Marduka

Hi Sixty Gig

My name is Jason. I'm 32 years young and feeling excited about the promise of your community! I've been playing Minecraft since sometime around my birthday last year (Nov 17).  I was shopping for myself (since, who is going to gift me anything?) when I decided to go ahead and try this Minecraft thing that seemed to have addicted half the world. I purchased the 360 edition. I foolishly let it sit in the living room floor for a day before opening up the box and starting up the Xbox.

I was amazed!

Immediately I was hooked. It was a mad race across the plains to punch my first tree. I had read online about the game in general, and what to expect the first day. I knew I had to get wood and build some sort of shelter before the life preserving sun hid away for the longest 7 minutes of my life! I was huddled in the darkness of a small 3x3x2 dirt hut, listening to the frighteningly disturbing sounds that the spider make, and the obviously undead sounds of the relentless zombie. Of course, at the time, I had no idea what was creating those sounds. I only hoped that by not moving, not making sound inside my dirt sanctuary, they wouldn't sense me and try to claw their way in to me.

I'm so thankful they don't listen for breathing or have hidden shovels!

After a few day/night cycles, I had to see if my roommate would join. (I HAD to find out if this was multiplayer on my internet-less console) I finally got my roommate to try this out. It was such a thrill to coordinate survival, even with a split screen. "I'll set out to get some wool, you focus on getting as much wood as you can. We are going to survive our first night! Tomorrow, we find food." Lucky for us, the 360 version already has the recipes there for you to use. Teaching him to make a hoe was incredibly easy.

Here it is early spring the following year, and I'm still growing and cultivating my addiction to this game, though my roommate has drifted into other avenues. I now have the PC version (1.7.9), the internet and a desktop. Before you ask, no, I didn't purchase these things soley to play MC. I actually decided to grow up a little and get the things that keep me connected to the rest of the world.

However, as limitless as the internet is, I am struggling to find like-minded people in a game with such truly bond-forming co-op capabilities. Server after server says there is a great community. Then a guy jump attacks me while I try to get started.. or a neighbor in the world is anything but welcome. (Crimson Moon actually has nice people, it's just hard to be on at the same time as anyone else). Occasionally there is 1 other person on. I hadn't really equated age with irresponsibility, uncalled-for rudeness, or complete and utter ignorance of basic human communication. After reading a few of the applications, I see that, generally, this is where the immaturity stems from. That got me pretty sad.. I'm ... old? I'm odd to want to work together for the sake of working together? Should I bother with video games?

I got a nintendo and Gauntlet (first co-op game I ever played) as an 8 year old for Christmas! I quickly became friends with Mario (of the mario bros.), Link (of Legend of Zelda), and White Mage (of Final Fantasy). I also grew fond of those bubble spitting dinosaur babies (Bubble Bobble) and the frost breathing snowman guy from Kickle Cubicle. I'm part of the movement that gave video games their popularity! Granted, I ended up selling away my popularity in the process..

It's always been a struggle to, not only find the video games that allow co-operative play, but get the people in my life to join in with me. I've been lucky to have a core group of friends. Unfortunately, that group only has the minimal of interests in some of my more passionate past-times.

During adolesence, I bought the books and manuals to learn the rules and world of AD&D. I would create character sheets and stories in the imaginary hope that one day, I'd find someone to go on an adventure with me. I found some groups sometime towards the last two years of high school. They had played together a long time and had developed their own style of game. Attempting to join in was disheartening. One sat around each "session" and made jokes and teased one another without ever actually playing the game. Another group just started rolling dice and shouting the names of spells and actions they were taking (aren't there rounds or turns or something?), and I didn't even know what was happening or where we were (apparently we were in a cave and fighting groups of goblins from room to room). Well, that's not for me..

Books became a refuge. My greatest triumphs and most staggering betrayals happened while sitting in my room with my nose in those yellowing pages. Every story taught morals and the importance of love. Compassion may get someone killed, but their friends would avenge them, and they'd live forever in my heart. Going it alone was dangerous. Sticking together, and trusting one another through the most imperilous of circumstances brought about a, possibly impossible, need to find these comrades of my own.

I'm used to playing solo games. I'm incredibly grateful that MC has single player. There is a large part of me that needs to be away and apart. Still, human, I also have a need to be near and a part of something.

This game, and this forum, are a wonderful union. To be able to connect with other people, build relationships, share, laugh, and even argue, AND THEN have that available with people that share a common interest, to be able to meet up in a virtual world, to literally (though not physically) build with one another is too much of a pipe dream to be real. And yet, you promise it is.

Please allow me to play in this Limbo world you've created. Let me join other individuals, willing to fight for one another, protect the home they are building, and craft a bond that goes deeper than pixels and lasts beyond system shut down.

Thank you for your consideration