Doubters are a big part of the gaming industry and hold great power, sometimes motivating developers to fix their games and push them into greatness, at other times putting the reputation of games and production studios on thin ice.
Indie games are arguably the most susceptible to the fallout brought upon by wary gamers, due to the closeness of the relationship between developers and their fans, but one title which has never had a problem quietening the nay-sayers is Minecraft.
The sandbox/building game went gold only a few months ago and developer Mojang continues to make improvements to the game's engine, pleasing players and critics alike, and prompting the idea that Minecraft will forever remain among the ranks of games which are more than games.
Only a select few games have managed to reach this status over the last few generations. Starcraft was an icon of competitive gaming in South Korea for over a decade, but was shutdown as the game's eventual sequel started picking up momentum.
World of Warcraft is often cited as being a lifestyle, but contrary to the stereotyping which surrounds the MMORPG, only a very low percentage of players forgo their every day responsibilities to play the game they love.
In recent times, the Call of Duty series looms as one which looks to join the aforementioned category, but is losing ground on opposing titles as some gamers chase a realistic, simulation-type experience.
The difference between these titles and Minecraft is that these games all fly under the radar at slow times in their calendars, if they don't fall off the map altogether as was the case with Starcraft. They have incredible highs twice a year when the media hypes up their new additions, but come crashing back down to earth as soon as critics focus their attention elsewhere.
It's strange to think such a simple title was not released sooner, but now that it's here, Minecraft is not going anywhere.
It is the Paint of modern computing. Only there's a greater number of tools, more support, and availability is far more varied. The game has been released on three platforms with hundreds of different devices and thousands of PC configurations able to run the game.
In a few months, the title will reach a new platform, in the form of a Kinect-compatible building experience for the Xbox 360. The price is far kinder than the year-long subscription fee required to keep with the times in CoD, or the monthly payment required to live in a World of Warcraft. Yet, in Minecraft, you can find every bit of replayability, if not more than, the former two titles have to offer.
Not only are possibilities literally limitless, but the amount of software and hardware hacks which enhance the experience is simply astounding. Need a block-by-block plan of your next building inspired by a 3D model? No worries, we'll show you how! Want an object from your room in your world? No worries, use a Kinect camera hack to build it for you within minutes.
Conversely, want to take something you've build and turn it into a real-world figurine? We now have capable technology!
I'm too young to remember the time where paper-based printers first became readily available for the general public, but I can imagine the excitement that would have circulated at the time. I am ready to emulate said excitement as 3D printing becomes a little more mainstream, and I am of the belief that Minecraft is the perfect way to demonstrate the capabilities of this evolving technology.
If you're not one for messing around with various hardware and software hacks, then you'll still find that the Minecraft experience is incredibly versatile and offers replayability like no other game.
The most advanced users of the game's makeshift electricity (Redstone circuitry) are still coming up with new ways to use the wiring, despite having already completed such monster projects as compact calculators and 8-bit computer systems. This single element of Minecraft goes to show that the title is more of a tool than it is a video game.
That is why the title will last forever. Titles mentioned previously have one major downfall: they rely on addiction to claim ultimate replayability. Minecraft, however, relies only on the creative flare and resolve of all of its 21,000,000 users (the nearest milestone at the time of writing) in order to provide an enthralling and immerse experience.
It is not just a video game, but a tool which, thanks to the community behind the title, is always adapting to new technologies and allowing the most amazing results to be achieved. It is the most impressive form of interactive entertainment in at least the last fifteen years.
Simply put, Minecraft will never die.
By Harry Hughes
What's your favourite thing about Minecraft?