After a demoralizing couple weeks before winter break, senior Jack Kerns went home on a wintery cold and dark Friday, curious about how he could spend his afternoon. He headed to his room and turned on his Xbox, pondering between the games he could play. As he scrolled through his list of games he stuck on Minecraft and remembered all the fun times that he has had on the game. Suddenly he got a severe urge to play, and he could keep his mind off of it. He told his friends to play with him and they created a world. His friends were just as excited as him.
Just like that the phenomenon of the two-week Minecraft phase has begun.
The two-week minecraft phase is a period where students who play video games get an urge to play Minecraft. Students create a world in the game, and play non-stop for two weeks straight. Then, suddenly, they stop and don’t pick it up for another year. “You and your friends make a new world in Minecraft and play it till everyone gets bored of it, which for me always takes two weeks.” sophomore Blake Williams said.
Minecraft has been around for over 15 years, since its launch in 2009, and it continues to be a popular game amongst students due to the entertainment it provides. Students like Kerns have been playing since they were in kindergarten and they still play, looking to recreate the memories that they made when they were a kid. “I think it’s so nostalgic because it’s a simple game we played as young kids so it reminds us of when we were younger,” Kerns said.
While the two-week phase of playing Minecraft comes to an end, love for the game doesn’t ever truly end. After months or even a few years of not playing the game at all, students will have one Minecraft related thought, and they are back in the two-week cycle. “I feel like the Minecraft phase always seems to come back during school breaks because students have more time to play games,” junior Edward Han said.
Students’ best memories playing video games may come from Minecraft because of the freedom and exploration the game offers, along with a beautiful soundtrack to complement the peacefulness of the game. Han said that students always circle back to the game because every time they play the game it’s a new experience, which allows for deep conversations with friends. “Minecraft is popular to play among friends because it’s easy to play, super creative and lets you interact with others in so many ways,” Han said.
In Minecraft, players can explore new biomes, fight other players, build new structures and even experiment with mechanics. Now matter how students play the game, fans agree that it brings them joy and memories. “In my opinion the most fun part of Minecraft is creating cool builds with your friends,” Kerns said.
