If you've been following our YouTube account over the last few months, you'll likely have seen some our Minecraft diaries. The creations of our Minecraft community never cease to impress, but every adventure in OXM Land leaves me with a sense of private guilt. Come visit my Minecraft world, and I wouldn't blame you for pointing and laughing.
Actually, you don't even need to visit - the video below contains a whirlwind tour of everything there is to see in my personal realm. For the love of God, please don't show it to my parents.
Most of the work isn't even mine - a couple of random readers on my friends list popped in on Minecraft's launch day, and built a little home in the side of a cliff. Since then I've barely had a chance to build anything. A lone cliff-top wooden hut serves more as a landmark than anything else, and my only other major achievement looks wholeheartedly rubbish from almost any angle.
My obsession with building a floating castle means that most of the time I've spent in this world has been spent gradually chipping away at a mountain. For those of you who've never been tempted to try, I can officially confirm that this takes flipping ages.
This isn't the first time I've failed to be any good at playing Minecraft. When the PC version first came out I spent an entire day building a castle, before realising that spending this quantity of time on a single game simply wasn't sustainable. In many ways Minecraft is the natural predator of a games journalist. With so many different things to keep up with, it's difficult to invest in just one game, especially when it's a game that never actually ends.
Every time I see another amazing Minecraft world, my hidden embarrassment grows. I'm pretending to be a big shot city-slicker, but I'm too ashamed to show you my pauper roots. I'm like the Don Draper of Minecraft, except without all the bourbon and naughty sex.
Giant skyscrapers make me nod in approval, but it's the smaller things that make me want to dive back in. One of the Xbox 360 version's earliest screenshots still fills me with aspiration: a lovely wood and brick house with a simple water feature, surrounded by a bunch of cheery-looking creatures.
Next time I'm overwhelmed by the grandeur of your incredible structures, I'll glance down instead at this simple dream. One day I'll find the time to log back into my world, and build my very own country cottage. After much deliberation, I've decided to frame this image in place of the photo of the wife that I've been keeping on my desk. She isn't my wife, so it's for the best. I'm probably not Don Draper after all.
6 comments so far...
Clanger67 on 27 Jul '12 said:
To be fair some of the creations on OXM land are amazing and would put anyone to shame.
Must admit i haven't got super creative yet,but am really waiting for some of the updates that will bring some more building materials/ingredients.
Grummy on 27 Jul '12 said:
It's quite strange, I love MC and I prefer playing it on 360, but all my best work has been done with my friend on the PC version. Even in oxmland I couldn't really bring myself to make something spectacular, rather I just had a bit of simple fun instead. In part, I was always concerned that some cheeky blaggard would come along when I was offline and destroy everything I had done. Still, I'm glad I never did anything major in a way, it let others use the time and materials to make their amazing creations.
STE MO on 27 Jul '12 said:
Ah Matt I feel sorry for you, but in a way I dont because this proves that you have a life and I am extremely jealous.
all I do is make things on Minecraft. Can't go out with friends as they are 300 miles away. I have a rather nice log cabin 1 level above the bottom level with tree's and waterfalls and lava fall, half a glass ceiling with lava above it. But I would swap this for a night on the lash with me mates down Safend on sea seafront.
So don't feel bad Matt, this is what I think
http://m.youtube.com/watch?v=d-diB65scQU
lazercut123 on 27 Jul '12 said:
Hey ed, can I have some money? I'm addicted to obsidian, have about 1500 ready to mine, but lava is underneath it and I don't want to die again. Wait, why did I want money again?
LICK THE SCREEN
Clanger67 on 27 Jul '12 said:
I take it there is loads more to do on the pc one though,nearly being at ver. 1.3.I have hit a bit of a stumbling block on what to create.Plus the Nether hasn't really got a lot to it yet without the Strongholds,etc.
JCHN on 27 Jul '12 said:
I just started playing, and I doubt I will ever reach the levels of creativeness that others have shown. All I have managed to build is a bridge in the sky, with one small house on it, one larger house with a spire and field on top of the spire, a room for a nether portal and a graveyard for my wolves, with it all connected by a minecart track interspersed with power rails, but I get the feeling that somebody has probably had the same ideas already and executed it in a much better manner.