Since its launch in 2009, Minecraft has racked up over 50 million sales and remains the second most-played video game on the PC in the United States. What exactly is Minecraft, and how do you play it?
Minecraft is a video game that exists on the border between fantasy and reality. With it, you can manipulate the elements and create your very own world. You can build massive structures or create a simple bedroom–the game puts the power in your hands.
If you’re interested in Minecraft, this brief guide can help familiarize you with the basics. Stick with us and we’ll show you how to play Minecraft.
Choose the Right Game Mode
You’ll want to understand the different game modes Minecraft offers before you can start chopping down wood with your bare hands. This is crucial because each mode offers a different playthrough.
There are five distinct game modes players can choose while playing Minecraft. The most important ones are creative, survival, and hardcore. Let’s briefly break down each of these to see which suits your gaming needs.
Creative Mode
If you’re new to the survival game genre, you’ll want to try this mode first. It lets you experiment with all of the game’s mechanics and assets without worrying about fighting for survival.
You can also use creative mode to let your imagination run wild since there’s no resource limit. That means you can build a unique structure in creative mode before attempting to build it in a different mode.
But, if you genuinely want to know how to play Minecraft, you’ll want to move on to one of the other two modes.
Survival Mode
Players who want to experience the real Minecraft should play survival mode. This game mode forces players to eat, sleep, and fight for survival, which can prove challenging depending on the difficulty setting.
You’ll also have a health bar, and once it runs out, you’ll die and revive at a set world spawn in Minecraft.
Hardcore Mode
As players can imagine, hardcore mode is the hardest of all modes since it’ll be game over once you die. There is no possibility of playing that world again.
Players that want to learn how to play Minecraft the hard way will enjoy playing this game mode. One of the best Minecraft tips for this game mode is always to play it safe and never venture too far from your home.
Decide Which Difficulty Is the Most Enjoyable for You
Minecraft has become part of some schools’ curriculums since it helps children:
- Learn about creativity
- Cooperate with other students
- Improve their critical thinking skills
There are different difficulty settings for them to choose from, and not all of them will let children learn those basic skills. The three different difficulty settings in Minecraft are Peaceful, Normal, and Hard.
In the peaceful difficulty setting, players can enjoy the entire building and crafting aspect of Minecraft without having to worry about eating or fighting off hordes of zombies.
The normal difficulty setting is the most balanced one of the three since it lets you build and craft while needing to eat or fight off low-level monsters.
The final difficulty setting is the hardest since the monster spawn count is doubled, and they also spawn in with higher grade armor and weapons.
If you plan to play with your child, you’ll want to play in a peaceful difficulty setting since a young child may not have quick reflexes to fight off monsters. And if you want a real challenge, you’ll want to play on the hardest difficulty setting since it’ll let you have the freedom of building your base while having the thrill of fighting off zombies, spiders, and skeleton archers.
Learn the Proper Multiplayer Etiquette
Once you know how to play with friends on Minecraft, you’ll be able to spend countless hours working together to build massive buildings or even reach the End and battle the Ender Dragon.
You’ll want to learn the rules of Minecraft multiplayer before you can even start playing with your friends or random strangers on a server. If you choose to play on a Minecraft server, you’ll want to read the server rules since breaking them will force the admins to ban you from playing on that server.
Another important word to remember while playing Minecraft is “griefing,” when a player purposely steals or destroys another player’s creation. By now, it’s almost an unspoken rule not to “grief” another player’s structure since it’s seen poorly within the Minecraft gaming community.
Additionally, unless you agree with your friends beforehand, don’t set traps around the world since that can cause unnecessary death and loss of items.
Of course, there are dedicated servers that let players run wild similar to the post-apocalypse world setting from Mad Max. You can also host your own Hunger Games-like tournaments to see who is the best Minecraft player among your friends.
In the end, having fun is what’s important while playing Minecraft, so always try to be kind and avoid ruining the hard work of others.
Learn How to Play Minecraft Easily
Hopefully, with this detailed guide on how to play Minecraft, you’ll be able to enjoy letting your imagination run wild as you build amazing and unique structures. Remember to follow the proper multiplayer etiquettes so you and those you play with can have fun. Don’t forget to save this post for future reference!
If you found this Minecraft guide helpful, please feel free to browse our other game-related articles. We’re sure you’ll find another one that’ll pique your interest and help you improve as a gamer!
