Mojang is paying attention to what other survival games are making right.
Just before the most recent Minecraft 1.19 (opens in a new tab) update launched I asked Mojang what the future of Minecraft looks like. Game director Agnes Larsson and developer Nir "Ulraf" Vaknin weren't willing to talk about specific features in the next major update. It's not a surprise, they'll probably save that for the next Minecraft Live showcase. Instead, we discussed how they're still learning from other competitors in the crafting industry and how they want to "keep the magic of Minecraft" for another 10 years or more.
When Minecraft's alpha version launched in 2010, it put survival and crafting on the map. There are a myriad of other crafting games later-many also made from voxels-Minecraft remains the gold standard in Sandbox-based creativity. https://minecraft-servers.xyz/ It's not difficult for Mojang to become smug after wearing the crown for long enough, I think, becoming insular and sourcing ideas only from its own players and developers.
Larsson and Vaknin both said they would not call Minecraft better than the others. (I would, though. It's not risky to sound boastful coming from me). However, they do state that knowing what makes Minecraft apart means they can keep it up to date.
Larsson called it intrinsic motivation. Larsson called it intrinsic motivation.
Vaknin acknowledged that asking players to be self-motivated is where Minecraft excels: "A lot of games are veering away from that because a lot of players really desire to be more oriented, and that's fine."
I've played a variety of crafting games for survival throughout the years. I was recently attracted to Valheim's viking crafting, which I enjoyed for several months. I also enjoyed session-based survival in Icarus, and V Rising's vampire crafting for just a few days. Even Valheim, which was my favorite game for more than 100 hours, and that I helped to lobby for to be our game of 2021 (opens in a new window) has not kept me coming back like Minecraft.
Vaknin said that he's been keeping up with the competition. He was also interested in how hunger and food in Valheim work. It made me rethink my approach to food. In Minecraft for instance I was not allowed to avoid food systems or treat all food equally. "I think about it and thinking if we can learn from that," he says.
Vaknin stated that V Rising has a very unique goal and boss tracking system. He also spoke about the necessity of tracking down bosses across the map in order to find them. "It reminded me of how you can find the End stronghold in Minecraft through the eyes of ender."
Vaknin hopes Minecraft will not chase its players even though it can learn from Minecraft.
"Minecraft isn't clingy." was his way of saying it later in our chat. He likened it to a friend who will always be there for you, no matter if you decide to leave and return months later.
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Vaknin spoke about a common occurrence in the Minecraft community that is playing for a long time , then returning to it regularly when the mood strikes. That's how I've treated it for years myself and I'm happy to see it's a pattern that Mojang is confident in cultivating.
"So many games you play can draw you in a little too hard and then you're not ready for to see it end. It's amazing that Minecraft does not do that. It's very important to me to preserve that."
Larsson said, "One thing we recently added to our guiding principles is that you play Minecraft because it's what you want to, and not because you feel pressured to," Larsson added.
As I am looking forward to Minecraft version 1.20 I am glad to know that the folks in charge are confident enough to keep up-to-date with all the latest survival and crafting trends, without having to follow them.
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