What This Beginner Has Learned from Minecraft So Far

Photo credit: Andy Dingley.

Photo credit: Andy Dingley.

My first few attempts to figure out the game Minecraft last year were short-lived and frustrating for reasons I’ll get into later on in this post. I loved the idea of the game, but I hadn’t quite gotten the hang of it yet.

Fast forward to earlier this week. After several false starts, I decided to give the game yet another try. This time I finally started having a lot of fun with it.

What changed? Well, I now have a computer that doesn’t freeze up when the game is running, for one thing. I’m also in a place in my life where I’m more willing to put the time needed into learning something new.

The first few times I played this game, I ended up accidentally damaging things in the game because my computer would freeze up just as I was trying to do something. If you hit the wrong button enough times, you can destroy a carefully-construsted wall or fence. When you’re playing a game where monsters come out at night and attack you, that is a terrible idea.

So what have I learned?

  1. You need the right tools. My old computer was good for surfing the web, but it simply wasn’t fast or smart enough to play a graphics-heavy game like this one. Having the right tool made it much easier for me to learn basic things like how to run, chop down a tree, or build a house because I wasn’t regularly seeing everything freeze up at a critical moment.
  2. Sometimes it takes a few attempts to figure out the basics. My spatial skills aren’t strong. I haven’t played enough video games to have an intuitive understanding of how they work. Some people, I’m sure, take to Minecraft like a duck takes to water. It took me a little longer to get into it, though, and that’s okay.
  3. The extra effort is worth it. I’m not embarrassed to admit being a little obsessed with this game now. The extra effort I needed to get into it was so worth it, and I want to build  safe houses and farms everywhere in it so that I never run out of food or a place to stay when it gets dark outside. Ha!

 

6 Comments

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6 Responses to What This Beginner Has Learned from Minecraft So Far

  1. tammy

    Aiden will be thrilled to know that you’ve joined him in this obsession.

  2. Michael Mock

    Yep. Now you’ll be able to talk to children everywhere.

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