Story: Minceraft
If there is one single thing on this burning planet that I have the most in and out, the most hate and love, the most polarizing opinion on, it's definitely Minecraft. I started playing it quite young as most people do, and my first experience with it was watching SkyDoesMinecraft play Cops & Robbers, specifically this one.
I was captivated but the yelling and screaming which really itched my child brain like nothing had prior. I knew I needed to play this immediately, but at this point my family on both sides was extremely broke, so I compromised. I begged my father to rent the Xbox 360 copy of the game from our local RedBox, and he caved.
The excitement I had when holding that flimsy, transparent case after it dropped from the vending machine, unparalleled to anything I had anticipated prior. When my dad pulled up to our house, I unbuckled my seat belt, and bolted for the door. I took the disc out, downloaded the title update, and dived in to what amazed me the most, the tutorial world. Seeing all of what could be done right before my eyes, in my control? It sent neurons firing through my brain, all the possibilities.
After wandering around for what felt like days, discovering every easter egg, and exploring every nook and cranny, I figured it was time to finally make a survival world. Much after this I can't recall either it had such an overwhelming impact on my developing brain that it caused a collapse within my memory or I'm just overwriting old data in my brain for modern day brainrot, either way I don't have much to say regarding my first real experience. I played it for days, pulling me away from my fuzzy box-tv was not a possibility, I was glued.
The unfortunate realization started to occur to me, that I would not be able to continue playing as the renting date was almost over. I pleaded with my dad to buy the actual game, but he refused and stated that I would need to wait for my birthday. The immeasurable disappointment on my face was pouring from my eyes, I couldn't wait those few months, it was a dire situation, but alas I would cope. School would start back up and it would be on my mind. I was drawing bases on graph paper, doodling pixel art, and anything but math. It was always running in the back of my head, Minecraft.
Eventually, fall came overhead, and the second the leaves started to gradient to a soft brown, I knew it was time. October 5th had arrived, and my copy of Minecraft for the Xbox 360 was neatly wrapped as well as a $25 gift card for the Xbox Marketplace. In that moment, time was still, a smile as wide as the long extended simile that could have been shorted but was kept for padding out the sentence was ever-present, from cheek to cheek. To pair with my new found obsession, my mother got me two Minecraft t-shirts. This day was one of the most foundational days of my life. Forever changing how I perceive the world and how I view the endless possibilities that can stem from one person's creativity.
The many nights spent building new bases, building something massive just to destroy it myself, the friends that are no longer in touch but hold a special place in my development and will never truly be forgotten. This is what being a kid should be, and I am forever grateful I got to experience it.