My first night into the Minecraft world

It’s been years since I played a computer game. Lost into the responsibilities of parenthood, I forgot the fun of it and how important that can sometimes be. Luckily my kids reminded me of that, because that’s one of the wondrous things that kids do. So, while I was constantly bombarded about various Minecraft info from them everyday (things like how to make a cake, a diamond sword and an armor or how it was in the Nether) the thought to play the game started to feel like a good idea and the fact that I had also heard about its impressive effect on the world of gaming, made this idea even more appealing. Starting it out as an activity to perform with the children, I’ve made the decision to go with the flow and succumb to the wonderful world of Minecraft. So I gathered some info (there is a ton out there), fired up the game on my laptop and let the magic happen.

Needless to say I was under stress while playing the game, especially on my first night of survival.

Basic knowledge

You begin knowing that each game-day lasts about 10 minutes and make your best to gather some basic resources, build a shelter and some tools before the night comes and all the monsters start creeping around you.

As a beginner, you need to think and act fast. It will help to have prior knowledge of some basic recipes and a plan. That’s the reason why there are so many guides. The world of Minecraft is enormous, and seems real even if its randomly generated. Fortunately, the new versions of Minecraft introduced a recipe toolbox so you can learn crafting easily.

For the first night you need to :

  1. Find a tree and Gather some wood by hand (around 25 blocks)
  2. Find a hillside and start removing dirt to quickly make a shelter
  3. Make planks out of the wood you have gathered
  4. Create a crafting table
  5. Create a wooden pickaxe
  6. Mine some cobblestone
  7. Build a furnace
  8. Cook some wood to make coal
  9. Create wood sticks and torches (it’s better to have light to get through the night)
  10. Close the shelter and spend the night without stress. You can continue safely to mine for more materials (don’t forget the torches because monsters keep spawning in dark areas anywhere).

The first encounters with the monsters are quite scary, hearing them crawling over your shelter while you are waiting for the Minecraft night to end.

After surviving my first night, Minecraft was the primary subject of conversation between my and my kids. It’s been over a year and we still share plans, and I learn new recipes and tips from them. I think they feel good teaching their father!