The game Minecraft has had undeniable influence on video games since its official release on May 17, 2009. As we reach the 10th year of its existence, it has had plenty of time to not only create countless memories among young people today, but spawn a whole wave of simple building games. Games that many of us also enjoy today, such as Roblox, Terraria and yes, Fortnite.

“In my seven year career in Minecraft, I learned how to build some really cool stuff like automatic piston doors and some cool secret bases,” sophomore Brandon Bridgeman said. “I believe it is a game that everyone should play at least once.”

When Minecraft first appeared as The Cave Game on May 13, 2009, it was a very different experience from what most of us are used to. There was no creative or survival mode. Players could only walk around, dig and explore small caves. Once The Cave Game was renamed as Minecraft, numerous updates were made and we now have the classic Minecraft we remember fondly today.

“I used to play it a lot,” junior Jeremy Kiel said. “I remember staying up late to build roller coasters. I still like to play it every once in a while for the memories.”

With creative and survival mode now in place, you can play the game as a sandbox game, where you let your creativity loose and build whatever you can imagine, and a survival mode where you can fight several types of monsters and gather resources to progress through the game. By 2013, Minecraft had amassed a cult following and had a huge fanbase eager for new updates and features. Soon after in September of 2014, Microsoft offered to purchase Mojang- the developer of Minecraft- and the rights to the game. Ever since, Minecraft has seen countless improvements and has reached legendary status in the minds of many, and has stayed steadily popular during one of the most innovative times in the gaming community.

“I think that the newer Minecraft is still pretty fun but I miss the older updates more,” freshman Jack Luong said. “It’s kind of weird now because of how much new stuff there is, but it’s still as fun as it was when I was a kid.”