I have always been fascinated with the how and why of technology, the design of hardware and software, and the boundless creativity of engineers and developers.  While not an engineer by trade, being with Studica for nearly fifteen years has provided me the opportunity to be closely tied to the industry.  We have offered cutting-edge design and animation software from Autodesk to schools and students for many years.  Students know many of the games they play and love are created with 3DS Max, Maya, and more recently, Unity 3D.

With two growing boys at home, video games happen to be a part of our domestic landscape.   As a parent, trying to balance their screen-time with other activities can be a constant challenge.  They are always looking for the next best game, or online activity to occupy their time.  One day, they asked me if we could get the game, Minecraft.  While I cannot profess to have the same level of competency as they do playing their games; through my interest in tech, I am very aware of gaming systems and which games are highly rated.  But, Minecraft?  This one was new to me.  After some research, I learned that it is now one of the top Indie-developed games for the PC.

I felt a need to understand why this game has become so addictive for my boys and their friends.  Its retro look focuses on construction and creativity.  Think Lego blocks, but on-screen with no instruction manual.  Besides this component, there is considerable freedom to design and pursue your nonlinear objective.  This type of game is quite different from the first-person shooters and platformers that top the charts, today.  The appeal is easy to understand once this basic premise is known.  Minecraft now has 20 million registered users.  It’s an incredible number for an incredible game.  With new features planned for the PC version and the iOS platform (Minecraft Pocket Edition), I’m sure my boys will be playing this for some time to come.

Author: Jeff Mazzone