We have had Elden Ring, Hogwarts Legacy, The Witcher 3, Baldur’s Gate 3, and the Elder Scrolls Series, but there is still that one game that defied the expectations of all those who had opposed it initially. This is a game that stood the test of time even when it had survived for over 12 years. So much love and attention were given to this game as the years passed, with streamers and YouTube content creators like PewDiePie and Jacksepticeye playing the hell out of this game for many years.
This game had only simple graphics, but the gameplay it offered was so much more endearing and lovable to the point of addicting. It was so simple a mechanic, but the craving for this game was crazy. Despite its imperfections, this game proved that you do not need elevated levels of graphics to really push a great game in motion.
This is Minecraft, the game from over a decade ago and stays to be one of the most played games of the time. People are clamouring for Starfield and Bethesda games, but what Mojang Studios did to this gem was unbelievable. It has set the bar for gaming, especially at the time of its release, when people thought that graphics reigned supreme.
Minecraft told a narrative to gamers that if the studio were to focus on good gameplay and enjoyment, players would be playing their games for several years to come. Like Mojang Studios, Bethesda has proven this to be quite true as well. Their games such as Skyrim have also remained one of the greatest in the Hall of Gaming Fame, with multiple releases, improvements, and updates every few years.
But nobody really expected Minecraft to blow up even during its full release back in 2011. Who would have thought that a game about crafting mines with block-like, pixelated graphics would garner more than 238 million sold copies worldwide? This is truly a marvel in itself since the game has an addictive atmosphere to it to the extent that it sometimes feels like playing crypto blackjack games online without the gambling part of course.
Gamers usually consider it blasphemy to hail a game as the greatest of all time because there are so many games out there to choose from, with some not even seeing the light of day, but Minecraft is among those games that have earned that title. Because of its incredibly vast universe, which is the building block of the game, Minecraft feels like a hobby that you have to do to scratch that itch instead of it feeling like a chore. The creativity in that game oozes out as the decade has proven to us time and again that good games require exemplary gameplay mechanics.
A Category of Its Own
Know what was going on in the heads of the developers? Minecraft was initially released in 2009 as this ambitious project from an indie team. These indie developers aimed to defy the expectations of gamers around the world by making the best game possible through meticulously drawn team efforts.
Now, over a decade later, Microsoft has bought Mojang, and the studio has since evolved far greater because of their new side game releases like Minecraft Legends, which was also received positively by the gaming community.
If we are going technical about it, the term we can use to describe Minecraft is the “best Xbox game” in existence and the best “PC game” to date. In terms of player count, Minecraft has beaten even the most modern games today like Elden Ring or Baldur’s Gate 3, and in terms of popularity, Bethesda games shy away from how famous Minecraft is to the average gamer. Minecraft, if you think about it, is truly a category of its own in the gaming world.
Mojang Studios Understand Gamers
Now if we look at GTA V, another best-selling game garnering over 140 million copies sold, Minecraft still beats it to a pulp because it proves that once again, gameplay triumphs overall. Regarding player count, GTA V still loses, which means that high graphics is not a guarantee, but of course, it does help since GTA V is still considered among the GOATs.
There will always be internet trolls who would say that Minecraft is boring now or Minecraft is dead, but the statistics show otherwise. Minecraft is still alive and well, still kicking the butts of people new to the franchise.
Mojang Studios understands their community so well because they have introduced a multitude of updates since the very beginning, only improving the game even further than it was before. Sometimes, the older versions would be unrecognizable to this day and age because of how much the game has evolved. So much history has been created with the game like PewDiePie showcasing his ultimate automated sorting system and playing with Jablinski Games (Jack Black) and Jacksepticeye.
Even though YouTube’s “golden era” of games ended, with Minecraft losing significant traction, the game still persevered and attracted people from all walks of life to the point that it still enjoys peaks in player numbers and sales, especially when mods and latest updates are being implemented.
The Minecraft community has given it a life of its own as well through modding. People can craft the world they want, either making it more fun and chaotic or challenging as they go along the way. Minecraft is truly a testament to how gameplay should be prioritized in game development over graphics.
Also Read: NVIDIA Announces DLSS 3 for Fortnite and Other Popular Title
