Have you ever wanted to settle down on a tropical island? How about live in a mansion at the foot of a mountain? While life may inhibit dreams from becoming reality, with Minecraft, the only thing holding you back is how big you can dream.

Where Minecraft truly shines is in its variety of modes. Playing without other people creates two options, the first of which is to play survival — starting in a randomly generated world where a player gathers resources, builds a home, and survives.

In the creative mode, players can build whatever they want without having to worry about running out of materials or other aspects meant to add difficulty, like mobs attacking and hunger. 

Those looking to play with friends or strangers can play on Realms or Community servers. Realms is a paid subscription that hosts a server for survival or creative mode.

The Community servers are host to hundreds of different activities and minigames, like Pictionary, gladiatorial combat, and Build Off. Another option is singleplayer in massive servers with thousands of others inhabiting the same world. Surely you will be able to find something you can enjoy on a Community server.

As Mojang (the developers of Minecraft) say on their website: “There is no one way to play Minecraft. It’s an open-ended game where players decide.”

There is no definite goal of the game, but there are a few major challenges the game gives the chance to take on. One can travel to the Nether and collect the materials needed to fight the Wither, find a stronghold, go to the End and fight the Ender Dragon, or take on the ocean monument and defeat the Elder Guardian.

The opportunities seem endless — making a railway spanning thousands of miles or recreating helm’s deep from the Lord of the Rings series.

In Minecraft everything is made out of blocks and paired with simple graphics, giving the game a unique and timeless aesthetic. If a player decides to change how the game looks, the “market place offers an endless stream of community creations.”

Playing on a PC with an RTX graphics card enables ray-tracing, giving realistic light and reflection.

In survival mode nothing quite captures the spirit of the mode like punching a tree and turning the wood into planks to “get a crafting table.”

One creation turns into another option to make something new.  Building a house is essential in survival. At night, dangerous creatures like zombies, skeletons, and the explosive creeper spawn run around. A house gives shelter and a place to store and craft items.

Minecraft is truly something special, deserving a 9 out of 10.

Some other views:

Trinity junior Walker Bell said it is “the best game of all time — better that Fortnite” and rates a 13/10.

Junior Carson Black said, “There should be more story behind it” and rates the game 7/10.

Minecraft does not need a story; it’s about you, not your character. It is about making one’s own story.