For Notch

Notch, known to many as the maker of minecraft, a fun & creative game made a post on the twitter, and I, being my jaded self responded. He liked my post. This made me happy. Yet, I do not know that man, other then a name, other then his game. I know nothing of him. As someone "famous" he has met more people then he could ever hope to keep track of, (Dunbar's number). He also is a rich man. Now, he looks for meaning in "this game." He writes:

"I''m just trying to figure out the game rules here. :)If I truly make my own rules, I'd like to go back to programming.
If I don't, I'd like to know the rules."

Life has some rules, we must eat and drink, we must avoid injury, we must do something with our mind to make life worthwhile. Lots of humans though time have tried to say what it is that gives life meaning. You can try to find it in religion, beliefs, family, friends, or that loved one. You can find it anywhere or nowhere. Its unique to each person. Thus, the answer is - in the end, up to each of us.

But that doesn't sit well does it, it would be better if there was a "goal" - yet then I'm reminded of Notch's philosophy that I recall reading somewhere - if I remember right, it was that the "end" of minecraft wasn't an end, for after you jump into the portal you go back to the normal world, where you last set your spawn point (a bed most likely) - ah, you return home. The adventure is never over. You can go out and do more. There are endless updates. The quest is never over, the game is never done. Such is life.

Of course, Notch's post also shows to me a possible false choice, that you must figure out the rules of life OR go back to programming. You can do both.

Of course, I have zillions of ideas for games and things I would try to make, and when I knew some programming I made somethings, but its like anything - it takes work to make something work. Here in is the crux: Notch doesn't need to work. Yet, he "needs" to work. As work is something we do on some level. As of now, I write this - that is work, just not as great of a work as cleaning the dish's in the sink.

However, is there really "levels" of work? Some is "harder" then others but this is very subjective. What is hard to you, might be easy to someone else. What is impossible is simple. That is just how humans are. We are all very different creatures. Items in real life, things we can get, house's, collectibles, paintings, whatever you can point to - getting "more" for some is a drive, and for others getting "less" is better. Some are in-between.

Everyone is unique, although also, people break that rule by sometimes being very much the same. The rules of living in and of itself do not change, but other rules might change. Its a complex system we came up with.

I'm far from "rich" in fact, that is the one type of "class" I've not been. I was born and raised in Middle Class with a house - then descended downwards, then back up. I've not been Upper-Middle Class, whatever that is, but whatever the universe should just give me rich somehow. Also someone who looks like Sailor Mercury and... oh sorry what was I typing? Once you begin wishing, you do not stop I suppose.

However, this idea brings me back to the start of this, what makes the "game" won? In real life I had at one time, almost every set of pokemon cards completed - I could make all sorts of decks, and I enjoyed that quite a bit. Then, that time in my life ended, I sold my cards. I still play on PC from time to time, I do not miss the "real" cards - I do think though, what it would be like to have "all" the cards in the online game - I could build any deck, but - also, there would be a somewhat of this feeling - this "now what" feeling. Like OK I won. Now what? Well, I won a type of game. Now I can play the game game... unless collecting was the game.

I wonder if Notch feels something like that - he "won" the game of life, here is money, boom you rich weeee! Okay. Awesome... now what? Well, see, that wasn't REALLY the game. You just thought it was, and it turns out, it wasn't. That is a good thing...right?

Maybe. I guess it depends on what sort of person Notch is. That avatar name also fits "Notch" as in a small groove one puts into wood or something, it fits just so, into that notch, that area, that bit. Maybe that will be a clue for him moving onward. Oh hey, we are both 40! ... yay? O_o;

We all must play this game of life our way, within some rules, also making up those rules. I do not know if that is of any use, or will be of any use, still I didn't mind writing this blog post, For Notch.




(also for anyone else that might read it)