Minecraft - My First Extended Exposure

The best selling video game of all time got another sale: me.

I mostly avoided the first wave of Minecraft popularity after it came out. I played a bit of some online hosted version around 2011-2012. After that, I played the PS4 version that I checked out from the public library around November 2016. Beyond that? Minecraft was basically just that game that everyone else plays. It seemed fine, but it never pulled me in.

That changed when my kids watched A Minecraft Movie (2025). They watched it first at a friend's house, then again when our local library hosted a showing of the audience participation version. They were throwing popcorn and screaming when the chicken jockey popped up, but I just dismissed it as kids being kids.

On the way home after the movie, my oldest asked if we could get Minecraft. My youngest had already played it some from our family library on Android. I figured we could pick up the PC release and play it together. In particular, I wanted to see if I could purchase a single license and use that to play across multiple devices.

One of the few benefits of AI ChatBots is the ability to provide detailed responses to complicated questions. I didn't know much about Minecraft, but I figured Google Gemini might be able to help me understand it purchasing options a bit better. "If I purchase Minecraft, can I install it on multiple devices?"

"Yes, you can install and play Minecraft on multiple devices, but the rules and limitations depend on the version you purchased and what you want to do.  

Here's a breakdown:  

- **Minecraft: Java & Bedrock Edition (PC):**  

* **Installation:** When you purchase this version, the license is tied to your Microsoft account. You can install the Minecraft Launcher on as many compatible computers (Windows, macOS, Linux) as you want and log in with your account.  

* **Simultaneous Play:** You can't play on the same online server at the same time from two different computers using the same account. The server will kick the previous connection to prevent username conflicts. However, some users have reported being able to play on separate single-player worlds at the same time.  

* **Family Sharing:** Minecraft's Bedrock Edition on PC can be shared with family members through Microsoft's Family Share feature. This allows multiple accounts to access the game without having to buy it multiple times, but they would still need separate Microsoft accounts to play together online.  

- **Minecraft: Bedrock Edition (Consoles, Mobile):**  

* **Installation:** The Bedrock version is tied to the platform's specific digital store (e.g., PlayStation Store, Xbox Store, App Store). You can install the game on multiple devices as long as they are linked to the same account used for the purchase. For example, if you buy it on one iPhone, you can install it on another iPhone using the same Apple ID.  

* **Simultaneous Play:** Similar to the PC version, you generally can't play on the same online server simultaneously from multiple devices using a single account. For multiplayer, each player needs their own separate license and account, unless you are using local multiplayer features like split-screen on a console.  

- **Transferring Worlds:**  

* **PC:** Worlds for Minecraft: Java Edition are saved locally on your computer. To play the same world on another PC, you need to manually copy the world's save folder from one device to the other (e.g., using a USB drive or cloud storage like Dropbox).  

* **Bedrock:** Bedrock Edition worlds are also saved locally on each device. While some platforms offer cloud storage, transferring a world between different platforms (like from an Xbox to a phone) can be difficult or require specific tools or servers. Minecraft Realms are a good option if you want to play the same world with others on different devices, as they are hosted on a server and can be accessed from any device with a Bedrock license.  

In summary, a single purchase allows you to install the game on multiple devices that are tied to the same account, but you will need separate accounts and copies of the game to play online multiplayer with other people at the same time."

My biggest takeaway from that AI exchange, but also from personal friends, was that PC players were best advised to use the Java edition. Other platforms, or PC players who wanted cross-platform play with other platforms, should go with Bedrock. I purchased the combo edition with Java and Bedrock, but I figured Bedrock was the best suited for what we wanted.

I purchased the combo and installed it on my personal laptop, as well as my Steam Deck. That allowed me and the kids to play, but how could we play TOGETHER? I investigated a few paid options, but it turns out you can self host a Minecraft server on your local network. I already had an old laptop hardwired to my network to host my Plex server, so it was not much extra effort to download that installer and spin up a Minecraft server.

After I got the local Minecraft server running, we were in business. We spent a few days playing together, setting up a base and exploring the world, but the kids were hooked. When they went to stay with my mother for a few days, I had to investigate how to set up a static IP on my server laptop and configure port forwarding to allow them to access the server from another network.

The first few days were rough. I didn't have much experience, my oldest didn't have ANY experience, and my youngest only had what he had discovered on his own from playing a local world on his tablet. There were a whole lot of Google searches to figure out how to do certain tasks, or what certain items were useful for, but we started figuring it out.

I made a huge pillar on the mountain near our spawn point to ensure we could find our way back to home base. My youngest knew how to make beds, which really cemented our place in this new world. I looked up some starter house builds and settled on one that was both functional and ridiculously easy to build. We gradually incorporated mining, crop farming, and livestock into a small base of operations.

For a few weeks, I explored every avenue available to me. Youtube was obviously a huge boon. The Fandom site was super useful for finding crafting recipes and understanding how items related with each other. Heck, I even checked out an ebook of "Minecraft for Dummies" from the library. We were gonna figure this out, if it took all three of us.

We got a decent sugar cane farm running, and plundering through the mines turned up SOME ore, but I couldn't get a steady supply of iron for the life of me. The goal is to start setting up automation and get an iron golem farm eventually so that I have all of the iron I need. We also have two villages in close proximity, even though the kids basically ransacked the first one we found. I'm keeping the other a secret until we get a villager farm up and running and I don't need the original village anymore.

I see the concept of a "forever world" discussed on places like reddit, and as much as it seems to be something that people pickup after they've played for a while, I'm cautiously optimistic that this server might be our family's forever world. We're figuring out the game, but it also gives us a thing to do together and have a good time. I do get frustrated with the sort of territorial nonsense that the kids are doing, and I can't say I wasn't super irritated when they stole beds from the villagers, but I could see this server growing with us and becoming something we play on here and there for years.

This certainly isn't a review, especially since I haven't yet put in enough hours to feel comfortable reviewing the game, but it is a sort of declaration of intent. I wasn't sure if I would take to Minecraft, but I've had fun with it, and so have the kids. Over time, I may post about significant new developments, or things I've found. Eventually, once I have a good grip on it, maybe I'll review it from the perspective of more of an expert on the game. For now, I'm just kinda figuring it out.

I can absolutely see why this is the best selling game of all time. We're just on vanilla Bedrock and there's till SO much to do. Maybe after we've exhausted as much as we can on this server, we'll migrate to a Java server and start using mods. For now, I'm perfectly content just playing the game as it was intended and learning what all you can do.