I don’t think there is a single person at this school who doesn’t know what Minecraft is. Now over a decade old, the game went from an indie title to a media juggernaut unlike any other. I remember my first time playing Minecraft, clustered around the old family computer with my older sister, with great fondness. One of the most popular aspects of the game is the multiplayer mode, which allows you to create worlds where you can play with others. Players in those worlds can come together to build and survive, or they can fight against each other for dominance over their cuboidal kingdoms; whatever you can imagine can be done.
About a week ago, I noticed an invitation in the Mt. A Tabletop Gaming Society Discord server to a Minecraft Realm (a term that refers to a multiplayer Minecraft world) and immediately jumped at the chance to join. The invitation came from Matthew Cooke, a second-year environmental science student who worked with his friend Jacob Kent, a second-year music major, to continue the idea for a Minecraft server he made for a group of friends last year. Both students said they enjoyed the building aspect of the game, but Cooke put a particular emphasis on the social aspect. “My friends and I are all very into creating new and innovative styles of buildings and structures using various combinations of materials. We love competing with one another to see who can create the most impressive build,” he said.
Based on my experience in the world, it is easy to see the amount of love and care the players put into their creations. Each building I saw was beautiful, and the evidence of new projects in various stages of completion was everywhere.
When I joined the server to play for the first time, I spawned far from where the group had decided to start building. Thankfully, another player was happy to find and lead me to the mountain, where everyone else was setting up. The world has a fun, relaxed attitude where everyone is working together to make the best looking area. I had a lot of fun playing with everyone and plan to continue to do so.
According to Kent, “it’s a really chill server, as long as they don’t mess with other people’s builds and areas, anyone is welcome to join.” To that end, readers looking to take part in the game can contact Cooke or Kent on discord (Sunspot#5316 or ImJK#5073), or contact Kent on Instagram @thatsjacobkent.
