Minecraft is an indie game with a first and third person perspective, where the player must create an unremarkable yet unique world of their own. The entire game is built from cubes, which can be used to construct landscapes, build houses, and whatever the heart desires. Developed by a programmer from Sweden named Markus Persson, the gameplay is reminiscent of Infiniminer and the famous Dwarf Fortress, and it is written in Java.
In late 2009, a version of Minecraft called "Indev" was released, which was newer but potentially buggy. Then came "Infdev" with an infinitely expansive map, followed by alpha and beta versions. In mid-November 2011, after a long period of alpha and beta testing, Minecraft finally took shape as a full-fledged game. The release took place at MineCon on November 18, 2011, in Las Vegas.
Initially, it was distributed for free; however, in December 2010, after the beta test began, the game became paid. The cost during the beta test was around 15 euros, then approximately 20 euros. Minecraft features several game modes, including "Creative" mode, "Survival," "Hardcore," and "Adventure."
"Creative" mode allows players to create anything their heart desires from blocks. There is no limit to the number of cubes. One can play either in a browser or by downloading the game client (for players who purchased a premium account). In this mode, players cannot die.
In "Survival" mode, players not only need to build but also must gather food and strive to survive. After the day, which lasts ten minutes, various extremely dangerous monsters emerge from everywhere. First and foremost, the player needs to build a shelter where they can wait out the dangerous period.
"Hardcore," in turn, is not very different from "Survival" mode and represents its more difficult version. The adventure mode was added to Minecraft after the release of version 1.3.1.
Mobs in the game are divided into neutral, hostile, and friendly. Hostile ones include zombies, skeletons, ender dragons, slimes, etc., and they love to appear in dark places. Friendly ones include sheep, pigs, cows, and chickens. Neutral mobs consist of wolves, spiders, and pigzombies. By killing mobs, the player obtains necessary resources for construction. One of the features of Minecraft is that mobs are not spread throughout the map; they only appear nearby the player.
The game has received high praise from various authoritative publications and has gained an army of fans. Despite the almost complete absence of any advertising campaign, Minecraft is played by tens of millions of gamers worldwide, many of whom possess a premium account. Despite its highly specific graphics, players have fallen in love with the game for its unique and incomparable gameplay.