IGN Minecraft Video

Note: If you’re only here for the full video tour of my Minecraft world it can be found at the bottom of this article.

Only a few weeks ago, I had the privilege of giving Greg Miller (@GameOverGreggy) and Brian Altano (@AgentBizzle) of IGN a tour of my Minecraft world.  While I had known about the game since its early days in beta, I never got into it because I didn’t have the time. Well, at least that was the case. Recently I’ve had nothing but times on my hands; so when I began to watch Greg and Brian’s Let’s Play of the game, it was inspiration to start playing myself.

Originally I had only planned to invest enough time into the game to construct my elaborate mansion-in-the-sky and a few other odds and ends.  A couple hundred hours later I had found something more within Minecraft.  I had a passion for this game and how it allowed me to have a creative outlet when I thought I had lost all others, as well as a source to help me ignore my physical pains (I’ll get back to this later).  Upon this realization, I knew I had to at least try to share it, and who better to share it with than the two who inspired me to play.

Unable to find a proper way to write into Greg and Brian’s Let’s Play series, I took a chance with the Podcast Beyond email.

I didn’t expect them to read the email on Podcast Beyond, let alone even a portion of it, I was simply hoping for a response, but they actually read the last paragraph of the email on Beyond 354. You can see it below.

Podcast Beyond 354

The injury I mentioned in my email is an issue that’s been with me since just before I graduated college in December, 2012. To keep things simple it is a hip problem that could have come from a minor trip or fall four or more years ago.  Since I’ve began seeing doctors for the issue, I’ve had three surgeries, and eight procedures that have attempted to fix the issue and relieve my pain… meh, this is a buzz kill even for me.  To keep things even simpler, my hip hurts, doctors like to poke and probe me an inappropriate amount, and I’ve been reduced to sitting in a recliner and playing video games for the past two years.  All of this could basically be described as a lot of nerd’s dreams, minus my 62 year old pain problems.

The point is I not only reached out to Mr. Miller because of Minecraft but because he may have had a sense of what I’m going through.  I do not mean to compare my problem to cancer, which is horrible and life threatening, but he had gone through something himself, an issue that came on suddenly.  Like me, he may have found that video games helped to keep him laughing and happy through the issues.

Video games, the medium often targeted by uninformed media outlets as lending to the issues within our society (save Ebola…maybe), have been one of the very few things that have helped me to keep my sanity through this ordeal.  They have provided outlets for frustration and opportunities to distract from the constant pressure within my leg.  Minecraft has provided relief for me now for a couple hundred hours since I began playing on June 4th of this year (2014).

Being able to share my world with people like Greg and Brian, and the community who watch their videos was an honor and a pleasure.  Not everyone who sees the game can appreciate what goes into it, especially within survival mode.  I truly appreciate what the IGN pair did for me, and all of the comments from their viewership.

I’ve also received a large number of friend requests, a portion of which have come with messages asking for full tours of my world or help in other’s worlds.  As I said in my article that preluded to this exposé, I can’t start a touring service, and I don’t intend to start a live broadcast, but what I have done, is a full video tour of my world which follows below.

Full Video Tour

It’s been a tough and exhausting road, admittedly.  I miss the life I used to have, when I was healthy and physically fit.  Still through all of these trials I dont’ forget the things I have and what helps me through this. I am very thankful for the luxuries in my life, and my parents who have been willing to support me through this difficult situation.  Thank you all for reading and watching. Keep gaming!

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Scott Deisner is an Associate Writer for MONG.  He enjoys story and character driven content above all else, things made from potatoes, and long walks on sandy beaches ;P  You can follow him on Twitter.