Notes

T w e n t y s i d E d

I'd like to ask a question to Shamus Shamus and your readers: how is Minecraft, prior to 1.0/.8/9 actually a game?



Let me explain. IE was used on computers to have fun. What exactly is a gaming program? My view is that games are composed of rules, objectives, and structures that are integral to the core gameplay.



Terraria is a game like minecraft. It comes with bosses and loot as well as a more complicated and interesting crafting system. Even then it more resembles an toy as opposed to an actual game. Toys are more creative, and often collaborative, and lack the rules and goals that make a game, one.



Let's take a look at some of the real games and toys.



Chess is a game which you must outwit your opponent using superior tactics and take his King. Each unit moves according to the rules.



Lego's is a toy that allows you to create simple structures and express creativity. The aim is to create it yourself.



DnD is a type of game where you must survive as long and make as much money as you can while playing as a character. What makes it a game is that it is organized by clearly definable rules which structure it's play. For example the d20 roll is the basis for every action in the game.



Barbies and various play figures toys that allow the fantasies of adolescent youth about maturation can be fulfilled. There are no rules that govern the actions, and no general purpose.



Football is a game in which players attempt to move the ball from the line of scrimmage to an area on opposite sides of the field. Each player is assigned a specific position that is governed by specific rules and carries actual consequences if they violate them.
Farming Is A Profession Of Hope


My concern with Minecraft is, where is the goal, with 1.0 you can beat the dragon but before that, what are the real purpose of the game beyond what you yourself, set out for yourself. Minecraft is more of a tool that players transform into a game, rather than a real game. Go [direction] is one example. It is the players trying to accomplish their goals as the form of a toy, with hardly any fundamental gameplay mechanic.



You could claim that this is a strength. I'm just asking for justified arguments as to the reason why it's a game. It doesn't matter if the game is good or bad. It's evident that it's a fun toy.



You might argue that Minecraft is an experience due to the death mechanic, this is largely a non-issue because it doesn't have the proper gravitas to cover death in any meaningful way other than teleporting. A similar genre game(pure Sandbox) The Sims covered death in a way with more consequences, when the Sim died, you lost that Sim forever. Your goal was to keep Sims alive and cater for their needs as long as you could.



EDIT: Damn thing published before I was done.



You could argue that surviving as long as possible is the goal of the game, to which my response is that the resources are plentiful and the tools are easily accessible by, the free resurrection leads to an extremely lax mechanism for death. It's almost to the point of it being a nonentity. The player can turn the game off completely to turn off death from any place. This is a clear indication of this being a primarily user created system. This is not an actual enforced gaming structure.


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