This week we discussed user-generated content and the wonderful world of Minecraft. The fascinating thing with user-generated content (UGC) games, like Minecraft, is the ability for a game to sustain itself strictly depending on the creativity of their players. Minecraft leaves the gaming world with endless possibilities from re-creating real life attractions, building your own fantasy world, and even creating puzzles that challenges and connects players in the community. UGC games have the ability to create a huge community connecting players all around the world via a singular game.

In the “Minecraft: User-Generated Content” Chapter of HTPVG, Newman discusses “Minecraft’s mutability as a game” (277, HTPVG:Kindle) and refers to players as content generators. The mutability of Minecraft as a game allows for its players to choose the kind of experience that they want out of it. Players can choose to play in Survival mode and fend off the various mobs that they encounter, or take a more free-flowing approach and play in Creative mode to create their own virtual worlds. The wide range of gameplay that Minecraft provides allows it to be a game for all ages, genders, professions, etc. Mods that are available allow players to switch it up giving them endless different gameplay possibilities. The mutability of the game will allow for it to adapt well to the changing world of gaming. Minecraft is a game that grows with the player. As players go from Middle School or High School or High School to College, the virtual world they build in Minecraft will grow as they do.

Another great aspect of UGC games is the community they build around them. UGC Games like Minecraft and Super Mario Maker have HUGE communities of players. Newman states in the HTPVG chapter, “Minecraft’s UGC is not limited to creations made within its pixelated game world. Countless online video channels offer advanced building tutorials, tours, and explanations of expert creations” (278, HTPVG:Kindle). Newman brings up the idea of how Minecraft continues to grow outside of just playing the game. Similar to the video we watched in class, people stream their plays, give tours of the elaborate worlds that they’ve built and even give tutorials on how to build those worlds yourselves. The open-endedness of Minecraft gives player endless opportunities to try new creations by learning from their fellow Minecraft creators. Similar to Super Mario Maker, players have the ability to create their own creative Mario platform game. Players are provided with the tools they need to build their platform games and the rest is up to them. The online community of Super Mario Maker is endless. Players can post their own game creations online and others are challenged with the task to complete them. There’s numerous videos on YouTube of gamers playing 0.00% games which is basically where gamers play levels that have a 0% completion percentage in the community. This gives players endless amounts of gameplay. There will always be the challenge of creating a difficult game and also completing other 0.00% games. This competitive aspect of a UGC game is what keeps this game a staple piece in anyone’s collection of Nintendo games.

I can see UGC games becoming a more popular type of game for developers to produce. The ability to attract a diverse group of gamers as well as the endless possibilities of gameplay make UGC games an overall popular pick for any type of gamer.