Or Mac, if you’re keeping track. A week ago, I broke down and bought the “full” computer version of Minecraft for the kids to play. We have a couple of Mac Minis (the old and the new) and a couple of monitors. Miranda has been asking for it for a long time. The kids have been playing the “PE” (Pocket Edition) version for iPad/iPod for over a year and having great fun with it. But always it has been known that the “full” version has a lot more features and richer gameplay.
So I milked the $7 iOS version as long as I could, but with the Olympics over it seemed like there was an opportunity to try it out. They just play games on the local network (instead of playing on an Internet server). Unfortunately, since they like to play together, I needed to purchase two $27 accounts instead of one. And now they are bugging me to get a third license so that I can play with both of them. Not sure I’m going to do that, but it might happen.
So this weekend, I set up the second computer on the kitchen island with my new ergonomic arm holding up the monitor. Miranda and Ian played lots of Minecraft this weekend. It was mostly in “creative” mode instead of “survival”. Highlights included: learning how to tame a wolf so it became a dog, riding pigs, riding horses, protecting villagers from zombie attacks, and making invisibility potions.
It is such a free-form game, it’s not funny. Just a huge, rich, malleable world to do in as you wish. It reminds me so much of Lego, but much more immersive. I commented to Tammy that I would have given my eye teeth to have such a game when I was their age. I like playing it, but I don’t care for the “creative” mode as much. I like “survival”: you have to earn everything, and anything you build is under constant threat from monsters. 🙂
