Grenbug

I started a new Minecraft series, a survival longplay series without voice (no commentary). I did some longplay videos a long time ago and I wanted to return to that format. I have been thinking and planning for a longer series for a while, but instead of trying to plan everything out, I just started. It’s more fun just letting things develop as I explore the work anyway.

I have also been getting a little bored with the standard Minecraft builder videos these days. You know the format – intro, gather resources, building montage, then walk through. I also have been feeling like the Minecraft builders are building so big and grand, with such an emphasis on pushing to be bigger, more detailed, more colorful, that I feel like we are making the game less accessible for the casual player. I wanted to make more down-to-earth, smaller, easier builds that anyone can do, and even play along. More of having fun playing the game than trying to build something impressive.

I know that might not work for the algorithm that’s trying to serve up something unique and eye catching, but I’m ok with that. I would rather give people something relaxing and cozy to watch than try to do the next big thing.

My ‘rules’ for the series? I’m going slow and taking my time enjoying the early game. I’m sticking to stone tools for now, but I am allowing myself to use any found iron that I get from exploring. I am very bad at exploring and tend to stick to my base, so this will be a good incentive for me to get out and explore. So I can use buckets and shears, but for the basic tools, I’m sticking with stone. This will allow me to have a copper age in game once that release comes out! I’m really excited to have the Copper Age.

Why longplay? I love putting a longplay video on while I work. Or I should say that I used to. I got out of watching longplay because I wanted to see more of what creators were doing on their builds. But longplay has always been a comfort watch for me, so I’m happy to be working on a series like this.

Why no commentary? I have a surprisingly noisy home office. There’s always noise and interruptions, so recording with voice has always been stressful. It’s really hard for me to get good sound, and then I’ll get interrupted while trying to film. My filming has been stressful and hard to schedule as a result. Once I decided to try filming without voice, it’s gotten so much easier and more relaxing. I can do so much more because I don’t have to schedule things. I might try solving this later, but for now, no voice is working much better for me now.

And what happens to Arcadia and Skyblock? Honestly, I don’t know. I am still filming on both and I’ll try to work on videos for them. But I’m not sure if they will work out. The SMP community really relies on voice and interactions, which I can’t easily do, so I’m not sure how I can fit into that. I’ll see how it goes.