"We all know that Minecraft is huge! The overwhelming success of Minecraft undoubtedly surprised a lot of people given it's lo-fi graphics, fully open environment, and goal-less play. Yet, it has sold 33 million copies, and it's not just individual players who love it: it's in schools, and even the UN! The game's distinct qualities have made it a massive hit and critical darling, so you'd think it would have spawned tons of imitators. But it hasn't and we wondered why? Maybe the reason is that Minecraft isn't just a new game, but an actual paradigm-shifting invention!! Is this the case?"

As always a great video from Game/Show to start off 2014, that said I take a few points with it. First off Jamin doesn't seem to note Terraria, Starbound or Don't Starve as games that have come out post Minecraft. They also doesn't note games like Minetest that look to completely re-create Minecraft as free software.

If you look at the amount of games that have come after Minecraft, there is a clear trend to many of the elements that make Minecraft what it is. Survival and monsters coming out a night is being covered by Rust, Fortnite and Don't Starve. There are few new games where crafting and mining are the focus such as Starbound, Everquest Next and Steamworld Dig.

I sort of disagree with Jamin on this video as Minecraft has spawned many "Minecrafty" games as well as influenced other games core mechanics. Maybe none of them are as financially successful as Mojang's classic, but the genre is firmly established.

Azurephile   Super Member wrote on 01/17/2014 at 01:57am

Interesting video. I also noticed how Terraria was not mentioned. I also noticed that it seems his glasses don't have lenses. I know, weird observation. Minecraft's popularity is huge and I think it's a great game. It does seem to be really popular among those who are 15 or younger, but many of us older people enjoy it, too. I probably wouldn't have gotten into it if it wasn't for my 9 year-old son, though. Hehehe.

jdodson   Admin   Post Author wrote on 01/17/2014 at 02:05am

Never noticed his glasses have no lenses, I guess that's to keep the glare down. :D

Azurephile   Super Member wrote on 01/17/2014 at 03:21am

As I said, it's a weird observation. I noticed the glare on the frames, but there was no glare where the lenses should be. Maybe they are there and just really good at looking invisible. Why just wear frames, though? Could it be to look smart? I don't know, it's weird.

Anyway, I'm glad that I've finally commented on someone else's post. I really want to be more active on here instead of just posting and replying to comments on my posts. I'm still wondering how you and others were able to imbed a video or an image in a post. Is it done with HTML? I don't know, I tried once before and it didn't seem to work.

jdodson   Admin   Post Author wrote on 01/17/2014 at 03:46am

I'll hit you a personal message on how to do it.

Azurephile   Super Member wrote on 01/17/2014 at 10:56pm

Oh, the guy in the video (Jamie is it?) is wrong on one point. He may have been right at the time he recorded the video, but Minecraft does have a tutorial. I played the demo on the PS3 and that demo is a tutorial. I don't know if that's the case with the XBox (or even if the XBox has a demo). Still, the game does throw you into a world letting you do what you want. Before I played Minecraft, I read some guides and watched some good YouTube videos about how to play, which was quite entertaining.

jdodson   Admin   Post Author wrote on 01/17/2014 at 11:04pm

His name is Jamin Warren.

If you want to join this conversation you need to sign in.
Sign Up / Log In