The Secret of Minecraft

Robin Sloan:

There are dangerous creatures lurking in this world, including but not limited to giant spiders and skeleton archers. But they only venture out at night, and they can be deterred by walls. The sun (a bright cube) sets fast, so your first task is always the same: Build a shelter.

The genius of Minecraft is that the game does not specify how this is done.

It’s almost impossible to overstate just how big a deal Minecraft is for my son and his friends.

★ Friday, 25 July 2014