As was mentioned in the Extra Credits video, Minecraft is popular partly because of the breadth of aesthetics it touches on. There are myriad ways to interact with this game, and people have implemented so many kinds of wacky and engaging mechanics within it that it’s hard for me to pick an example – but I think I’ll focus on the time I spent playing a Minecraft economy server. The basic premise is that one can work for in-game currency by foraging, gambling, or working odd jobs in order to buy a plot of land, which can be developed into all kinds of projects either for profit or even just pure enjoyment. The aesthetics that’re most important to the fun of such a server are arguably fellowship, fantasy, and challenge. Building a town, including residences, public works, and businesses/factories was a ton of fun for me as a little kid, and success in doing so hinged on fellowship, which entailed working alongside contractors as well as town residents; fantasy as a source of fun took shape in one’s acting as a mayor, realtor, business owner, architect, and so on; challenge served a critical role in the early-to-mid game period where players would be pushed to scrimp and save in order to buy land and make something of themselves, and then would continue into the midgame when mayors would compete to draw residents to their towns. In summation, the sandbox nature of Minecraft combined with an economy mechanic made for a structured, yet free-formed gaming experience which expertly expanded upon Minecraft’s aesthetics of fellowship, challenge, and especially fantasy.
