Minecraft: Geek Edition for Beginners

Even if you've never played it, it stands to reason that at some point within the past five years you've likely heard or seen something related to Minecraft. If you're one of the few sitting there about to open a new tab for Google, let me save you a step or two: the Minecraft Wiki describes it as being "a sandbox construction game...[that] involves players placing and breaking various types of blocks in a three-dimensional environment"; just typing the title into YouTube will present you with hours of play-through footage and how-to's on building structures and mechanisms.

Sometime around the end of January, I was finally able to get the Playstation 3 edition, largely because:
A. I already have a PS3 - the PS4 edition is slated to come out in March of this year - and
2. I'm not an avid PC gamer, and it's not practical to me to have a game that can consume hours of free time when there's only one [shared] computer in my house.
I started my own little world in Survival Mode, digging and mining and building and farming.

Then I started a second world in Create Mode.

Holy hole in a donut, Batman! I found my niche in the game. Being someone who thoroughly enjoys games like LittleBigPlanet and The Sims, Minecraft fits right into my personal preference of being able to create my own content within it.

So, what kind of stuff did I build?

I started with simple structures, such as shelters, and just playing around and seeing what I could do, and then I had an idea: I wanted to build the Ghostbusters logo. So I did a quick image search for reference and set to work placing wool blocks, removing wool blocks, repositioning wool blocks, and I came up with a decent-looking replica. Then I had the idea to grab some graph paper and colored pencils to create a sort of guide for other beginners like myself who want to recreate some of their favorite geek icons.

Materials used: Red wool, White wool, Black wool, and Glowstone (border)

 The 2's you see indicate that if you stack an additional block on these places it gives the logo depth. Next, I wanted to try something just a bit more challenging:

Materials used: Lime wool, Green wool, Black wool, Gray wool, White wool, Brown wool, and Red wool

With this Hitchhiker's-themed build, I also added "DON'T PANIC' to the side in Glowstone. It sits along the top edge of my world and is visible whether it's day or night. Stacking the brown and red blocks makes the tongue seem even more as though it's sticking out. Then I had another fun idea:

Materials used: Red wool, Orange wool, and Yellow wool

What geek build would be complete without a display of cunning? Jayne's hat is incredibly easy, and sits next to the last thing I decided to show you:

Materials used: Blue wool, Light Blue wool, White wool, Black wool, and Glowstone

My project just didn't feel complete without a TARDIS. And none of these are difficult to make by any means, but I wanted to give you an idea of what you can do. You don't necessarily have to stick with battling Creepers and Zombies, nor do you have to endlessly mine, farm, and collect resources. If you're like me, any new opportunity to build and create opens up a Pandora's Box, so to speak, of ideas waiting to exist and to be shared.

If you have your own Minecraft creations you'd like to share, whether it's PC/PS3/360, please don't hesitate to do so. I'll even make a photo album to embed within this post if enough pics are received. I look forward to seeing what you all have to share.

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Sunday night at 10pm EST

Season 3 of Harmless Content begins on Trek Radio

with Captain Atomos and the crew of the Watchtower

Be sure to tune in, but beware:

Show content is suitable for 18+ only