From logging on late at night to tapping on your iPad until your thumbs went rigid, Minecraft was a quintessential part of our generation’s childhood. While most college students acknowledge the impact this game had on our childhoods, there’s also a certain disdain that follows the nostalgia.
Minecraft brings a specific image to mind: a tween boy with an overgrown bowl cut, inexplicably wielding a foam cutout of a diamond sword. I’ve gotten used to the odd looks people give me — a nearly twenty-year-old female student — when I explain my latest Minecraft projects or they catch a glimpse of the game on my computer.
My enthusiasm for the game might be a bit strange to the average person, but it’s deeper than scavenging in a forest for berries or defeating creepers. Minecraft, and video games in general, have the potential to be so much more.
Marina Fontolan, an assistant professor from the Radio, Film, and Television department, teaches several courses on video games and describes them as art forms.
“First things first, video games are a way for human beings to express themselves in an art form that allows other humans to interact with it,” Fontolan said. “It’s another way for us to tell stories, and stories that can be very different from what we are usually used to. It just brings out a lot of the artistry that humans can create. And I find this very, very fantastic.”
Minecraft represents creativity, perfectionism and the opportunity to connect with my younger self. When I open the game, I suddenly become the nine-year-old girl who created fairytale worlds to explore and science fiction-inspired planets to escape to. I love the simplicity of the blocks and the freedom to create something unique — something that can be torn down and rebuilt again.
With Minecraft, I can create my own textures and graphics to further personalize my worlds. Part of growing older is realizing that despite how hard I try, I can’t control every aspect of my life. But I feel like I can do anything when I play Minecraft.
“Games do have meanings because they provide a way you can explore your own identity,” Fontolon said. “People can interact more with art and make it their own in one way or another.”
Some might argue that this form of escapism is a harmful coping mechanism, but I disagree. Whether you get a bad grade on an accounting test or receive second-degree sunburns after a football game, it’s easy to feel like the world is crashing down. Although college is full of countless ups and downs, it’s important to find the passions that make you feel powerful and capable.
You could work out, collect rocks or read every mystery novel you can get your hands on. No matter how silly or embarrassing you might think a hobby is, don’t be in such a hurry to grow up. It’s okay to feel like a kid once in a while.
Find your creative outlet and your daily struggles won’t seem as significant.
Breeding is a business sophomore from San Antonio, Texas.
