For the first article in this series, I conducted a survey to determine what college students’ favorite video games are. Minecraft was one of the most popular answers given, having been mentioned four times amongst the fifteen students. This sandbox video game is the world’s best-selling video game of all time, available on multiple different platforms. There have been four Minecraft spin-off games since its initial release from alpha testing to the public in 2011. Developed by Mojang, Minecraft has been nominated for many awards and is considered one of the greatest video games to date by many reputable journalists and magazines.
What makes Minecraft so popular?
When players begin the game, they spawn into a procedurally generated world spanning across an infinite, three-dimensional virtual plane. Within these worlds, the player can mine raw materials to craft tools and other items or build anything they can imagine. There are three notable modes to play: survival, creative, and hardcore mode. Survival mode is the standard style of gameplay. The player must collect and craft items to survive the dangerous day-night cycle and reach “The End” of the game. Hardcore mode follows the same premise, except that the player cannot respawn if their character dies. That world becomes unplayable from that point on. In these two modes, players encounter entities called “mobs” that can be attacked or hunted for resources. Finally, creative mode players have unlimited access to almost every resource and item in the game, and they can fly freely around their world.
Minecraft has a subscription-based service that allows players to connect and play with each other through private servers called Realms. Thousands, if not millions of these servers exist across the world. Because of the game’s flexibility, server owners can create vast worlds filled with minigames that players can enjoy. The Java Edition of Minecraft can also be modified to include new gameplay mechanics, items, and other features that are not officially released by Mojang. Many of the college students pointed out that they enjoyed “adventurous free-roam” video games with “memorable styles and gameplay.”
Four anonymous responses were given when the college students were asked in the survey why Minecraft is one of their top five favorite video games:
“Minecraft really gives you the power for extreme creativity. You mold it to the way you want to play.”
“You can make anything you want in Minecraft, especially with mods.”
“Minecraft was a big part of my childhood. I watched a lot of Minecraft Let’s Plays growing up, and it stuck with me.”
“Having the ability to build whatever I want while listening to the game’s calming soundtrack is therapeutic.”
A Constantly Updating Game
Some of the college students stated that their favorite video games are usually ones that have frequent content updates to their previous versions. The Java version of Minecraft has been in development since 2009 and Mojang is still adding more new content to the game today. The latest update, 1.16, added more content to Minecraft’s hellish dimension called “the Nether” earlier this year. The next major update to the Java Edition of Minecraft will add more cave and mountain features to the game. These features include improved cave generation, new items and ores, and more mobs, such as goats.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Maggie Spring
Student Author - Spring 2021
