor approached me and said, “Dad, we need to get Minecraft.”
“Why, son? Why do we need to be like all the others?” I probably didn’t say aloud.
“I watch it on my tablet, and need to build stuff and explore dungeons and make a video so I can upload it to my youtube channel,” he blurted out.
He’s 6, doesn’t have a youtube channel, and has no idea how to make videos, but I understood what he meant. (Since that conversation happened, we have actually started a youtube channel.)
He needed to be part of a community that he had been viewing and engaging with from the outside. Just like a kid might need to join a soccer team with his friends, or show off those brand new kicks on the playground (I think that is what children call shoes, maybe not, I don’t know), Connor needed to play Minecraft. He needed to have the language and experience to discuss the thing everyone around him was obsessed with. And they really are. Make no mistake, kindergarten children are still talking about Minecraft every day.
So I got it for him. When your kid comes to you and tells you that he needs something to fit in, or that he wants to be creative and needs a certain tool, you try your best to get it for them. That’s just what parents do. That’s why so many adults out there have a trombone stashed in their garage.
Building Toward The Future
Connor wanted to play Minecraft so he could relate to his peers, but he loves it for many reasons. The sheer size of the world and ease of travel appeals to his boundless sense of exploration. The idea that everything can be built up and broken down is the digital equivalent of legos, and practically a rite of passage for young boys (and girls). Finally, there is a level of mystique and creativity surrounding Minecraft that isn’t present in a lot of games.
The community has done so much with it. Not only have they pushed the boundaries of cubic creativity, but they’ve invented detailed lore about the world and its inhabitants. Minecraft is more than just a game, it is an evolving story, written and edited by millions of people daily.
Most importantly, Connor wanted to play it. He was excited, and though I may have tried, I could find no good reason not to let him. If this is the tool he requires for his creativity, so be it.
And, as reluctant as I am to admit it, I really like it too.