Minecraft: What It Is, How It's Different, And Why You Need It

I want to dedicate this post to a game that I stumbled upon when viewing IGN's video of it.  That game, my friends, is titled Minecraft.  I'll wait for you to google it.

Oh, back so soon? Even after you saw how disgusting those graphics were? Good, because this game is all about the gameplay and boy, is it different.

A user-created map on a Classic Mode Server

Minecraft is, in a nutshell, a sandbox game. You take control of a character (no specific name or distinguishable features, your character is essentially a tool to help build to your heart's desires) and you place blocks.  These blocks feature varieties from stone to wood or even to water.  Regardless, blocks aren't the only thing to place.  Since the game's inception in May 2009, its expansiveness has grown exponentially.  In its latest version, the game even features a crafting mode, which allows you place blocks you have collected and forge them with other blocks to create objects such as a door, pick-axe, or even a furnace.

Straying away from the nitty-gritty details, Minecraft's ability to forge towers, castles, bridges, and even Earth push the game into its own genre.  In addition to building whatever your mind can imagine, Minecraft supports multiplayer (the essential way to playing the game; singleplayer just does not give the game justice) and the servers people have laborously poured over will drop your jaw and inspire you.  You can literally feel the creativity when just browsing the website or the thousands of videos on YouTube.

However, Minecraft has also become varying when it comes to modes of play.  No longer is the player restricted to purely creating their imaginative designs.  The game mode Survival introduces a unique aspect to the game, albeit a little unoriginal.  The game mode possesses day and night.  When the sun goes down, the zombies come up and you are left either alone or with others to fend for yourself.  Believe me when I tell you, those zombies (and other creatures) are by no means simple to kill off.

Trust me.

I've already typed what feels like a half-hour worth of time and I feel (and know) I've barely scratched the surface of Minecraft in this post.  Its possibilities are endless and its fanbase is as loyal as it can get.  The game is available either for free (Classic Mode) or for 10 Euros for the Alpha version of the game (the latest update to the game, before it goes to beta).  If you are reading this now and you have the slightest interest in the game, I'd highly suggest buying Alpha right now (December 5th, 2010) as it is currently 50% off full price.  Once you buy it, you are never faced with a fee again; all future updates are of no charge.

Yes. That is a lava fountain in the middle of the castle.

I already feel like I've gone overboard with my enthusiasm over Minecraft, but it's in good reason, too. Minecraft is a game that I play whenever I just want to either build, destroy, annoy, chat, or even just relax.  Do what you want, but if this post has even remotely piqued your interest: act on it.