I've blogged about Minecraft a time or two and I take back anything bad I might've ever said about the game. I don't' recall exact comments I made, but I wouldn't be surprised if it included the graphics are archaic, the monsters are silly and there isn't really an end point to the game. Well, I admit it...I was wrong; so very wrong. The game is brilliant and certainly has the potential of being one of the most influential games of this generation.

What I find ironic is I'm currently reading a book about the history of video gaming (blog to follow when I finish it) and the struggles that Will Wright experienced trying to market a game that would eventually evolve into the iconic SimCity. My ability to read isn't the ironic part of course; the ironic part is that publishers were reluctant to pick up SimCity because of its non-standard game play that didn't have a structured story or even an ending. Many experts predicted the game would fail miserably because they thought gamers didn't want to sit around just building stuff. History shows us that the SimCity was published, and it was successful. So, it shouldn't be a surprise that a game like Minecraft would be successful. Some gamers actually enjoy sitting around building a world one block at a time, without the pressure of adhering to a strict storyline just to reach the grand finale of a pre-defined ending. Apparently I'm one of these gamers even though I didn't think I was.

My first exposure to Minecraft was watching someone play it on the PC. To be quite honest, I didn't get it. I didn't see what all the frenzy was about. Sure, it has big levels, I thought, but everything else seems so dated. I heard all sorts of people talking about the game and in nearly every instance I was surprised that so many people were captivated by the game. I've heard all the crazy talk about this notorious "creeper" startling people to the point they jumped or screamed or both. I thought the creeper looked like a deranged Gumby...how on earth could that scare anybody? I just didn't get it.

So, I forgot about it. Well, I mostly forgot about it.

Westley: Why won't my arms move?

Fezzik: You've been mostly-dead all day.

 Minecraft has amassed a huge following, so it's inevitable to stumble across mention of it here and there. I admit when I visited the Smithsonian's The Art of Video Games exhibit, I did purchase a cool Minecraft t-shirt that shows all the different materials in the form of the Periodic Table of Elements. The game even has its own industry event naturally titled, Minecon.

But yes, for the most part, I forgot about it; certainly never played it.

And then...and then it was released for the Xbox 360.

Imagine it, build it! Minecraft: Xbox 360 Edition lets you create worlds from the comfort of your sofa. Play alone or play with your friends. Explore, build and conquer! At night monsters come out, so make sure to build a shelter before that happens. After that, your world is your imagination. Turn your hours into minutes with Minecraft!

Late one night while working on a blog, I watched a few family members playing the Xbox 360 version in the coop mode. It raised my curiosity a wee bit. The two were working in tandem building a rather impressive structure. The following day I decided to give it a chance. See what all the commotion was about.

After about six hours of continuous game play in one setting, I finally tore myself away from the game. I sat there in awe that my entire evening quietly disappeared while I was building a rather spectacular lighthouse complete with an impressive spiral staircase leading up to the top floor. Even as I powered the system down for the night, I was already thinking about what I wanted to create the following day. I can neither confirm nor deny whether I might have dreamed about it that night.

To play a game for six hours straight is certainly not a huge accomplishment, but it is quite out of the ordinary for me. During the week I might play 1-2 hours a night and on the weekend, maybe 4 hours a night. But six hours in one setting is absurd; especially for a game that I initially dismissed for being unimpressive. Equally disturbing is the fact that the time flew by so quickly it felt like I had only played for 15-30 minutes.

Over the course of the next few days (it was a long holiday weekend) I played it a few more times and in each session, I would be so absorbed by the game, I would discover that I had been sitting there many hours without even realizing it (or realizing it and not caring). My latest monumental achievement is a fairly lengthy underwater tunnel constructed out of glass linking one main island to another large, mostly unexplored island. It is an amazing accomplishment that required an extensive collection of resources and an extraordinary amount of time. But looking at it during the night, seeing the faint glow of torches from below the water line, it is a marvel to behold.

What makes this game so spectacular?

I have no idea.

And that is truly one of the mystical properties associated with the game. Even as I write about it now, every instinct native to a hardcore gamer says I shouldn't like this game...says I should scoff at it and dismiss it and play a real game. But I can't shake it. I want to build...I want to explore...I want to create (I'm currently working on a rather impressive pyramid). I can't explain it and I don't know what it is about the game that is so addictive and compels gamers into spending hours playing a game with no ending.

For such a "basic" game it has some rather advanced concepts.

For example, my pride and joy - this glass tunnel - required a ton of glass blocks. You can't just go by Home Depot and buy a truckload of these blocks; you have to construct them from sand. So, you find yourself a stretch of desert terrain and you start digging...by hand. A tool might make digging easier, so I have the option of constructing a wooden shovel; or if I've mined some stone, I can create a stone shovel which digs quicker and lasts longer. Once I've collected a load of sand, I can build a stove, add some fuel (wood, coal or lava) and the sand of course, wait a few minutes...and voila - glass blocks.

That seems pretty complex for a game that appears to be so simple.

Such a simple game, yet it has a day / night cycle.

Such a simple game, yet it has weather effects that include rain and thunderstorms.

Such a simple game, yet your weapons and equipment wear out with use.

Such a simple game, yet you can dig deeper and build higher than every game I've ever played.

Such a simple game, yet highly addictive and so much fun.

Did I really ever claim the monsters were silly?

You have giant spiders that attack you with a relentless fervor; zombies pursuing you through the night; skeletons that can fire arrows at you and drain your health in seconds and of course...the creeper; the dreaded creeper. The creeper has this uncanny ability to sneak up on you while you're mining sand or some other valuable commodity...and detonate itself. Depending on the material, the ensuing damage can be extensive and leave a nice little crater where the creature once stood. If it's near your house or one of your other creations, it can be a devastating blow. I now understand why people fear the creeper so much.

At the end of the day (or maybe I should say - at the end of the night) I can't really explain the allure of the game but I can tell you it has gripped me like no other game has. It proves that story isn't everything; good graphics aren't everything; an ending that provides closure isn't everything...

...and that some gamers really do enjoy sitting around just building things.