Contextual Analysis

CONTEXTUAL ANALYSIS 

ANALYSIS OF SELECTED MEDIA TEXT

For this research practice, I am analyzing the Overworld (Minecraft) which is a product of a generative algorithm inside the game's program.

Minecraft's beta version was first released on the 17th of May, 2009 by a Swedish developer named Notch.

Minecraft is set in a world that is fundamentally inspired by the geographical features of the Earth including mountains, caves, beaches, coral reefs, lakes, rivers, and oceans.

A mountain range:

The Overworld's almost infinite area and absence of objectivity radiate a sense of freedom: unbound by barriers and objectives restricting and forcing you to play the game by a directed course which has been proven to positively affect the player's psychology. 

The world sets an environment in which the player is free to express himself and interact with the world either creatively or destructively. The player is at will to array the world with works of creativity or ravage the world with destructive commands. I believe that a player's personality or mood can be interpreted by how they interact with the world. 

Additionally, there are two primary game modes including "Survival" and "Creative". The game mode "Survival" simulates survival conditions by enabling a health and hunger system that is to be replenished and regulated by eating and evading any health-damaging forces; and a crafting system that involves collecting natural resources in the world to forge tools, weapons, and other items to support the player. While this game mode limits the player's abilities, it is the ideal game mode for those with an adventurous heart. When the player manages to complete the game and conquer their world in survival, a great sense of accomplishment descends on the player. This cumulative reward is usually the drive for adventurous players. 

I believe that these systems are for supporting those with a drive for adventure and exploration by simulating their preferred environment.

Seimotically, I would identify it as an object because of its sheer resemblance to the Earth. If you ever saw an in-game screenshot of the Overworld, you would almost immediately interpret it to be a virtual recreation of the Earth.

I am interested in how the world applies pixelated textures and cubic assets to facilitate destructive and creative player interactivity with the environment which would not be possible in environments that are not destructible.

The pixelated and cubed assets that make up the world are called "blocks" and they are a crucial asset for Minecraft's structure as they are the representations of many of the natural resources such as wood, stone, minerals, water, etc.

For the project, I may develop a two-dimensional or three-dimensional (if possible) interactive in which the player will be able to interact with a world that features multiple environments. However, this is not certain.

The playable characters are unrealistic geometric representations of humans. Their body parts are cubed and pixelated. The world generator is programmed to generate terrain transparent to the Earth's terrain.

There is nothing that I can label as "uninteresting". The vastness of the world inspires me to produce something of a vast scale (but not as big as it).

One product of the world that largely catches my interest is the cave system because of the varying environments from vibrant oases to lifeless and dark caverns.

An underground oasis called a "Lush Cave" by Minecraft's terms:

Moreover, unsettling noises occasionally play when the player is in a dark cave which evokes a sense of uneasiness and the sensation of being watched.

An abandoned mineshaft inside a dark cavern amidst stalagmites and stalactites. The developers call this environment a "Dripstone Cave":

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