Mojang continues to be attentive to the success of other survival games.
Just before the latest Minecraft 1.19 (opens in a new tab) update was released I asked Mojang what the future of Minecraft will look like. Game director Agnes Larsson and developer Nir "Ulraf" Vaknin weren't willing to discuss specific features for the next major update. No surprise, they're likely saving that for the next Minecraft Live showcase. Instead, we talked about how they're still learning from other competitors in the crafting industry and how they'd like to "keep the excitement of Minecraft" for another 10 years and more.
When Minecraft's alpha version launched in 2010, it put survival and crafting on the map. A thousand other crafting games later-many also made from voxels-Minecraft remains the gold standard in Sandbox-based creativity. Mojang could easily become complacent after having been in the top spot for so many years, I imagine. It's easy to become insular and get ideas only from its own players and developers.
Larsson and Vaknin both insisted they wouldn't declare Minecraft better than the rest. (I would, though. I don't want to sound boastful but it's not going to hurt. They do say they know what makes Minecraft unique and can therefore maintain the uniqueness of Minecraft.
Larsson described it as intrinsic motivation. "We must inspire and allow players to be imaginative in their own way," she said, "but never dictate, never pressure anything."
Vaknin agreed with the assertion that Minecraft's success lies in asking players to be self-motivated "A lot a games are diverging from that, because many players want to be guided, and that's okay."
Over the years, I've played a variety of survival crafting games. I was most recently drawn to Valheim's viking crafting, which I enjoyed for a few months. I also enjoyed the session-based survival in Icarus, and V Rising's vampire crafting for just a few days. Even Valheim, which I was obsessed with for over 100 hours , and helped lobby for as our game of the year (opens in new tab) in 2021 I haven't been able to keep coming back the way Minecraft has.
Vaknin stated that he has been keeping up with the competition. Like me, he was intrigued in the way food and hunger interact in Valheim. It made me rethink the way I viewed food. In Minecraft for instance, I was not allowed to ignore food systems or treat all food items equally. He adds, "I spend time thinking about that and wondering if there are any lessons to be learned from it."
Vaknin said that V Rising has a very unique goal and boss tracking system. He also mentioned the need to track bosses on the map to find them. "It brought me back to how you can find the End stronghold in Minecraft by looking through the eyes of ender."
While Minecraft is learning without having to chase trends, Vaknin hopes it won't ever chase its players .
"Minecraft isn't really clingy," is how he said later in our chat and compared it to a long-time friend who will be there for you even when you decide to leave and return months later.
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Vaknin shared a common experience in the Minecraft community: playing a lot for a few many years ago, then returning to the game on a regular basis depending on the mood. SERVERS This is exactly how I've dealt with it for years myself, and I'm glad it's a habit that Mojang believes in developing.
"So many games that you play can draw you in a bit too hard and you're then unable to wait for to let it end. It's incredible that Minecraft does not do that. It is so important to me that this is maintained."
"One thing recently added to our guiding principles is that you play Minecraft because you want to, not because you are forced to," Larsson added.
As I prepare for Minecraft version 1.20 I am pleased to know that those in control are confident enough to keep up to date with all the latest crafting and survival trends without necessarily following them.