The Art Of Gaming: Minecraft

It's a quiet day, in The Most Boring Computer Store On The Planet.

Your Hero, me, is, as usual, fidgety and wanting to share his lame passion with anyone. After Gulping A Coffee-Dreg-Super-Sized (Tm by White Zombie), he looks around for someone to tell his new idea for his blog.

He sees his coworker, Gino The Average Dude, sitting in front of a Mac, trying to fake-work, but really checking the latest updates on his Farmville profile (alternating that with quick peeks on YouJizz).

The hero sits near him and clears his throat, while playing with his beard. Gino Sees him, sighs loudly and tries to act busy.

Hero: "Hey Dude"

Gino: "...."

Hero: "You know, i dont know if you checked my Blog lately..."

Gino: "No"

Hero: "Yeah, thanks. I was planning to do a follow up to my post on the Art Of Gaming..."

Gino: "I dont read blogs"

Hero: "...and i wanted to push the concept of how modern video games, especiallyt on the PC platforms are really the purest form of connection between entertainment, interactivity and art..."

Gino: "Dude, arent you 32? Kids play games. Get laid more"

Hero: "....so as you certainly agree, i decided to use Minecraft as an example. You know Minecraft?"

Gino: "What?"

Hero. (SIGH) "....Well Minecraft was a project started by a developer named Markus "Notch" Persson. He wanted to create something new, a game that wasnt really a game per se, but more of a purely free digital world where you could explore a universe, take what you found in it and create things. Craft things.

So he started this project. A randomly generated world made with 3d graphics but stilla completely retro look. A three-dimensional world of big pixillated 8-bit graphics. Like you were dropped in afully explorable universe made by Nintendo in the 80's.

In this universe you had nothing at first, but you could roam freely. Touch, punch and pick up stufff. Materials like dirt, stone, wood, sand.... And then with those materials and a simple grid you could start using those materials to create items. Like a pickaxe or a shovel. Or a sword. Or whatever. And with those items, you'd get more materials, build more items and build stuff. Shape this world according to your immaginations. Build Mines, vehicles, houses, everything. No limts. None at all.

Notch decided to give this project away for free at first. it was a huge success. Thenm he asked for a tiny donation to developed it more. And he got that too. The idea became a cult, a sensation, a phenomenon.

Everyone was creating stuff in Minecraft, sometimes building structures and worlds that were completely amazing. From Island with Monorails, Castles, Labyrinths and Giant Spaceships to a Giant Working Computer! Yes an actually working Computer made of stone and fire. Amazing, right.

And this thing keeps expanding and mutating. It keeps getting bigger and more limitless. Notch took the idea of interactivity, freedom and a digital version of Lego and Silly putty and gave it to people. They got addicted and showed that immagination isnt dead yet and that a great idea can become something as big as nothing a standardize Call Of Duty-clone producer could ever create.

The player is free and becomes an artist through this tool of magnificience that Notch gives...."

Gino: "Sorry. I wasnt listening. What's that? Do you shoot stuff in it?"

Hero: "...Well there's monsters..."

Gino: "Meh. Those Violent games. Should be banned. You dont get it, you dont have any kids. I like Angry Birds, though..."

(....to never be continued)

Check all that is Minecraft related (from where to get it, to other player's experiences and ideas, to pretty much anything beautiful) here: http://www.minecraft.net