Minecraft.

As far as days go, this one was uneventful.  I woke.  I worked.  I ate.  Then, at precisely 7:30 p.m. I turned on my Xbox and everything changed.  For those that do not know, the starting screen of an Xbox that has Xbox Live enabled is a veritable flood of advertisements.  Most, but not all, are entirely related to Microsoft and its affiliates.  Today, however, the dominating image was a reminder that a live-stream of the newest Minecraft documentary.  I was dubious, as most documentaries make me feel as if I am back in desk on the verge of a panic attack.  At the prodding of my friend, I reluctantly began to watch.

I'm unsure just how much you will know about Minecraft at this point, but it is essentially an 8-bit sandbox style game with endless possibilities for building, crafting, and fighting monsters.  The player can break apart blocks, and use them to build quite literally anything he or she can imagine, while at the same time dealing with the zombies, endermen, and creepers who appear each night.

The only reason I mention this documentary, when I am certain there are few who might stumble across this blog and actually know what I am talking about, is because the movie was stunning.  It chronicles the journey of the Lead Developer and Creator of Minecraft, Notch.  While this story would be interesting on its own, the filmmakers chose to focus more on how this simple game has revolutionized the way games are built and played.

With the small team of people who compose Mojang, the company founded with Minecraft, Notch has created a world in which children and adults are equals.  Each person begins with exactly the same tools, and the only limits are to what he or she is able to think up and build.

I, like many others, viewed the game as strictly nerd territory.  I could not believe that a game with such rudimentary graphics could ever keep me entertained.  It wasn't until I was begged, cajoled, and finally threatened into playing it, that I realized what a revolutionary game it was. Still I don't understand it entirely, and have to resort to asking my friends or looking up videos on YouTube, but even with my basic skills the game is challenging.  I have yet to formally beat it, even with roughly one hundred hours of game play logged.

My only hope is that the game continues to flourish and change, creating even more tools to play with and avenues to explore.  Surely in ten or even fifteen years time, children and adults alike will still be building and creating within the magical world of Minecraft, and I can hardly wait for the nostalgia to set in.