Minecraft Mourning

Minecraft is one of my favorite games because of its open and creative nature. Challenge is added in that the world's most valuable resources are usually dangerous to gather. In the picture above, I explore an abandoned mineshaft (all procedurally generated) to find the precious diamonds that are buried in the deepest parts of the earth.

With a new diamond pickaxe, I gathered obsidian, a solid black stone that can only be collected with diamond tools. With the obsidian, I built a portal to the nether world, a realm of fire and magic that is extremely dangerous and extremely rewarding when survived.

I was extremely fortunate to have my portal deposit me in a huge nether fortress, a forbidding labyrinth full of blaze monsters, zombie pigmen, and treasure. I fought through the fortress with my diamond sword, collecting gold and blaze rods (used in potion making) and feeling incredibly lucky. Then, I was wounded by a wither skeleton and finished of by zombie pigmen, losing all the items I was carrying with me.

I respawned empty-handed in my castle in the regular Minecraft world. I still have my portal, and it still leads to a fortress full of riches, but dying in Minecraft often discourages me to the point where I won't play Minecraft for another few weeks or months. This is what I call Minecraft mourning, and it's happened at least five or six times over the past few years. It's a good enough game that I'll return, but it might be a while.