Build.  Create.  Survive.  Minecraft gives you the tools to become the master of your own world.  Build soaring towers and deep dungeons, craft items and weapons from your resources, and if you can… survive through the night. [...]

It’s not often that we find a game that breaks the mould.

But once in a while a release will make a noticeable fracture and we can’t help but be impressed.

Minecraft is one of these games.

You’re thrown into a pixelated world reminiscent of DOOM and Wolfenstein 3D, albeit minus the demons and Nazis (same thing really), where crafting and building is essential to your very survival.

The game’s developers have stripped it down to bring about a raw, retro, look.  The frills are gone.  Your polygonal sword looks like a junior school woodwork project, but as our Games Master says, you don’t need perfection to bring the pain.

Crafting is one of Minecraft’s main focuses.  You’ll be gathering lumber, stone, steel and diamonds to build axes, shovels, pickaxe and swords.  By using different combinations of crafting items you’re able to various items like tools and weapons e.g. a pickaxe can be created from a crafting box (4 timbers), a head (3 timbers), and 2 sticks (4 sticks come out of 2 stacked timbers).

Just like in the real world, the tools you’ve created go through wear and tear, so the need to fashion better tools arises.  A wooden pickaxe isn’t fantastic.  A stone one is fine… for a Neanderthal.  Steel would be good too… but diamond; now there’s a powerful, long-lasting tool.

Building also comes in as another important aspect of Minecraft’s gameplay.

WAGE users are creating some impressive architectural wonders on our server:

Here’s a stratoscaper.  That’s like a skyscraper that goes right through the clouds!

We’re not sure if it was one gamer or an Eskimo engineering team on this one… an underwater tunnel complete with ice bricks and windows.

Here’s a skylight built into an artificial waterfall.

A multiplayer team has also built a transcontinental bridge system for carts.

As you can see, simple gaming and complex expression is the essence of Minecraft.

More information on Minecraft can be found their official website with the prepaid price at around R100.

Build your own world on our Minecraft server at IP Address 41.185.60.28.

…and before we go… a fair warning:

Beware the Creepers!