As A Minecraft Movie proves to be the biggest Hollywood movie of 2025 so far, Jake Keating, chair of MTU’s Minecraft Society, tells The Southern Star about the universal appeal of the creative video game.
WEST Cork audiences are flocking to cinemas to see the hit Minecraft movie based on the popular computer game, which one Skibbereen player says can help forge connections, nurture creativity and promote problem solving.
MTU engineering student Jake Keating has been playing the game since primary school, and now as chairperson of the university’s Minecrafter’s Society, he says it has benefits to offer people of all ages.
‘The universal appeal of Minecraft, I believe, comes from the freedom each world instils in the player. In a world where travel is not always possible, and we may feel trapped by our work and life, Minecraft offers an escape, with beautiful worlds to explore, and unique experiences to be had’, said Jake.
‘The fact that every game offers a unique experience is also appealing. Every world you create is completely randomly generated, each server you start is going to have different biomes to explore, a different loot to gather.
‘The basic gameplay loop and mechanics of the game are incredibly simple to learn, meaning most of the enjoyment of the game come from your own unique experiences as you build in the world,’ says Jake.
‘The houses you build, the pets you keep, the places you explore, the memories you make with friends, these are all unique and I have had so many moments with my friends throughout my teenage years through Minecraft which have pulled us all together and built stronger friendships. Also, throughout Covid, Minecraft was our main form of connection. We were all living more that 5km away from each other, cut off from our friend group, with no school where we would see each other. So we played Minecraft together, and we built houses together and it helped us stay friends, and even become closer during a time of great disconnect.’
To the unfamiliar, Jake describes Minecraft as a sandbox game.
‘By default, there are two game modes, creative and survival. Both involve you loading into a “world” which is a randomly generated environment consisting of different biomes, such as a plains, or an oak forest etc, and structures, such as a village. In creative mode, you have full access to all blocks and commands available in the game and can “create” whatever you would like.
‘Survival mode, on the other hand, lands you in a world, where you have nothing to build with and no tools. You start by breaking a tree and create basic tools where you then slowly work up gathering materials and creating better tools to gather more materials faster,’ he said.
Jake is studying mechanical engineering in MTU, an interest sparked by Minecraft.
‘I have always been very interested in maths and calculations regarding systems, mostly through playing games such as Minecraft. As a kid I would enjoy the more technical side of the game, such as modpacks with engineering aspects and building systems to optimise efficiency of machines. I’ve never been the most creative person but I would enjoy building “farms” which allow the gathering of materials efficiently and automate some of the more tedious parts of the game,’ he said.
MTU Minecrafters run a number of events throughout the year.
‘We are mainly an online society, with a server running 24/7 all year round, where all MTU students can play as they wish. We also run a discord server with the community where people talk about Minecraft and play together on the server. We run a number of in-person and online events, such as minigames and LAN events, where people bring their laptops and play Minecraft together in person,’ said Jake.
A lot of their members are young adults who grew up with the game but he feels it’s just as appealing to grown-ups, even if kids will pick it up faster!
He also enjoyed the Minecraft movie immensely: ‘As a cinema experience it was probably the best I’ve had since the 2018 Marvel movies!’
But is the game addictive?
‘Understandably parents see their child playing on the console or computer for hours at a time and may be worried their child is addicted to videogames. With regards to Minecraft directly, I think it’s important to understand the creative and educational aspects of the game which, for me personally, and for many of my friends and generation have greatly shaped our lives and how we navigate problem-solving and creative problems. Some of the most artistically talented people I have met, started out playing Minecraft and building something as simple as a nice house.
Modern Minecraft has such a wide selection of blocks available it makes the creative aspect of the game much wider, teaching builders how to use colour pallets and other aspects important to art.
‘So to answer the question directly, yes, I think Minecraft is addictive, in the same way that any person with an interest in a certain hobby could find it addictive. Ultimately, it’s a modern vice for children to explore their creativity and express themselves in a world disconnected from
real life.’
