Accepting new things is hard. When games went from cartridges to discs, people probably worried. I know I did, because I had to share my systems with younger, less cautious, cousins. As the digital age approached, people showed apprehension about moving from physical media to downloads, because what happens to our libraries if something goes wrong? Now, we’re approaching another bump in the road with virtual reality. Is it really going to make a big difference? Is a $200+ headset worth it?
Well, Oculus Rift has worked out a relationship that will make people say yes. During Oculus Connect 2, it was revealed that Minecraft , the PC game that just won’t quit, will support the headset. By next year, maybe even this time next year, the Oculus Rift and Windows 10 version of Minecraft will be working together to put people into Steve or Alex’s shoes. And that, friends, is going to give VR the foothold it needs to become part of our gaming lives.
I know what you’re thinking. Can one game really do that much? Yes, it can. It happened with Pong . That got people playing video games in their home. Pac-Man is the game that got everyone into arcades. Do you know what title managed to get a handheld into the homes of my friends and I in kindergarten? Tetris . World of Warcraft is the game that managed to convince people to subscribe to a title for a fee every month. Sometimes, you need one game to open doors, and Minecraft is going to be it for VR and the Oculus Rift.
Part of it is because Minecraft is the “it” game. It’s been a force to be reckoned with since 2009. With Microsoft owning Mojang now and updates still frequent, it could easily manage to hold and maintain its audience until 2019. Kids have grown up playing it. People still arrange weekly nights to meet, build, and survive with friends. With its simple mechanics, yet surprisingly complex and comprehensive gameplay, Mojang created a world where people can’t stop exploring and creating.
Minecraft is also perfect for the Oculus Rift and VR in terms of visuals. The voxel-based game may not be the prettiest or most polished thing to look at, but it has a certain sense of style. People’s expectations aren’t ridiculously high because, well, it’s essentially digital Lego. You can’t expect too much from blocks. As long as they look like blocks, you’re going to be impressed. There’s a lower threshold of amazement. If a game like Skyrim was the VR lead, there’d definitely be a sizable audience that wouldn’t be happy with how it looked, nitpicking every little thing. With Minecraft , people’s expectations are in check and, even if they aren’t satisfied, there are enough free mods out there to make it look the way they want.
It’s clear that Minecraft is a force to be reckoned with. VR doesn’t really have a hold yet, and nobody’s sure what to expect from the Oculus Rift. Yet, by tying the two together, an unbreakable and beneficial bond has been forged. People are dedicated to Minecraft . They go to cons to support this single game. Hell, some people have been playing it for the last six years. That kind of devotion would absolutely extend to the purchase of a peripheral, which will give VR a sense of security to rely on while it proves it can be a vital part of our gaming lives.