Minecraft Beyond Construction And Survival

Minecraft is an alluringly moving target to try to pin down, and so in order to assess how it is "well-played"-well-designed and iteratively well-redesigned, in this particular case-we need to think more broadly about the approach the developers have taken toward the creation of the game in addition to its formal game mechanics.  Need realtor That is, we can't assess only the design of the game itself however, we must be aware of the changing goals of the game's creators as well as the actions of players in the game, and what interactions between designer and players mean for the game's evolution. This paper will describe the game and track its progress through the Alpha and Beta stages. Then, I'll highlight the two key player activities within the game-construction and survival. I'll then explain how the game's success is due to the interrelations and tensions that exist between these two areas of play. In the final part, I'll explain how Minecraft's tensions between construction and survival have caused it to be seen more as an entertainment platform, one which is overtly afforded by the game's design and that has led to fascinating experiments in games for learning, game play as an instructional space, and games as playgrounds to explore artistic goals.