If you step back a bit and squint, you can see Minecraft as a microcosm of human development. Each player begins as a rugged caveman, punching trees, living in holes, and fashioning crude tools to survive in a hostile world. From there, he progresses to mining for resources, smelting ore, and even farming. By the time an experienced player has carved out a comfortable niche for himself in the blocky, auto-generated terrain, he is (more likely than not) a master of his own palace who’s sitting on a stockpile of weapons and resources, a “modern” person with all the pixelated comforts of an advanced civilization.
The game mirrors humankind’s ability to use whatever is available in our environment to fashion whatever we need to thrive. However, as one dedicated Minecrafter points out, the ecological effects of this relationship are not accurately reflected in the current build, so he decided to hack the game until they became more evident.
(More after the break.)