Minecraft Review Essay Example

Minecraft holds no limits, and neither does the human mind. In this modern-day, the world continues to slowly mix reality and fantasy. With AR technology, the ever-expanding world of video games, and the growing need for entertainment our world is becoming a digital paradise. Dreamers and engineers are coming together to create a new world - and it all started with Minecraft. Even from the beginning, it was different from other online games as it required the player to gather materials to build structures - the first link to reality. As the game grew in popularity, the platform developed into what it is today, with nearly 126 million players active. Opportunities that were once impossible became open to people all around the world. Education, freedom, technology, and creativity worked together to inspire and spark a fire in a new generation.

Originally, Minecraft was made to simply be a game where you explore, build and fight. Now, it has grown into so much more than that. With the introduction of multiplayer gaming, a new form of education developed. Distance learning emerged, breaking down barriers as teachers and students communicate with each other online. Even outside of a professional setting, a new community of thinkers and learners found each other online. Free-reign worlds gave players a safe, uncensored place to explore lessons and teachings often ignored and sometimes even banned in real countries. With few limits, truth and education could be shared without hesitation in chat boxes and in community worlds. Minecraft became a safe haven for dreamers, thinkers, and adventurers. 

On a different level of education, the combination of real-life elements mixed with fantasy in the game generated the ability to teach children in a new, interesting way. Players learn from the game, often without even realizing it. Real stone, ore, wood, species, and environmental factors create a connection to reality, teaching players to recognize materials out-of-game. This creates a positive base in learning, joining education with gaming. Minecraft also builds a skill that is difficult to teach - creativity. A soft skill that is hard to understand and much harder to develop, creativity exists in every single block in Minecraft. There are no limits, no instructions, no rulebook to confine players to a single box. Anything and everything is possible. Players have the ability to create whatever comes to mind, be it from a movie, a book, or reality. Over the course of ten years, players have created life-sized, scale models of cities, both fictional and real. This gives others the ability to explore places that might have otherwise been unavailable and impossible to visit. With more advanced skills, whole engineer feats from elevators to entire theme parks can be created. Without a firm storyline, players can use their imagination to create their own stories. Plus, with the hundreds of specialized modifiers and resource packs available, players can even go beyond the physical limits of the game to continue to grow and create. 

Besides soft skills, Minecraft can be the base for many other skills, striking the match of passion for different career paths. Architecture, engineering, and computer programming are some of the few. Players can create buildings and structures unhindered by the laws of physics and gravity, allowing them a new perspective on real-life and creating the question, “How could I make this real?” There are multiple possibilities related to engineering, most embedded in Redstone creations, also unhindered by the limits of reality. One step deeper is an option in computer programming, where players give the game commands to make creation, destruction, and development easier, as well as opening up even more possibilities. Just like so many fictional things, players often wish for their worlds in-game to be real. This can make them curious about how they can bring their creations to life, which ultimately brings them to the related career fields. 

Though Minecraft was created by Microsoft, the game is kept alive by the players. It is so much more than a platform simply used to craft and mine - it is a place where people can learn unhindered and possibly even find out what they really love. It is a sanctuary untouched by the problems of the real world and can bring new life to education and development. It is a place where education is free and accessible, a place without laws and limits. Players can be whatever they want in Minecraft, and as technology and creativity work together the positive outcomes and possibilities are endless.