Nov 302011
 

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.)

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Nov 292011
 

If you listened to last week’s podcast, you would know that I’m a big fan of Minecraft, even though I never played the game. Since then, Minecraft has been officially released and I finally decided to download it and give it a try. What happened in my first week in game? Well check out the rest of the article after the break to see.

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Nov 222011
 
Play

In this week’s episode of Rag-NERD-rok, we discuss some of our favorite independently published video games, the current market for new intellectual properties, and the future of video gaming. We’ll touch on some of our favorite indie titles, such as Braid, Limbo, Minecraft, The Binding of Isaac, and Dwarf Fortress in order to examine the ways in which independent game makers are changing the face of the industry. Later, we each pitch an idea for a new Choose Your Own Adventure style web comic so that you, the listening audience, can choose which one you would like to see produced. Finally, we round off our episode with a word from our sponsor, Big Al’s Quantum Quik-Fix!

(Show notes after the break.)

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Nov 112011
 

Do you know what the worst thing in the world is? It’s not cancer, or even My Little Pony (although that’s close). It’s Creepers. Mother fucking Creepers.

Those giant green cocks will sneak up on you when you least expect it and then ruin everything! All that gold you mined? Gone! All of those melon seeds you found in a cave deep under ground? Kaput! That diamond pickaxe you managed to craft? Blown to shit! And, of course, it always happens when you’re in an area you can never find again.

For a long time now, Minecraft fans have had to suffer in silence, unable to correctly convey the anguish and hatred that Creepers cause. Until now, that is.

(superb video after the jump) Continue reading »