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Minecraft is a unique game that can't easily fit into one genre. It's sort of a first-person creation game "” the main draw is that you can shape the world by building and destroying blocks. But the game also includes a survival mode and a multiplayer mode, and there are plans to include still more types of gameplay in the future.

Minecraft is unique in other ways, too. Its graphics are simple but have a cute blocky look, and a huge world is randomly generated each time you start a new game. It's a refreshingly original game that's just fun to play around with.

All of the game modes described below can be played for free, but they are also old versions of the game. To play the latest versions, you will have to purchase the game. It's pretty cheap as long as you buy it before the game enters into beta, but you might as well try out the free older versions first to see if you like it.

Controls

Minecraft has very simple controls. As in most first-person games, you control your movement with the WASD keys and you look and aim with your mouse. Left-click destroys blocks that you aim at and right-click builds new blocks.

You can use your mouse wheel to scroll through a partial inventory, and you can press B to access your whole inventory. In survival mode, pressing tab fires arrows, and in multiplayer mode, pressing T lets you type a message to other players.

Single-Player Creation Mode

In single-player creation mode, you can spend hours building up whatever your heart desires. Build yourself a quaint little home, an entire city, or Mario.

You have an infinite number of blocks to build with and no enemies to worry about, so just let your creativity flow.

Single-Player Survival Mode

Single-player survival mode more closely resembles a traditional video game because it has enemies and you can shoot arrows at them. But what makes this more unique than your typical first-person shooter is that you still have the block-building and destroying abilities from creation mode, which can be used strategically to create strongholds and defend yourself.

A major difference, however, is that you don't start with an infinite number of blocks to build with; you have to add blocks to your inventory by destroying other blocks. You also have to hold down your left mouse button for a bit in order to destroy blocks. All of this goes toward making survival mode a more methodical game that requires strategic thinking when choosing to spend time destroying or building blocks.

Note that this is an old version of survival mode and that you will encounter many glitches. For one, when you die you'll just receive an error message, and you'll have to refresh the page to start a new game. To play the latest version of survival mode, which fixes a lot of the glitches and includes many additional features, you will have to purchase Minecraft.

Multiplayer Creation Mode

Register an account for free and join a multiplayer mode server for a whole new kind of fun. It's amazing to see how quickly a world changes as everyone works on their own creations; you can come back to a server just hours later and marvel at how different it is, or you can actively make your own changes and work around others' creations.

The possibilities here are endless. Working on creations together for several hours can result in truly monumental and unbelievable buildings. On the other hand, things can also get pretty chaotic, especially if griefers join the server and just start destroying things at random. In either case, the interactive multiplayer component adds a whole new and exciting layer to the game.

The Future Of Minecraft

Minecraft is still very much in development; the free version isn't even considered alpha. If you purchase the alpha version now, you will receive all future updates "” including the beta version and the completed game "” for free.

The developer plans to eventually include, among many other updates, a multiplayer survival mode, a capture the flag mode, and a zombie siege mode in which you must build up your defenses during the day and fight off the enemy during the night (or maybe hide in a corner and hold on for dear life).

Share some of your own Minecraft creations in the comments!

Image Credit : Dennis from Atlanta