Minecraft has always been hard to classify. While the game possesses the elements of a first-person shooter, it cannot be considered an FPS. Similarly, there are a lot of discrepancies that make it unique from the current generation of games.
However, one category seems to fit it rather well. Minecraft has the elements of an MMO while being a complete survival fiesta. Therefore, is it okay to call Minecraft an MMO game?
As it turns out, the term MMO stands for massively multiplayer online games. While Minecraft falls under this category, it also possesses offline play. Therefore, it cannot be considered a full-fledged MMO but calling it that isn’t very off from the truth either.
Still confused? Let’s break down what makes a game an MMO to determine if Minecraft fits the pedestal.
What is an MMO Game?
MMOs are massively multiplayer online games designed to be played with many online players at all times. Their worlds are vast, but most of the time – you don’t get the necessary privileges to modify the world in any way.
With that being said, the premise of such games is rather simple, they are built to be played by many players at all times. Those players are then allowed to play with each other, creating a small world of its own.
Is Minecraft an MMO?
Technically speaking, Minecraft possesses all the fundamental elements of an MMO. Therefore, it won’t be wrong to classify it under that. However, there is still some grey area since the game features much more than what a single MMO requires.
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For example, Minecraft possesses first-player shooting elements. The player can crouch, shoot and move here and there. However, it’s not all the game can do. Therefore, you’re limiting Minecraft’s scope a bit too much by calling it an FPS.
While the MMO genre presents a greater level of freedom, it still fails to encompass the entirety of Minecraft.
What is The Genre of Minecraft?
Minecraft is called an open sandbox game. This genre is all about the creative freedom a game possesses. For example, there aren’t many limitations present in Minecraft that might restrict the player from doing certain actions.
While some sorts of limits are present in every game, Minecraft is kept rather independent than others. Therefore, creative freedom also bumps that much. Needless to say, such limitations are only present to guide the player through the intended walkthrough of the game.
With that said, an open sandbox is a style that only allows a minimal amount of restrictions to be placed on the player itself. This is exactly what happens in Minecraft, aside from the survival part.
All in all, possessing such a wide assortment of choices is an achievement. Add all this to the fact that Minecraft is constantly updated on many platforms, and you develop a sense of appreciation for Mojang.