Last Friday and Saturday were big days for Minecraft users.  Fans from all over the world came to Las Vegas, Nevada, to celebrate the release of the Xbox and PC version of Minecraft 1.0. The recent iOS and Android version (Minecraft Pocket Edition) was also released a week ago. Lots of hype has been behind the game since the game began last year. I’ve been following the development of Minecraft since Beta 1.4 (1.9 was renamed to 1.0 AKA full release) and I have to say, it has came a long way: from the humble beginnings of nothing but classic game play to the new creative mode featured in the adventure update. Fans have uploaded millions of videos onto YouTube and other video hosting sites showing off their creations. Users such as Yogscast have uploading tons of videos covering all of the updates added in each of the new beta releases. Some users have even created their own mods to make the game more interesting.

Minecon 2011 started off with a nice keynote opening followed by a wide assortment of panels, contests, giveaways, demos and more. The entire building was filled with Minecraft related statues, banners, and art. Fans got to talk with the Mojang team and also hangout with the Yogscast (BlueXephos). Fans lined up to play the Xbox360 version of Minecraft as well as see the limited edition Minecraft Xbox360. Markus “Notch” Persson gave out signatures along with the rest of the Mojang team. MineCon ended with the “Nether Party”, a party completely designed to replicate the Nether from the game, along with a costume competition. Deadmau5 played at the party, making it a night to remember.

I would have loved to go, but it wouldn’t have really worked with my schedule. The next Minecon should be in Louisville! I’m sure there’s a nice fanbase in Kentucky. After all, Minecraft wouldn’t be where it is now if it weren’t for all the dedicated fans helping and supporting the development of it. Minecraft is a great game and deserves a lot of credit. Notch showed the world that it isn’t all about graphics or guns (Call of Duty), but the actual gameplay matters the most. Minecraft isn’t suppose to have great graphics (it is an indie game) but the gameplay is just addicting. I host my own Minecraft server on my computer and have lots of people that play on it. I also report any bugs or glitches in the server files to the Mojang team so that they can fix it in the next release. Just because it’s 1.0 doesn’t mean they won’t be updating it anymore. In fact, I wouldn’t be surprised to see a Minecraft 2 come out next year at MineCon 2012.

Burak works on the staff at Manual’s RedEye website.