Did you ever wonder why so many people are into a world made of blocks and pixelated images? Then you haven’t even tried to play Minecraft!
To the outside viewer, this game doesn’t offer much – after all, we are in the golden age of technology and there are games with far better visual quality on the market. So why choose to have a square cow or dog versus playing an HD FPS game?
Well, the charm of Minecraft overcomes the (what may look like) low quality of graphics. In fact, the very pixelated characters are quite attractive for so many. So, if you’re looking to find out why players can’t seem to let go once they started, we listed the top five features that put Minecraft in the top most popular games.
1: It Lets You Become an Explorer
The Minecraft classic version of the game (there are lots of adaptations) features a huge world, that stretches for miles and miles. In fact, it is considered to be several times larger than the surface of the Earth, which means everyone can go ahead and explore.
Players have the chance of discovering new areas, that have never been seen by anyone else. Also, there’s always a surprise (not always the pleasant kind) hiding after every corner or even in the ground.
Minecraft can be played both at the surface and underground, using caves and digging tunnels. So, if you like travelling but don’t really have the money to do it in real life, Minecraft can be the perfect simulation!
2: You Can Literally Do Anything
Remember the ‘you can be anything you want’ speech your parents/teachers gave you as a kid? Well, it’s not really true. The real world is quite rigid in this aspect and will shape you in a way or another.
However, in Minecraft, there are no limits. Here you can literally do and be anything you want. You can build yourself a luxurious house, a village, a city, and an entire world to rule with an iron fist. There is even a special dimension where you can test your reaction to the dark side of the world (The Nether).
3: It Gets Expensive to Die (in the game)
Every player starts with absolutely nothing (no currency, tools, or shelter). However, if you get to survive the night (there are scary things that are looking to get you, besides valleys, lakes, lava flows, and more) you’ll only be limited by your imagination in terms of what you can achieve.
As you get more invested in the game, you have a lot to lose if you die because you’ll lose absolutely everything you achieved (besides the things you built). Moreover, every time you start a new game, you are placed in a new location of the map so it’s very likely you’ll never get to find the structures you designed.
So, it’s easy to understand why players don’t exactly like to leave their lands and property unattended for a long time.
Now, we know that exploring a world that gives so much while threatening to take it all away in the blink of an eye can be anxiety-inducing. So, if you want to start small, you may want to try other versions such as the Minecraft games on CrazyGames. These take a different approach but come with basically the same features.
4: There’s Always Something To Do
Minecraft is a world where you’ll never get bored. First, there are two main modes: Survival & Creative.
In Survival mode, there are specific tasks to accomplish like collecting wood to craft stuff, find a stick to make a pickax for coal mining, and so on. There’s always something you need to do before you can move on to the other task. Oh, and there’s always some sort of monster or natural element chasing you!
In Creative mode, things are a bit more tame and you get to express the creative side of your personality. After all, when you’re not running for your life or not looking for resources, it’s easier to put your imagination at work.
5: It Gives You The Illusion of Control
The real world is scary because so many variables are completely out of our control. So, in our quest for a better life, this game offers the perfect solution. Regardless of the game mode you choose, you’ll always have a plan to follow. And, outside of dying, there are few things that could ruin your plans (especially in Creative mode).
Overall, Minecraft gives players a sense of purpose that’s usually hard to find in the real world.