So, Minecraft.

[kandrathe]

This game needs something to do other than pointlessly creating stuff and running from zombies in the night. ...

So I ask you lurkers who enjoy this game, I beg you, what about this game entices you? I don't ask to lambaste you or anything so droll. I ask because I like spending time with my kids, and if Minecraft is something my kids all enjoy so immensely, I'm hoping to find something about it that appeals to me, so that I may enjoy spending time with them instead of dreading it. So what about this game appeals to you? Why do you play this game? And yes, I used to play with lego's as a kid, but always had more fun making solid bricks out of them and throwing them at my friends.

Yeah, consistently staying alive through the night is only the first goal. Unfortunately, the game does lack an obvious script, so here is mine.

My progression of play on a map is (strictly vanilla);
1) Find a decent terrain area, I like flat plains, near a woody area. Woods are not so good as they give good cover for the bad guys.

2) Build a base of operations. I like to fence off enough area, for crops, and raising the domesticated animals (cow pens, sheep pens, chickens, and pigs) Now they have horses too, so you need to plan for a stables. The plan here is to create enough sustainable food, for the rest of your adventures.

3) Mining operations -- you need to gather materials.
a) Iron enough to make some armor, and iron pick -- you need an iron pick to mine diamond ore.
b) Diamonds -- you need enough for at least a diamond pick, but having diamond armor is also useful.
c) Obsidian -- need is for an enchantment table, and to make a nether portal

4) Enchantment -- in order to prepare for surviving the nether, it's best to enchant your gear -- fire protection, and blast protection are good.

4) Nether Portal -- Here you need to find a Nether Fortress, to get some important resources -- blaze rods, blaze powder, nether wart, glow stone, soul sand, and possibly others.

5) Potions -- once you've successfully mastered the nether, you can begin making potions to further augment your survivability temporarily. You can make potions that you drink to aid yourself, or splash potions to throw at others (good ones for friends, and poisonous ones for enemies).

6) Boss battles -- 1) The End -- once you feel pretty invincible, you prepare for The End -- This involves collecting many ender pearls in the over world. Going to the end requires you to find The Stronghold, and entering The End is a one way trip until you defeat the Ender Dragon in The End. Once it is defeated, you can return home and prepare for the bigger boss battle

7) The Wither. Wither Bosses can be fought wherever you like (they are very destructive), as long as you collect the needed materials to spawn them. They are the only way to obtain a Nether Star -- getting to the Nether Star is the ultimate game goal... If you played through all this, it should take days, or months as a casual gamer to get to that level. I'm sure you could speed run it eventually.

Optionally, you could attempt to get all the Achievements

[DeeBye]

So I ask you lurkers who enjoy this game, I beg you, what about this game entices you?

And yes, I used to play with lego's as a kid, but always had more fun making solid bricks out of them and throwing them at my friends.

To be perfectly honest, if you can't see the entertainment value in Lego then Minecraft will probably never appeal to you. People have different tastes in things. I will never understand the appeal of the Grand Theft Auto games. I honestly loved Waterworld. I think Family Guy is stupid, but I still like the Simpsons. Pineapple is a disgusting pizza topping, but anchovies are awesome. Basketball is boring, but I love hockey.

[Taem]

Exactly what I was looking for kandrathe!! Good solid set of goals with an endgame in mind! I shall conquer the nether star! Thank you for saving my sanity. And deebye, you also have a point; time will tell if these new goals stir my excitement for the game, or fall flat.