Why I'm Scared of Minecraft: Story Mode
Now, I don't think it's a bad idea to select a license that has no real story to create a story with, but this is a poor game to do so with... mainly because, Minecraft not having a story... well... I actually like it that way...
It's not that the story is non-existent, but it's a very basic story; you are a guy named Steve who has to find an Ender dragon and save the world. That basic plot-line leaves so much room for creativity.
I, for one, am making a minecraft fanfiction based on the game's lack of story; that is what inspired me to write the fanfiction. It was a chance for me to base my story off of something that doesn't already have a pre-made story. I can take that basic plot and twist it around, add things in, add characters, take out characters... the game is a sandbox game... not only for the game itself, but for the minds of players who want to create their own little world inside of it.
I feel this will destroy that creativity that all those minecraft players have and hold dear. I do not think this is necessarily a bad idea, but it's a poor choice and I feel it will do more harm than good. If this comes out, I will always feel more... restricted... when writing my story now. My Walking Dead fanfiction is restricted. There is only so much I can do before stepping over lore. I didn't need to worry about that with Minecraft... until now. This makes me sad. This game may ruin what Minecraft is all about; creativity. I don't care about building a castle, I care about making the castle into something meaningful. I don't care about making a city, I care about making a story about the city. I don't care about who Steve was/is/will be, because Steve is who I make him. That is the kind of outside influence minecraft has had. I plead that this game doesn't ruin it.
I will never again be able to look at Minecraft and think, "This is my story. My creation." I will think, "This is Steve's story. I'm just along for the ride."
Anyway, I will go meld into the shadows again...
Comments
I think the Info Quest interactive FAQ stated that the Telltale game is just going to be an "interpretation" of the universe and that they aren't going to add official lore to the series.
That gives me relief, but I feel the same; it will make my writings seem not as important. After all, I'm not a company. I'm just one writer.
At this point, it is more of a fear rather than fact. I fear that it will hurt people like me.
I fear that people wont go to my story and apply it into their own game, but look at Telltale's and think "Well, this seems more official than the story I read earlier." and start thinking of their game in that lens. I will feel less powerful than I was before as a writer, less influential.
That is my fear. and I suppose I will change the title again.
I personally have only played Minecraft rarely, and a while back now, but I don't think that it'll effect how Minecrafters play the game. You may or may not have heard of something called the Shadow of Israphel, a Minecraft based series started by a Youtube channel called the Yogscast- that was a sort of story structured thing but I don't think it ruined the game for anyone who watched it (if you haven't seen Shadow of Israphel, it's okay the first time you watch it but watching it a second time is tedious, plus the makers stopped doing it suddenly at episode 51 so that sort of ruined it).
But that is more of an example of the creativeness that can come out of minecraft story wise. Idk, I feel like this... Idk. It just doesn't really feel right to me, and that Telltale should leave it alone. But that's just me.
If the current stories published don't affect you, I see no reason why this would.
Well i feel telltale can manage i love minecraft its very fun and i can trust telltale to make a good minecraft story mode game
This is a very interesting point, and I'll share my take on it.
I've never seen the Minecraft universe as a single entity, but rather, something that exists in several different variations / dimensions / universes.
In one version, there's a big statue of me! (My server), In another server there's an entirely fleshed out kingdom. (a bunch of friends playing together!)
On youtube there's:
And the list goes on.
Likewise, I see fan fiction and Telltale's game the same way. Each entity is an interpretation of the template "Minecraft Universe." Each version shares several similarities, but there is no one "correct" version of Minecraft. Just because Telltale takes their version of Minecraft in one direction, that doesn't mean it restricts or invalidates any of the creativity you can use in your storytelling. The way I see it, both versions are correct.