I’ve been a devoted Minecraft fan from the moment I made my first dirt hut to wait out the night. There’s something amazing about the simplicity of the game, and it continues to deliver months after I would have been bored with so many other games.

I recently joined a hardcore-themed PvP server, which is my first real experience with any kind of PvP in Minecraft. For all its limitations, Minecraft PvP is surprisingly fun, offering a threat of danger that creepers just can’t provide. As an example, a friend and I were doing some tunneling and randomly popped through the wall of another player’s underground tower. During our climb to the top, we noticed movement overhead. Another player! His nameplate was showing through the blocks, which meant ours were showing to him as well. We started digging furiously, trying to get up to the surface and find him. He made his escape, but we were able to loot a few valuables before running off to the safety of our own base.

Granted, this doesn’t sound particularly thrilling, but when you’re in a simple of world of blocks and almost anything is possible, the game feels alive in a way no MMO has ever felt. I’m continually amazed by how good Minecraft is on its own, but also the level of community development that goes into expanding the game’s possibilities. Big developers could learn so much about what makes a game fun from just a few hours with Minecraft. Let’s hope they give it a chance.