ChunkShift.com

1 year ago I started over for the last time. I typed “Simple”, enabled cheats and hit “create new world”.

I did this with 2 intentions; keep the world for a long time and keep builds simple. I would try a mod pack here and there, or join some friends on a server; but this was going to be my single player home.

I loaded up a few random seeds looking for an appealing spawn. I kept things centred around spawn and the nearest end portal to avoid too much sprawl.

I focused on detail and texturing with my builds. I included reasons to go to builds; such as, horse breeding, xp farming or other resource farms.

I avoided the large and resource intensive farms that I had built in the past; avoiding the associated resource grind that slows those builds down.

While on parental leave I added a lot of character to “Simple”. If baby had a good mid-day nap or in the evenings after bed; I found time to do some things that I’m really stoked on.

Progress could be slow and play-time fragmented, but it was steady progress. It was harder to pursue my other hobbies and instead of TV or doom-scrolling to decompress I would load up simple and chip away at my to-do list.

Stalled projects

While I did reign in my ambitions with simple, builds where still too big. When I returned to work it was harder to chip away at many of the builds I had started. It started to feel like I wasn’t getting anywhere.

3 months after returning to work a project I was working on hit another road block. It felt like work was going no where. Between another daycare cold, the darkness of winter it was feeling kind I never got anything finished.

I went on the job board ready for change; and not for the first time. The local job board is a good reminder that the grass isn’t always greener. And after reading a few terribly written job ads, I decided to spend some time thinking about my options.

For context my job can be stressful. I work with people a lot and that can be difficult at times. Working in the sector I’ve chosen also means that things can take time to get done if anything happens at all.

It’s times like this where I can’t help but think, “maybe I should had pursued a career as an artist, maybe I still can.” Maybe I should quit my job and start the YouTube channel I’ve been dreaming about.

Most people get their start on YouTube while their still working. So I figured I’d try recording some clips and see how it went before I quit. I figured I could bring the viewers into simple.

A growing project list

Logging in to simple and looking at my projects the number of incomplete builds and tasks was growing. I started a small ketch style boat that I could finish in the next couple weeks but this was the exception.

A small castle I started as a quick build was going to take a year realistically. Not a year of continuous effort and building. But it was big enough that I would need to put it down and pick it up as the year went on. It was too big to power through in a few weeks or a month as I intended.

Though these projects were smaller than in other single player worlds; just couldn’t get into many of them after a day of work and parenting.

How was I going to move any of these things forward while finding time to edit videos. Welcome back viewers. This week I textured 25% of this wall. Let me know which blocks your favourite in the comments below.

Pause, plan act

I loaded up a random seed and tried recording some clips. Talking and playing Minecraft at the same time is a skill. A skill that wasn’t coming naturally to me.

At this point I also realized my microphone wasn’t going to cut it. I think even before I made that realization, I was notified that my pc’s storage capacity was at it’s limit.

The YouTube dream is starting to look less and less like a viable option.

We are now 2-3 weeks away from the bad day at the office and at that point I had figured out; I wouldn’t be quitting my job, I’m probably starting a new world and I’m not starting a YouTube channel.

Work had been feeling better, in part because it’s actually been better, but also because of the journey I’ve started. By exploring content creation and fumbling though the process of getting started, I felt motivated in other parts of my life.

My job meets the need for financial security, positive social relationships, opportunities for growth and has positive societal impact. I get to do some interesting things, and the area of my organization I work in right now has a lot of support for staffs well-being.

By pursuing some of the things I was finding frustrating in work through content creation I was finding it easier and had more energy to face the challenges at work.

Starting to find a path

I don’t remember what made me think I should try a blog. Maybe it was the cycling blogs I read daily, maybe it attempting to start a blog years ago, maybe I googled making money gaming. But whatever it was, here we are.

Even before I knew how I would share this content, I knew the content was going to be built around the ethos I developed with “Simple”. While it wasn’t a perfect play-through; I did some things “right”.

I had a network of paths between all my builds. Builds were connected through nether tunnels as well. Everything was close enough together that it was easy to travel through the over-wold or nether to move from location to location.

Not using the Elytra or Shulkers and relying on horses and mules was fun. It made the experience more immersive and encouraged work on my paths; aesthetically and functionally.

I started sketching out some build ideas on paper and sometimes included the dimensions. More than once I had to re-think a build once I understood the number of blocks that would be required based on a sketch.

I started using Pinterest for inspiration. Favouring other art rather than minecraft builds. Hoping this would lead me to find my own techniques and interpretations of architecture and genres.

I started organizing lore for my world in a document. Trying to connect a story of my builds and the generated world of minecraft and its structures. Trying to tease out a story of how things came to be. Organizing the lore filled design gaps, deciding to incorporate imagery of the wither into one build for example.

While I may not have achieved the two objectives I set out with in Simple, it was an important exercise in growth.

Looking ahead

I’m looking to this next part of my Minecraft Story with enthusiasm. I don’t know if this is the finally the world I stick with. I’d like that, but I’m just going to focus on enjoying whatever it becomes.

I don’t want to fill daunted by the tasks ahead or feel like I’m not making progress. The right level of challenge is healthy for growth. Gaming or art doesn’t always have to be ambitious. Sometimes it’s better if it’s iterative.

Minecraft offers a space that you can make yours. A place where progress is not necessary but achievable sounds like a great place to be. We need our spaces to recoup and prepare for the next challenge. For some of us those spaces are virtual.

I’d like to share that space and it’s stories with you. I hope you’ll join me here and we can learn something else about playing this game and maybe ourselves.