Student Spends 2 Years Creating Minecraft City

Have you ever got lost in a game? What I mean by that is, have you ever been so immersed in a game that you lose track of time? I’m sure, if you play games, then all of you have. But what about spending two years on a game?

Duncan Parcells, a student from Delaware, has invested two years, averaging five hours a week on constructing a virtual world named Titan City in the video game Minecraft. Titan City is formed from 4.5 million Minecraft building blocks and it houses 96 buildings.

The first building he constructed was a version of the World Trade Center, which took 18 months to complete. However, the 19-year-old says Titan City is not a realistic model of New York but “It’s inspired by New York,” he informed the BBC. “A lot of people think it’s a recreation but it isn’t.”

The young man constructed the metropolis using the Xbox 360 version of Minecraft. He now has now transferred it to the PC version, which he says, allows increased construction opportunities. “I guess it’s an outlet for architecture and energy…I’ve always liked architecture. I’m most proud of the less modern builds, the more art deco, Victorian-style builds…A lot of people drop by and want to walk around and explore or help with the build. A lot of them help with roads.” Mr Parcells plans to add an airport and a sports stadium to the city.

Although Titan City has gained a warm welcome online, Mr Parcells said that until now he has kept his virtual world separate from his real, daily life. “I’ve kept it under wraps, it’s kind of like a second life I don’t talk about but people are starting to find out…My parents think it’s cool – I think they’re just glad I don’t play it too much,” he said.

Minecraft is a huge hit globally, with over 100 million registered users. The game is free to play but there are in-game purchases that are available. Minecraft is set in a virtual world made out of cubes of differing materials and nearly all of these can be used as building blocks and a few can be refined into raw materials such as wood and iron. Playing the game involves surviving by using blocks to construct a shelter and by turning the raw materials into items to defend and fight with, such as swords and armour.

After an initial purchase of the game Microsoft recently agreed to buy Minecraft studio Mojang in a deal worth $2.5bn (£1.5bn).

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[Image via kotaku]

SOURCE: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/technology-29660265