Minecraft (PS4)

[VideoGameCritic]

Just played through the tutorial.  Is it just me, or is this just a colossal waste of time?  It takes "crafting" (which I despise) to a whole new level.

[Gilly1]

I'm not sure it's a game.

[HardcoreSadism1]

What creativity program (games, apps, whatever) isn't a waste of time?

[PinMike86661]

Minecraft is essentially digital Legos; not much of a game and more of an open-environment creation experience that greatly encourages creativity. The game itself is about surviving an abandoned island and gathering utilities to bulid a new civilization; however, the number of town themes you can create is the best reason to get into it. Not really my cup of tea, since like Little Big Planet, the actual gameplay seems weak, but I can very easily see why people love those games.

Here's my personal favorite Minecraft creation I've seen:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=afcudstM9zA

[Vexer1]

Never got what the big deal about this was, looks extremely boring, this is one game I will never play for as long as I live, i'd sooner suffer through every single game on the TVtropes "So Bad It's Horrible" video game section then subject myself to this.

[FinalLapTwinkie1]

I have watched it played a few times. The game seems to require an IMAGINATION. Mine was used up as a kid playing on the Atari 2600. The 2600 games were great but some took real imagination. Adventure and Night Driver come to mind.

[Rev1]

I don't think I could play Minecraft without getting sidetracked after 5 minutes. I have zero patience for games like these. Still, some of the creations are pretty interesting. I clicked on the youtube page and apparently it took this guy like 2.5 months to make that Beetlejuice page. I can't imagine how much time he/she had to put in everyday to get that roller coaster done. That person has far more patience then I ever will.

[BanjoPickles1]

This is one of those "I respect it but I'm not really into it" sort of games. I like that the designer tried something that was against the grain of what is currently popular and saw it succeed.

.....but yeah, the concept alone makes me tired. I can't imagine dumping 100+ hours into it!

[scotland171]

Think about Minecraft as being part of the diversity of the hobby, and a great ambassador.   Once people who played video games were not 'gamers' but 'arcaders', but home computers and consoles like the NES taught us that the hobby is bigger than all that.   And it keeps getting bigger, from Oregon Trail to SimCity to Myst to Minecraft.   Video games don't need to be about collecting gold coins or outgunning aliens, but can be about anything.  Anything. 

We all game for different reasons - and Minecraft scratches a very different itch than many games.  Its not Madden or Mario, to be sure.  I'm not surprised many here don't like it, as evidenced by the system with most votes being the Atari 2600, the most arcade port focused system ever. 

Video games have grown beyond being a hobby, into just the tools of many hobbies (like computers in general).  We confuse things by thinking of Mario and Minecraft and Myst and Mortal Kombat as all 'video games', when really, they are different hobbies that just happen to be played using the same equipment.

If I have a piano, I can play like Liberace, or like Jerry Lee Lewis, or I can play ragtime, or gospel, or bang out the Bonnie Banks of Loch Lomond.  Its all piano, but no one would confuse Horowitz with Fats Domino.  We need to see video gaming tech as being as all encompassing as a piano is to music.

If you like American Football, you probably put in a 100 hours over half a year watching.  Maybe you do volunteer work, or build model ships...as Dave said once, hobbies are what we do after we've done what we have to do.  They are our leisure pursuits.  Minecraft is creative, imaginative, and you can share what you build.  I've heard of worse hobbies.  Sure, its a bit like spending a lot of time making sand castles or becoming really good at balloon animals, but no harm in that as long as you are getting your other jobs done. 

And if Minecraft becomes one of the big faces of gaming (and it was one of the expressions of gaming at the Macy's parade last month) than I think we all benefit by having a nice creative non-violent game that people and parents can embrace.  There are enough Call of Battlefields: Zombies Evolved kind of games, we can use a little good press.  And who knows, 20 years from now someone famous will probably say it (whatever it is) all started by their love of minecraft.

[VideoGameCritic]

This game is killing me.  Played it for about two hours.  I can build furniture and a simple shelter but really don't have a desire to build an entire kingdom.  I tried the split-screen mode with a friend but we didn't get very far.

I'm really not into it, but like a reader mentioned, the game does belong on the site, if only for completeness sake.  

It's a strange game.  It really doesn't have an end.  What you can do is only limited by your imagination, time, and patience.

I think I might try to stick it out for a few more hours and try to bang out a review.  I might be tempted to use Not Applicable for the grade.

Advice?