An appreciation post

2023-01-29

I recently came back to playing Minecraft after “playing it for the memes” with some buddies of mine. We made our first world together on the Xbox one bedrock edition. Spawning in a savanna, looting the nearby village, and building our community on top of a hill with a flat top that overlooked world spawn. Myself and my four friends built our houses together, and provided for one another. I was the dedicated miner, while others were the farmer, the hunter, and the redstoner. For the duration of our playtime on that Minecraft world, all of us were closer than ever before, and we were having fun and enjoying the “meme game.” All while “Sweden,” “Moog City,” and “Chris” played in the background.

I can still remember the first time I downloaded my Minecraft. I had to have been only eleven or twelve. I bought it with an Xbox gift card I got for my birthday. Twenty dollars that would go on to change my life, looking back. I watched each percent go by, and counted down until it got to one hundred. I loaded it up, completed the tutorial world, and made my first ever Minecraft world on Xbox 360. All while being serenaded by the sweet sound of “Sweden.” At this point, I had no idea what Xbox live was, and I couldn't play with my friend who made me buy it in the first place. However, I still have him eight diamonds, a house, and full iron gear for that one day that we would finally be able to play Minecraft together.

Me and my friend eventually figured out that we had to get a gold subscription to get online access of Minecraft, so we each saved our money to get a month of it. Definitely the best month of my childhood. Both me and him watched the big content creators on YouTube and twitch. Ant, Sky, Jerome, Bajan. xRPMx13, among others. We were finally able to play and enjoy the same game that our idols did. We built our own versions of mini-games like spleef and tnt run. Just my friend and I.

We really only played Minecraft together, though. I had friends that wanted to play other games, which, yeah, it was nice to not play the block game continuously, I'll admit, but I still came to Minecraft when I wanted to relax or to create or to take my emotions out on. Those emotions would eventually get the best of me.

I joined the Minecraft community around the Xbox 360 versions equivalent of 1.5, right before the new redstone and jungle biome features came out. We played for years, and we started to fizzle out around the equivalent of 1.8. But, during that gap, Minecraft saved my life. At this point I had to have been thirteen. I was getting better at the game and understood the concept of efficiency. Strip mining on level twelve, only making a wooden pickaxe, collecting just the bare minimum amount of logs to get me in the nearest cave as fast as possible, and much more. What I wasn't efficient at, however, was loving myself. I started to do worse in school, gained weight, and began to really question why I was who I am. It got to the point that I would cry when I woke up, and eventually found myself holding a gun to my head. Fortunately, I didn't hurt myself, and decided to just cry and cry and cry. Nothing made me happy, and all I felt was sorrow. I let myself be for a minute, and just resorted back to what used to give me so much joy: the block game. I had the Java edition, but I wanted to play like I always did, on the Xbox.

Minecraft saved my life. I loaded the very first world that I ever made, and realized that all the good times and good feelings I had outweighed the bad, and that I would be okay. Hearing “Sweden” for the first time in several years made me cry. I was already a wreck, but the piano lullabying me made my heart melt. It's such a calming, soothing tune. I still talk to that old friend, by the way.

I'm seventeen now, and am going into college. If there's anything that I can say or attribute as to why I'm still kicking strong, it's Minecraft and that first wooden box I ever made. Minecraft isn't just a game, it's nostalgia. It's running home from the bus stop, procrastinating on your homework, and staying up past bedtime, just to place those final few blocks. Those blocks changed not only my life, but yours as well.

Thank you Minecraft, you saved my life, and changed countless of other's too.