Notes

Move on To Redstone-wired Minecart Railways

Minecraft is an endlessly entertaining game since it doesn't have any plot, an end boss with a time limit, any rules, or even any objectives at all. This freedom allows you to define your own goals and offers many different gameplay options. However, the most well-known way to play (aside perhaps from pixel art) goes like this The idea is to wake up on an island. Punch trees. Escape from monsters. Make weapons. Fight monsters. Start a strip mine or a quarry. A monster-proof base is built with trees, a mob grinder, and a tree farm. You can now move on to redstone-wired minecart railways. Etc.



I believe this game exemplifies an ingrained way of thinking about the concept of colonization, nature and the notions of wilderness/frontier and exploration. You're the only person on earth and the entire land is uninhabited (because neither monsters nor animals count as individuals), and you have the right to mine natural resources and kill (naturally) monsters that are hostile to you as you see fit. Your aim is to control the natural world and establish civilization through fortresses and farms. It should be obvious that there are unfortunate historical associations.



You could argue that aspects of this narrative are built into the game and, in the end was not made in a cultural vacuum. It is possible to turn off monsters but not make them friendly. The tools you can create include swords, pickaxes and bows. Et cetera. But much of the enjoyment of Minecraft comes from players exploiting glitches or finding alternate uses for features to play the game in novel unexpected, unintentional, and definitely unexpected ways. It is possible to purposefully change the rules of the game, and players are doing it every day.



One of the first examples I was able to come across was the clan called Anarcho-Communists of Minecraftia (original forum thread). On multiplayer servers, economies frequently develop, either informally or informally. There are even mods such as iConomy which allow administrators to regulate currency and shops. The ACoM recognized this and formed a group that was strictly anti-capitalist.



Here are some threads on /r/minecraft that discuss single player. They allow people to share their gaming styles. There's nomad mode:



I spend the majority of my time looking around and locating the sources I require to continue. I look for a place to put up my tent for the night in the afternoon. Extremecraft.Net These are usually on the hill's side in natural caves, which I only make small patches of for safety or a simple dirt house close to the water. The goal is simple: affect the landscape as little as possible. Reuse and make the most of supplies. Don't stay in one location for longer than you need. If you do decide to make the move for a short period, keep it as simple and manageable as possible. No large structures, no wasted resources. No storing of resources or supplies. Only take what you require.



There's Falloutcraft, a.k.a. Morlock and Moleman where you can spend all of the game underground. Windwaker (island-hopping) however is a game which allows you to use Biome Terrain Mod to create an archipelago-type of map.



My favorite, though, is "caretaker forest Elf" and (from the comments) similar styles like "caretaker dwarf" and "hollower":



While the caretaker elf isn't able to extract dirt and stone, she might want creepers to blow up any items she's interested in. Because creepers are always seeking ways to blow things up her, she's not afraid to do this. In the end, the massive creeper was responsible for the birth of the world. The caretaker exploits natural formations while making structures - building using them, not destroying them. She also replants trees after they die with the intention of planting more trees than before and so that she can enrich the world.



[...] Interesting issue Does this huge grass plain really want me to plant trees everywhere? should i go somewhere else to do this in case the plains want to be endless and grassy? You may not be concerned, but the caretaker Elf does!



Another commenter describes their style as Lonely Vault-Builder:



I build a tiny home under the surface, leaving the surrounding environment as untouched as possible. To provide me with easy renewable resources, I design underground gardens. Hidden arbors run down to the bedrock by using small shafts and precise bracing. I only leave to take sand from empty islands or wool from roaming sheep. Once I've found a secure and sustainable house with only a touch of glass and light architecture I wander aimlessly for a few minutes in a state of confusion about what to do next.



[...] added to the article: I have also adopted a relatively 'cruelty free game style. I don't slaughter pigs or cows, and I just punch sheep enough to cut them. (I once accidentally punched a sheep into lava. It was a sad incident:) I only attack monsters that are coming after me, but I have no problem collecting feathers and bones at dawn. [...]



All of this has caused me to think about how I could improve my somewhat traditional gameplay. I downloaded a map with many small islands and open ocean. I could build an island base on one of the larger islands, complete with an iron mine and a nice home, then light up and mob-proof each island, one by one...but I think it's time to do something different. I'll build treehouses and stay in caves and mine only the ores that are already open (which is basically iron and coal), and replant every tree I cut down. I'll do my best to build decent shelters however I don't intend on creating weapons and so if a creeper or creeper gets me-well, if I die I'll die! (No problem, since I don't have plans to accumulate many things anyway.) I'll build an inflatable boat and go from island to island in my tiny boat. It will be an adventure!


My Website: https://www.extremecraft.net/