Minecraft

A couple of days ago I read some guy on Reddit's diary of his first experience with Minecraft, which convinced me to buy it. What an amazing game, and I have no idea why. While I didn't go in with the extreme lack of knowledge he did, I took it slow and have still experienced a lot of what he described.

On my first day, as night approached I knew I had to get inside. I ventured into a deep cavern and soon found a lava river, which was a nice source of natural light. However, I explored further and also discovered that zombies can spawn underground! In my haste to escape without touching the lava, I fell to my death. Aaron was watching me and we were both really getting into it.

Something about this game is so back-to-basics, stunning simplicity. And I don't mean the graphics, which are completely retro. These days we're so used to hand-holding in video games; everything has a polished tutorial and oh-so-helpful realtime hint system. Minecraft is raw and ragged and comparison, and I guess it works because there isn't really anything you're supposed to be doing except 1. surviving and 2. doing whatever you want. It's a bit like life, but with more skeletons and zombies.

And creepers! Those damn creepers. They sneak up on you and explode!

Eventually we found a huge natural cave that descended very deep underground. We dubbed it The Deeps and found diamond and redstone down there. Soon I'm going to figure out how to make logic gates from the redstone and armor from the diamond. Right after I build my lava cathedral, that is. And install the train tracks between it and the cave where I bake up the stone for the cathedral's roof. And make a few creeper landmines.