“Minecraft” is this generation’s Super Mario. It’s an international phenomenon. Unless you’ve been living on the moon, you probably already know these things.
It’s on computers, phones, tablets, and game consoles. It’s at your local mall, occupying kiosks with plushies and T-shirts. There’s a semiannual convention (“MineCon”) and an education initiative that’s got it in schools (MinecraftEDU).
But why is it so popular? We’re talking about a game that looks like this:
Microsoft
Keep in mind that there are games coming out on modern video game consoles that look like this:
Quantic Dream
And what do you actually do in “Minecraft?” Build stuff? Perhaps you’ve seen some of the incredible worlds people have created from within “Minecraft,” like this one of King’s Landing from “Game of Thrones”:
YouTube
Not bad! So how does a world go from a flat, grassy meadow to a pixelated re-creation of Westeros’ capital city? The answer to that question is half of the reason people love “Minecraft”: creation. The castles above were built block-by-block.
It’s a system for fitting pieces together to create something — sometimes amazing somethings — from nothing. “Minecraft” provides endless building blocks and a blank canvas. It’s up to you to create something incredible, or silly, or referential, or whatever, using the tools it provides. The tools are blessedly user-friendly, as are the systems for employing those tools.
The most basic unit of measurement is a single block. This is a dirt block:
Microsoft
This is the literal and figurative building block of the game. You start with nothing but fists and a massive, unexplored world, ripe for creation. You walk forward; you punch the ground below you and it begins to crack. Why is it cracking? And suddenly, POP! Where the ground once was is now an empty, square space. It looks like this:
The word “minecraft” is a portmanteau of two verbs: to mine and to craft. Punching a dirt block and retrieving a dirt block to build with is the first verb — the mining. When you start “Minecraft,” it’s the first thing you should do.
Once you’ve retrieved enough blocks, the second thing you’ll need to do is craft: combine the resources you’ve mined to create more complex tools. “Mining” for wood (punching a tree) enables you to create basic tools. Those basic tools enable you to mine more complex resources, which enable you to create more complex items and tools.
It’s this highly satisfying cycle of mining resources and creating from those resources that draws in millions of players around the world. And that’s the most basic level of “Minecraft.”
The other side of “Minecraft,” sadly not encompassed in the game’s title, is exploration. Every time you start a new world in “Minecraft,” it’s unique. That is, levels are randomly generated based on a set of parameters. There are some constants:
The levels always contain the same materials (dirt, trees, water, etc.)
There is a day/night cycle
At night, enemies appear and will attack you
You can only dig so deep below the world’s surface before hitting bedrock
The world that spawns always has stuff to discover, whether it’s crazy jungles or mountains or underground caves or whatever
Yes, there are enemies. You’ve almost certainly seen the iconic “Creeper” at your local Hot Topic. This guy (or lady?):
Microsoft
These green, exploding monsters are exclusive to the “Survival” mode of “Minecraft” — if you just want to create ad infinitum, there’s a “Creation” mode that enables exactly that. No day/night cycle. No enemies. No mining if you don’t want to mine. Just endless creation.
But be warned: If you don’t choose “Survival” mode, you’ll never experience the joy of discovering a labyrinthine cave network by accident, full of rare resources (diamonds!) and life-threatening lava. You’ll never know the thrill of narrowly escaping a mob of spiders, zombies, and Creepers into the ramshackle hut you’ve composed just in time to hide for the night. You’ll never know the heartbreak of a Creeper sneaking up and exploding the side of your carefully constructed homage to John Travolta’s face. Up your nose with a rubber hose, Creeper.
So forget all the hype. Forget the billions Microsoft spent buying “Minecraft” from its creator, Markus “Notch” Persson and his team at Mojang.
“Minecraft” is so incredibly successful and popular because it’s delightful. It’s relaxing. It’s joyful. It’s goofy. It’s an amazing interactive canvas to build anything you want.
Yeah, you’re “just punching blocks and placing them in different combinations.” And here’s a re-creation of Frank Lloyd Wright’s famous “Fallingwater” home:
You can play “Minecraft” online with friends, with strangers, or all by your lonesome. Some of the more complex worlds were created by whole teams of people working for months. Westeros wasn’t built in a day, you know!
Personally, I prefer the relaxing experience of playing it alone while listening to podcasts. The game’s music is a mix of soft, atmospheric melodies that can be easily kept at low volume, leaving me to concentrate on the project at hand.
Unlike so many other games, “Minecraft” enables an outlet for artistic expression — however shallow — that makes time spent in its worlds feel meaningful.
Minecraft users have been recreating Pokémon in the block-building game for years, but the latest attempt doesn’t require you to mod the game at all. All you need is the base, vanilla Minecraft version 1.8.8, and you’re ready to download the map and play it.
Pokémon Cobalt and Amethyst makes use of command blocks, which one of the developers, PureCharlie, says is similar to mods such as Single Player Commands and WorldEdit, but instead, they’re a mapmaker feature that are activated by redstone. You can see in the video above that battles play out similarly to the ones you’d find on Nintendo’s handheld adventures.
The Pokémon-themed Minecraft map has been in development for about a year and a half, and while it claims to recreate the original Pokémon game from 1996, it adds a new region, unique stories, and 136 new Pokémon, mixing creatures like Giratina and Arceus with the originals.
Cobalt and Amethyst is only available in singleplayer, so you won’t be able to travel or battle with any of your friends. Developer Phoenix SC claims the game will take 60 to 80 hours to complete and features “an antagonist threatening to release a legendary darkness that demands tribute.” You won’t be going up against Team Rocket, Magma, or any of the other classic gangs, either; instead, you’ll be working to take down the Suliqu region’s criminal organization called Team Tempest.
It’s great to see fan-made Pokémon content of this scale, but given the DMCA takedowns of projects like Pokémon Uranium, there’s a possibility that Nintendo will try to shut down Cobalt and Amethyst. If you listen to the video at the top of this article, it sounds as if they’ve borrowed some sound effects from Pokémon Red and Blue. PureCharlie says that if a takedown happens, they “can just go back and change the name,” but I’d think that borrowed assets would be the more damning part.
We’ve contacted PureCharlie for an interview and will report back as we receive more information about the map.
If you’re interested in playing Pokémon Cobalt and Amethyst for yourself, the video below from the developer details everything about how to download and play the Minecraft map—you can download the map here. But if you want to check out other Pokémon modifications to popular PC Games, take a look at these Pokémon that replace Ark: Survival Evolved’s dinosaurs.
Minecraft.net is due for a revamp. For years, we’ve wanted this website to represent every bit of our game, from the YouTubers to the impractical creeper mugs. Now, thanks to the slinkiest devs and hottest wordsmiths in the business, that day has finally come.
The humble Mojang blog has served us well. We’ve reported on updates, new editions, DLC packs, billion dollar acquisitions, multiple Minecons, charity game jams, unexpected EULA tweaks, and lots, lots more. Despite all that, it’s still felt like an inward-looking place.
The new Minecraft.net has a wider perspective. Though we’ll still report on all of the above (hopefully no more EULA stuff – that kinda stressed me out), we’re planning to highlight the incredible things you create on a daily basis, introduce you to the Mojang staff, give insight into development, and riff on all things Minecraft, from our favourite mobs to the humble grass block.
Honourable word-goblin, Marsh has been preparing a selection of articles to get you started. Marsh comes from a background in journalism and illustration and joined Mojang almost a year ago. He’s a keen artist, baker, and reader of historical novels about naval battles.
I’m Owen. You’ll see a lot of my work on the site. Though it feels like a distant past (I’ve been here for almost five years!), I also share a background in games journalism. When I’m not writing introductory posts I enjoy playing games, riding bikes fast, and painting Blood Bowl teams.
I’m particularly pleased with our snazzy quote box. It makes everything you say look super clever and important, even when it’s me being quoted – and that’s some achievement!MARSH DAVIES
We’ve split our content into four vague categories and even included a fancy filter that sorts the grid according to your disposition. Don’t be shy! Give it a try!
Culture is dedicated to the amazing folk who’ve made Minecraft what it is today: the community! YouTubers, modders, Add-On creators, server owners, cosplayers and even the deviant artists. Check out our interview with Jesper Öqvist, creator of the outstanding rendering tool, Chunky, or feast your eyes on this amazing console build, Valley of the Iris, to get started.
Insider is a peek behind the curtain. It digs into development secrets, inspiration behind our updates, DLC, game mechanics, and more! This is where you’ll become a Minecraft and Mojang expert, learning about who we are and what we’re up to. The Secrets of Shrunk is a deep dive into one of 4J’s Battle Mode maps. Discover the games that made prolific Minecraft developer, Searge, into the man he is today in our Top 5 feature.
Merch shows off the cool things made by our partners around the world. But don’t worry – it’s not just a bunch of adverts. We’re picking our favourite bits and giving some insight into why they’re special.
Then there’s News. As you might have guessed, this section hosts the most up-to-date info about all editions of Minecraft. It’s basically what Mojang.com has been until today, so if you’re just looking for the cold hard facts, go there and be square. Not really. Please read the news. It’s super important.
OK! Enough from me. Thanks for visiting the new Minecraft.net and come back soon – there’s a lot more on its way!
The Swedish video game developer Mojang, already announced at Minecon 2016 that Minecraft Pocket Edition, which cost $6.99, is finally getting Add-Ons. The developers see it as the first step towards the sandbox video game getting greater levels of customization by letting a player mess around in ways they couldn’t before.
Right after the panel, the video game developer posted a short video that talked about how add-ons can make the mobs become different in various ways. The video was a very brief taste of what’s to come for “Minecraft,” but now, Mojang has posted online the full panel video that showcases the “Minecraft” add-ons in action.
For instance, a “Minecraft” player can see sheep with creepers riding them and blowing them up around. The “Minecraft” panel also talks about the future of the new features, according to Touch Arcade.
Meanwhile, the Exploration Update of “Minecraft” for PC has also been released. The shulker box is one of the most interesting additions in the game, which is found in the latest “Minecraft” update.
The shulker box serves as a storage space for anything that a “Minecraft” player wants to keep, and this addition is something that “Minecraft” fans have been longing for. When the shulker box is not in use for survival, the feature can be used as a decorative item, based on the report of Kotaku.
Also, a big addition that is heading to “Minecraft” is the Woodland Mansion, a dungeon that gamers will occasionally find in wooded locations. The mansion in “Minecraft” is inhabited with spell-casting mobs called the Illagers. These spell-casting mobs also have the abilities to summon villains, and attack “Minecraft” players.
Nevertheless, the new add-on to this update is the existence of llamas. These llamas can be used to transport items, or become a caravan during travels of a “Minecraft” players.
Believe it or not, some people aren’t that bothered about Minecraft.
Mojang’s blockbuster building game drops players into huge, randomly-generated worlds and then leaves them to it. There are no tutorials to guide you, no narrative to provide context and no clearly defined goals – there’s the whole Ender Dragon thing, but it’s not exactly signposted.
But figuring out the rules of the land and making discoveries is part of Minecraft’s appeal, and that level of freedom is part of what makes it so popular.
Dragon Quest Builders, on the other hand, feels much more like a traditional video game. Sure, you’re able to dig up the land, build homes and craft items, but there’s also a proper story, lots of missions and even the odd screen-filling boss battle.
It may never topple the behemoth that Minecraft, but here’s 5 ways Dragon Quest Builders beats Mojang’s blockbuster.
1. Dragon Quest Builders Teaches you the Basics
The first thing you’ll notice about Dragon Quest Builders is that it actually explains what it is you have to do, how to dig up the land, build homes, attract villagers, fight enemies and generally be creative.
The tutorials actually feel a little restrictive at first, as players wade through scrolls of text just to dig up some blocks and find out how to escape the chamber you awaken in.
But as the game goes on and the missions start to rack up, the tutorials start to feel less intrusive and a more natural – not to mention incredibly useful – part of the game. They’re well implemented and ensure you don’t miss anything the game has to offer.
2. Dragon Quest Builders Has a Proper Story
Dragon Quest Builders is set in the land of Alefgard, which as fans will tell you, is where the original Dragon Quest takes place. A shell of its former self and populated by monsters, the hero awakens with the power to rebuild the world and defeat evil.
While that doesn’t sound particularly inspired, it’s actually all based on the parallel ending of Dragon Quest, where the hero accepts the Dragonlord’s suggestion that each character rules half of the world. Of course, it was all a ruse, and the world has gone to pot by the time you start things off.
It’s a fantastic way of tying together old and new, making great use of the Dragon Quest mythology to entice fans.
3. Dragon Quest Builders Has More Structure
As much as we love Minecraft, it’s definitely lacking a little structure. The same can’t be said for Dragon Quest Builders, which is fit to burst with fighting, side-quests and missions to keep players busy.
It starts off with simple requests to build homes, retrieve items and attract new villagers, but pretty soon you’re fending off waves of enemies and even fighting bosses.
But just because it’s a more structured experience, you still have the freedom to carry out tasks as you see fit, and build your village in your image.
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A great story of a young boy and a lost creature is the base for the highly anticipated The Last Guardian out in 2016
4. Dragon Quest Builders Has Better Combat
Minecraft’s enemies certainly have their charms – the Creepers are just that – but Dragon Quest Builders takes combat to another level.
There are giant birds, stone Golems and of course, huge Dragons. Combat is a big part of Dragon Quest Builders, and why it feels like more of a traditional gaming experience.
Oh yeah, and there’s Slimes to contend with, too, so that’s a plus!
5. Dragon Quest Builders Has Better Visuals
Minecraft’s visuals are simple and effective, but Dragon Quest Builders’ graphics are even more colourful and stylish, hearkening back to the 8-bit era, which makes sense given the connection to the original game.
The only downside is the camera, which because of the third-person perspective, doesn’t do you many favours when you’re stuck indoors.
“Minecraft” fans will be happy to receive fresh new content that comes with the latest update, Content Update 33, which is now live. The update can now be downloaded for PlayStation 3, PlayStation 4 and PlayStation Vita. The game update pretty much featured additional content in the form of new enchantment, new blocks, a new mob and more.
As stated in the patch notes from 4J Studios, three new items have been added to “Minecraft” for console, namely: Beetroot, Beetroot Seeds, and Beetroot Soup. Players can also augment items through FrostWalker and Mending enchantments. Terrain generation features have also been added, introducing Fossils and Igloos.
The polar bear is now the new mob; sounds for the polar bear, squid, snowman, cow, horse, item frames, witch, paintings and leash knots have also been added. One of the most noteworthy additions is the Chinese Mythology Mash-up pack, which costs $4.99. This new “Minecraft” content is inspired by Chinese legends and myths and will take players to a new world where dragons exist. The full patch notes for “Minecraft” Content Update 33 can be found here.
Meanwhile, the Exploration Update for PC has also been released. As noted by Kotaku, the “shulker box” is one of the most interesting additions found in this latest “Minecraft” update. The shulker box serves as a storage space for anything players want to keep – and this is something that “Minecraft” fans have wanted for so long. When not in use for survival, the shulker box can be used as a decorative item.
Also, a big addition making its way to “Minecraft” is the Woodland Mansion, a dungeon that players will rarely find in wooded locations. The mansion is populated with spell-casting mobs known as Illagers, who also have the abilities to summon villains, and attack players. Also new to this update is the existence of llamas. These guys can be used to transport items or become a caravan during travels.
Microsoft
Quantic Dream
YouTube
Microsoft
Microsoft
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