So perhaps I should name
this “Granny goes gaga over games!” In truth, only the Minecraft game and it
did not begin very well at all. It all started on 3/2/16 as I ventured online in pursuit of Minecraft and found
instead a whole new level of discomfort. Feelings of incompetence with online navigation
is not new to me, but this is a game children play, including my two eight
year-old grandchildren.
I figured they could help me, but neglected to factor
in that I do not see them every day as we do not live near each other. And when
we get together, they expect me to do other things.
My grandson did try to show me how to navigate the
screen when we went to the mall. But kids like to show their skills, not showing their dear old granny (or Mimi as he
calls me) the baby steps I desperately needed. So, I went back to my reading
and mini-demos in the hope they would show me how to begin. They did not. But I
did learn lots of interesting Minecraft dirt (hee hee) which I’d love to share
with you. First, let me get back to my endless stream of gaming discomfort…
From the initial steps on
my laptop, there was trouble; Amazon would not send the game to my computer but
promised it would appear instantly on my Amazon Fire. That happened to be
buried in my closet as nobody was using it including me. It was a lovely gift
from work, all set up and ready to go but completely dead. I resurrected the
poor tablet and put it on the charger, confused as to why they couldn’t simply
send it to my laptop. It all made sense later when I realized I was buying the “pocket”
edition, made for phone or tablet (duh). Once up and running, I tried a
practice game offered by Amazon, “Sidewalk Surfer” (my very first online game).
I was horrible, but someone had a lower score so I felt redeemed. Until I
realized they might be very small children. Discomfort returned; next I could
not get off the page, but finally did. Good grief!
A few days later, I began
to explore Minecraft online; I wanted to understand what it was about before I
tried it on the tablet. This helped me feel a little more in control and I
enjoyed learning about this amazing phenomenon. A sandbox game is fine by me—I
am a beach lover.
Placing and breaking blocks is also fine—until I actually tried
it myself. One needs to be very careful where they place the blocks they choose
to use. I gained lots of basic information from their site and hoped to find
the actual demo; it never downloaded so I watched all the shorter clips and
took notes (yup, I am a nerd) so I could have a clue when I began the game. But
do let me share the game history!
Markus "Notch" Persson
It was created in 2009 by a Swedish
programmer and gamer named Markus “Notch” Persson, with co-founders Jakob
Porser and Carl Manneh. Working with the company Mojang, in late 2010, they
developed the game further and in 2014, Mojang was picked up by Microsoft.
Markus and his pals are doing alright. The game itself is “procedurally
generated” and as a player you can focus on gathering resources, building your
lego-type fortress, crafting, decorating, or adding people and animals too.
It
all starts with “punching trees” which is actually fun to do, and necessary to
clear areas and get supplies. If you prefer risks, you might try combat instead
of creative mode. And it is all set on a sandy beach with the ocean nearby. The
world you create can be endless once you get to where you have cleared the way
and can start to play. So, throughout March, my Minecraft 101 training began
and I bothered my grandkids to show me stuff—anything! But as I begged for
help, I realized that this was just a game they played and “made it up” as they
went along—just like when my son and grandson are in Legoland, playing with the
blocks.
When they are done, the next dad and son knock their creation down and
use the blocks to start their own. I needed to just do it (like a Nike ad). So,
I reread all my highlighted notes, and printouts to prepare to play. How
ridiculous am I? But, I thought it would help, and (sort of) did--once I got things
started. The Parents Guide to Minecraft
did offer some level of comfort to my awkward beginning.
Realizing that I could
stay in creative mode was a big step for me; the problem was getting the knack
for punching trees, and then using tools to break walls. Little steps, and my
notes, got me there. The procedural concept
turned out to be fascinating as each new “map” or world is unique. I have three
different worlds that are my crazy creations. One of them, my favorite, got
lost for a while when visiting my brother in Italy. But do let me explain…
After I got through the basics for starting up (punching trees, getting
supplies, using picks and other tools) I learned the importance of torches. My
first, and still favorite world was going to be a beachfront castle.
By other people’s standards,
it is still very simple but to me it was a masterpiece. Except the one wall was too
big and cumbersome—it was ugly. So, I tried to break it but it would not budge.
Then I had an idea—I’d use the dynamite to bust through it! But, the dynamite
would not blow. Instead, it seemed to grow, and grow, and grow. It was taking
up the whole screen and none of the tools would work! Well, I needed a kid, and
I knew it.
4/21/16 My brothers first
birthday party, up in Casalino, had--you guessed it--many kids so I found one
who really knew Minecraft. It was Gabrie, who I’ve known since he was a baby,
and one of the best-natured kids you could find. With his older brother Elia to
help with translations, he suggested I use the torch to light the dynamite. WOW!
Why didn’t I think of that?
The child is obviously brilliant, so I thanked him
and once back in Firenze, I pulled out the game, lit the dynamite with the
torch and it blew sky-high so fast, I couldn’t get a picture.
Happily I noted
that the property was not damaged, or the sheep, cow, and occasional dog (he
comes and goes). At first, I had no idea where the animals came from but I
evidently clicked them in when I first went into settings; I’m quite pleased as
they are noisy but fun company. The days and nights come and go quickly but
when you lose your way at night it can be spooky so I did add some torches to
key areas for light.
Because I still had questions for Gabrie, and wanted to
thank him for his suggestion, I couldn’t wait till we went to the Rossi’s for
dinner (and another birthday party for Timmy!). While we waited, I added
animation to the water in settings, but needed to figure out how to get the
Lego man on the screen. Luckily, I started to get better at navigating and revisited the first “world” I created. Now I could add and remove things with ease, which made me feel much better. I decided to return
after I got more tips from Gabrie, the Minecraft wizard.
4/26/16 Finally, Tuesday night arrived and with my tablet handy, off we went to dinner
at the Rossi’s. As we were sitting on the couch chatting with Fillipo and
Serena waiting for the kids to finish their homework, little Giuseppe wanted to
see my Minecraft game. Of course, I let him—I was the guest, and he is an adorable five year-old. My sister and I
watched as he quickly navigated the screen to places I’d never seen. He seemed
quite gifted. Just then, Gabrie arrived and looking dismayed, grabbed
my tablet from his brother. It seems little Giuseppe does not know how to play
and navigated so far away from my castle that we could not find it! Very sadly,
I put the tablet away. But Gabrie gave me a lesson on the one upstairs;
actually we all watched. And then I understood how much one could do with this
game. The videos on YouTube demonstrated the games potential, but this was a ten year-old kid creating amazing things in front of our eyes! I cannot make the roller coaster
he made at the end of his lesson—I don’t even know if I could on the tablet, with guidance—but
I did pick up more basics that have helped me with building and breaking
through walls; simple but necessary skills.
5/2/16 Finally,
after starting another new world, and fixing up a little on my very first one,
I found my island with my sheep and dog! At first I could not get it to the
forefront but there were animals with illuminated eyes and my lego man—the one
I couldn’t get on the screen—bobbing around in the water.
The other Lego man
was digging a hole with a huge piling, so I must have clicked on them enough times
to make two. He must be camera-shy as he moved each time I tried to take a photo. Next I figured out how to manipulate the screen to my favor and brought my island retreat to the center.
After
watching Gabrie, I’ve been placing torches along walls, perimeters, and caverns
for light and safety. I still cannot get the food to appear on the tables so I
have food walls and doors. I see that to really master this
game would take much longer, but I am content with the steps I’ve learned.
Game-playing is a pleasant diversion, and kids actually have that kind of time
to invest.
5/3/16 My sheep has grown and it is huge! I finally got my house back to
normal and moved the bed (enormous) as well as two crafting tables. One table is on the deck and the other on the first floor patio; I added a picture to the
wall and some more torches, but still cannot get food on the tables. The
animals seem to nibble the food walls so it’s okay. They all make happy sounds
and the sea creatures’ splash and play; perhaps I should move there and join
the fun.
The other two worlds are
nowhere near as done but the one is a cavern and quite crazy; there are many
active lego men of different colors and design; their activity is very intriguing.
The
remaining world was always raining and although I tried to do some
building it was hard to work in the rain (no kidding). I just got to revisit
that one, as the rain finally stopped but didn't build much. Instead, I cleared areas and planted some lovely tulips.
After all this worrying, and major feelings of discomfort, failure
and desperation just trying to master what my grandkids “pick up” from
experimenting, I am quite pleased that I got this far with my limited skills.
And I’d recommend it as a fun alternative to watching TV or other sedentary
pastimes—when you are able to build anything you feel like you accomplished
something great! And if you have kids who play they might even show you a few
things…
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