I enjoy playing computer games. I recently reinstalled Township on my iPad. And it wasn’t long before I was reminded why I had deleted it the last time. At some point, in order to really advance in the game, the player is encouraged to spend some money. Maybe just a dollar or two or three or maybe more. It can happen quickly and sometimes too easily. I have found that, eventually, the game gets a little repetitive as, despite perks as you move through the levels, you are mostly asked to complete similar kinds of tasks required by the game.
This time, as I went to press the pay button a little too quickly, I was reminded that I could be building and harvesting and exploring almost for free in Minecraft. Since I don’t play on my iPad, Minecraft seems like more of a commitment, requiring a laptop and even a mouse. But even that is good as it makes game playing more intentional, not just something else to do because it’s easy and available.
I paid for Minecraft many years ago at a time when most education-focused websites and software was free. So, twenty six dollars seemed like a lot of money, particularly if you weren’t sure you would stick with it. I play about four times a year and have easily played for ten years: that’s less than a dollar a game. And, I can start and restart to my heart’s content so when I get tired of a particular simulation, I can start a new one, or move from game to game, maybe building something grand in creative mode or battling creepers in survival mode. And, ultimately, it remains interesting as I am the decision maker. There are rules to follow but they don’t dictate what I have to do as much as what I should or could do within the context of the game.
As I type this, I am downloading the iPad version and plan to try it out this evening. If I am going to “waste time” playing a game, at least I can do it mostly for free.
If you haven’t played Minecraft, you may want to move on. If you do play, then you’ll know how excited I was to discover a shipwreck that included a buried treasure map that led to finding The Heart of the Sea. For an hour this afternoon, I was completely absorbed in the process, including getting some advice from online Minecraft sites about finding the buried treasure.
I had a bunch of oak slabs left over from my roof project and discovered they could be used to make a composter. I placed it in the corner of the garden and didn’t think too much about it. Guess I figured it was decorative. Well, it turns out that it composts. And it particularly likes cake and pumpkin pie. Stuff it full of compostable stuff and you get bone meal back. The green crystals are the compost being made.
