Minecraft: Habits and Impermanence

This channel is now Patreon supported. If you'd like more information on how to support the channel follow the link below:
/ vzedshows
It has been a long while since i've worked on anything for this channel. I've struggled with the desire to get back to it weighed against real stuff but throughout all of that Minecraft has been a constant for me. It is always waiting for me when i need it again and yet i would argue that Minecraft as a game adds up to an exercise in impermanence. And you all know, when i start thinking about a game, a script isn't far behind... so here we are.
If you would like to follow me on Twitter this can be accomplished: @VZedshows

[@razbuten]

I missed you.

[@VZed]

It's good to be back.

[@goodryan8989]

@@VZed Razbuten sent me! just posted about you :)

[@meee_5155]

@@goodryan8989 yep me too

[@dictatorchips5688]

@@meee_5155 me three

[@bamfyu]

Me 4

[@golgarisoul]

I was sent here by some dude waring a brown paper bag on his head.

[@Lavorre]

same lol

[@theburgerbox9576]

Wow you too???

[@kraftykactus1028]

This sentence is quite funny out of context!

[@theburgerbox9576]

@@kraftykactus1028 yeah

[@kraftykactus1028]

@@theburgerbox9576 It makes it sound like he's taking advice from a high homeless man... or his dad!

[@condescendingcanadian9970]

I had entirely forgotten just wandering around the completed worlds, but when you said it out loud, I think all of us had the sudden memory of being nine again, soaking in an environment that felt bigger than just a combat arena or puzzle room. Instantly recognizable, but hard to remember until you hit the nail on the head. Great vid overall

[@VZed]

I have always tried to hang onto the sense of wonder video games offered me when i first experienced them. Minecraft has been a big part of preserving that for sure. Thanks for the kind words. Glad you liked the video :)

[@snomangaming]

VZ, you’ve always been one of my favorite creators. Phenomenal video mate. Hope you’re well, it HAS been awhile (in terms of reaching out!) let’s chat sometime:)

[@VZed]

Yes, we should definitely catch up more intentionally one of these days. I'm hoping to get videos back into my life in some fashion so wish me luck!

[@NT-sx2bd]

OwO

[@carsonlyne6857]

I was recommended your channel from Razbuten and this is the first video of yours that I have watched. I can say that any wait will be worth it for your content! Keep up the work but don't push yourself so you start to resent it. Now excuse me while I binge watch your entire channel XD

[@sayst]

Great video VZedshows. To your point of lost worlds, I had a long distance friend who lived in another country who I played Minecraft with on a server that I hosted locally. When she came to visit me, I 3D printed the main city we had built and gave it to her as a memory. We painted it together, inhabiting the same space briefly. The world is forever lost, along with some of our memories together, but I think of that chunk at times.

[@jamlog1481]

these philisophical, self reflective videos disguised as minecraft videos are the best thing to come out of youtube and this stands as a testament to that

[@jamlog1481]

im currently in a server with a lot of friends and damn if this video didnt hit home again and again

[@ElynevanOpzeeland]

Simply existing in a video game space is my best way to relax! Nobody wans something from me, and i can do whatever i want while exploring and enjoying the landscape. I often boot up minecraft on my current world to relax, to just walk though it and enjoy looking at my and my friends past creations, getting inspiration and doing whatever; which most of the time is just looking and walking though the world with no set goal.

[@longarmsshow]

On the realsies, though, this was beautiful.

I often daydream of Minecraft. Places I've built, sights I've seen. They are as real to me as the actual houses and apartments I've lived in, over the years. These thoughts always fill me with melancholy, knowing that I'll never revisit those spaces again, and that most of the time no one remembers them but me. It seems unfair in a sense - why I can revisit other games from my childhood but not this one? But what I've come to realize is that this is how life works: fleeting, impermanent, ever-changing moments. It's being able to access your memories that is the true exception. Minecraft is just doing what life does. In a way, it's teaching me a lesson about how to deal with loss. These are things that I've been thinking for a while, but your video did an excellent job of helping me think through these feelings. I haven't watched any of your other videos yet, but thank you for this. It really made an impact on me, and I'm sure I'll keep coming back to it.

[@NOOB-ps8km]

Even if i haven't played minecraft , i too feel that anxiety of failure and judjment and putting stuff away for better days. While at the same time feeling the comfort that i can always start a new game. This video somehow sounds as if i made it myself. And the wierd part is that i found this chanel from a dude with a paperbag that was talking about games. A dude i found only because a machine thought that i will like it. I am glad it was right.

[@CetomimusGillii]

Finally someone has put into words why I have never fully lost interest in Minecraft all these years, even as I go months between sittings. Thank you!

[@VZed]

You're most welcome :)

[@SBChaevok]

So thankful to Razbuten for turning me on to your channel! What an amazingly somber, if engaging video style. I relate so hard to everything you said in this, they way you have woven the message of this video into such a personal yet relatable experience, is nothing short of a masterpiece. I'll definitely be awaiting future content from you, but don't feel any pressure :D Either way, I'll be here.

[@OtakuDYT]

Extrinsic and intrinsic motivations are interesting topics and can greatly change enjoyment of a game, there is nothing worse when the game says "Do this" and you really just want to do something else entirely.

[@RikidikiNowYEET]

welp found a new youtube channel to binge-watch to oblivion

[@theburningor]

YES to the Myst comparison. I've felt that but couldn't articulate it.

[@DerLaberheld]

Now I dont feel that bad for all my beautiful lost projects... which means I still want to cry but now its tears of bittersweet nostalgia so hey

[@VZed]

Parting is such sweet sorrow :(

[@olek-piechaczek]

You... you have nailed exactly how I feel about Minecraft: it’s truly a mirror of a game. It will only give you as much as you’re willing to put in. The game only gives you the tools to explore, mine, and craft, which you can do at any time you want. It’s why I always feel so satisfied when finishing another massive build, because I sought the materials, harvested them, and then stuck them together into an aesthetically pleasing way. I love this video and thanks to Razbuten, you’ve scored yourself another subscriber! Again: beautiful video!

[@petervilla5221]

Man, this video is a mood that I can't wait to get back in to when exams are over.

[@wizawhat]

Wow, beautiful video, honestly comforted me in a moment of frustration for similar things. Glad to have you back man, and even if there isn't a turn where you get to do everything you want and feel fulfillment from, whatever you're contributing in any facet of your life is fucking rad

[@VZed]

Thanks so much! I think i'm starting to figure out how to let this kind of thing just be fun again. Hoping i can hold onto some of this drive going forward. It'd be nice to have to have this as an outlet again.

[@Arrathix]

Wow, you've put into words, so many feelings I had about Minecraft that I was just sort of dealing with. I play it every couple of years for a few weeks, and every time I do, I have almost the exact same experience of starting over, letting my imagination run wild, starting countless projects and laying the groundwork for grandiose structures, but never really finishing any of it. The thing that always makes me stop is simply how invested and engrossed in my world I become. Every time I feel my imagination take hold, and I start building my new world, it quickly makes me want to withdraw from the real world more and more, until I hit this end point, where I realize there isn't enough time in the world to terraform the landscape to my liking, and that I'll never really finish my goals, because you're right. I'm not there to achieve anything specifically, just to simply exist in a game space, letting my imagination and creativity fuel the experience. When I try to relate this to other aspects of my life, I've only ever really felt something similar from an impulsive vacation took many years ago. On it, I was always aware that I wasn't trying to achieve anything and had no goals, but just simply to "take it all in", and enjoy the unique adventure I had embarked on, and try as many new things as possible. Furthermore, this vacation had very little concrete planning, so when I got up for the day, and walked out the front door of the hostel I was staying at, it was like walking out into a vast, unknown land, full of potential and excitement, just waiting for me to go find it. Knowing that the exact journey and experience was one that I was forging completely from my own choices, is simply a feeling I don't get in my adult life very often, least of all from games, which generally, can only hope to emulate a modicum of that sensation through randomness. Somehow though, Minecraft's procedural generation of worlds seems to transcend that limitation, allowing me to feel the burning drive of imagination every time I come back to it after a year or two's respite. I think I finally understand what it is I've been looking for every time I get the urge to boot up Minecraft. Thank you.

[@VZed]

You are most welcome. Making this video was largely therapeutic for me and hearing that other people are finding the same kind of comfort in it is very reassuring to hear. Minecraft really is something special.

[@crisc0city]

I came here from the Raz vid and I gotta say, I was not expecting the EMOTIONS. I've always thought Minecraft was dumb baby game but shit, that was me being naïve. Excellent content, I'd be tickled to see more.

[@tpdenhaag6718]

You have been able to put in to words such a profound feeling. Minecraft is an experience unlike any other, more than just a game. Thank you.

[@MoonSpiritChannel]

Phew, what a video. Thank you for being so candid with us, Alec. Even if you are dealing with life and all, I'm just happy to see you making videos.

[@joeyv.114]

Woahhh, we’re halway there! Razbuten’s quest has reached its midpoint, yet the content is still plentiful

[@VZed]

I've gone through all the videos on the list myself, and lemme tell ya, all the channels are pretty great. Go Raz!

[@masterzminer]

I found this channel from Razbuten's video. Like you said, it's so hard to put into words, but you've so perfectly captured the feeling I have right now. I've recently started my first full time job after college, and now I hardly have any time to play games or work on projects, and there's something about the way you talked about those things that is so comforting. Really enjoyed this video.

[@VZed]

Welcome aboard! Of course everything is a balance. I'm glad i've found space for videos in my life again, but yeah... the eternal struggle of free time management.

[@kraftykactus1028]

Minecraft is such a wonderful game and if it weren't for the fact that I don't have the game I would play it for HOURS at a time!

[@Anathema7]

I don't remember when did I subscribed to this channel but I'm glad I did

[@VZed]

Welcome here!

[@kaibjerget7487]

What a beautiful video. It made me feel nostalgic towards those world and made me miss my own that I have lost along the way.

[@WanderIust_]

Just got time to start binging through videos from Razbuten's recommendations, and boy am I glad I added this one to my Watch Later. You put into words something that's so very hard to do so.

[@Billybo10K]

Hey there, I just wanted to say that this video really hits home a lot of points that I've felt about Minecraft over the years. It actually got me quite emotional, so thank you for conveying your thoughts in that way - It was fantastic to watch.

[@VZed]

You're most welcome. I love the zen a game like Minecraft can create. I'm always so glad my friends dragged me into it back in the day.

[@Yipper64]

3:12 man thats exactly how i was feeling about gamedesign recently... What i needed to get out of that rut myself was something to shake it up, in this case a game jam. I think i got to that point because i wanted to work on a longer term project and refused to let myself give up on it. I still wont give up on it... but i realize now i definitely need to take a break from time to time, not always from game design entirely, but i cant just focus on doing one game until its done if its a really big game. Idk if that will help you in the future, but i support whatever it is you want to do from here.

[@lagmion4061]

Just found out about your channel through Razbuten's tweet. Suuuuper underrated. Never stop putting time and effort into your passions, man, because amazing stuff happens when you do. I hope to make this kind of videos one day, hopefully next summer these will be the type of projects I'll be working on

[@VZed]

Well thanks very much. It's been quiet lately (as you probably know) but i'm hoping to add videos back into my routine over time. Glad you found your way here. Glad to have you!

[@caseyoung1527]

I never thought about the fact that Minecraft doesn't require anything specific of players, so validation is completely subjective, and that makes it more fun

[@decent8059]

Was pointed here by the Razbuten video and was not disappointed. Fantastic video. Your videos are the types of videos that I’ve always wanted to make but never had the courage to.

[@VZed]

Well thanks so much and thanks for stopping by! It's always great to hear that this video is still reaching people. It's been a few years but I still echoes for me after all this time.

[@adesignersperspective]

i always periodically check your channel to see if you've come back - and here you are! great to see new content from you, man (:

[@kraftykactus1028]

Please don't use (: instead of :). It makes you sound REALLY passive-aggressive!

[@JSargeK]

It didn't hit me until the last few minutes, but this video made me cry. For me personally, the creative outlet I have that lets me fail and calms me down is making silly artsy photoshop edits of myself. I love doing it, its fun, not a skill I feel any need to make work out of, which is what I enjoy most. I can just do something. I put on your video and for 20 minutes I made a new edit, not particularly outlandish, I finished on the dot of the end of this video. I felt particularly emotional to this video because, well, I'm doing what you're talking about mc does for you. I'm happy to have been shown this video (thanks Raz) and your channel. Creativity shouldn't be stifled or rushed, so take your time, I'm gonna stick around after watching this one.

[@VZed]

Well thanks so much (Raz is the absolute best). I made this video for my own catharsis, but knowing that it's reached others on the same level makes it that much more meaningful to me. Thanks for stopping by and i hope you enjoy your stay :)

[@robertaul1613]

Hey, nicely said man. Brought things to light that I hadn't even recognized or appreciated in my own experiences.

[@caseyoung1527]

Your description of the minecraft world gave me wanderlust

[@paypercutts]

EPIC! Yep! Exactly what you said....coz I couldn't say it as good as you did. ALL of it! That's how I feel about Minecraft

[@HillsideVids]

Holy cow, man. That was quite the video. I've fought with those same anxieties and feeling down for not keeping up with a creative outlet. But I'm glad that I re-launched as Hillside. It was like a mental server wipe and I got to start over. Was it the smartest choice in terms of hoping to grow a channel? Time will tell, but feeling that creative spark again feels damn good. Always happy to see a new VZed video on the timeline, no matter how long it takes!

[@Andre.Andrade]

This is the best video I've ever seen on youtube, and that is not a statement this council takes lightly!

[@VZed]

Well thanks very much. Glad to know this video is resonating with people.

[@longarmsshow]

Watching this as I'm in my own sort of creative frustration atm is hitting deep, but also something I feel like I need to experience in this very moment. Miss you, bud. Hope you're doing alright,

[@VZed]

aw, miss you too, man. It's always great to hear from you.

[@nerdsomnia]

I don't know you or your content, and I got here from Razbuten. But I feel you. This video hits me hard. I love it.

[@GeekVFood]

This is such a beautiful and well thought out video. I could really feel the emotion behind why this games means so much to you! Amazing work.

[@kraftykactus1028]

I'm basically addicted to watching Minecraft video essays!

[@juanitopantuflapantufla2605]

Im going to cry This was beautiful

[@Roboardo]

Thanks for this video. It made me remember vividly the emotions I felt as a kid when I first picked up the game, when I thought they were lost to time...

[@AwfulPossum]

I don't know what it is VZed. You always manage to find a way to speak to me, whether it be through your videos or outside in Discord. This was a beautiful video; keep doing what you wanna do, however you wanna do. kickass video brudduh

[@VZed]

Lemme tell ya, speaking to you is always a pleasure!

[@DampeS8N]

Oh hey, Ne Obliviscaris. Good band.

[@trautsj]

I too got Minecraft in 2011. When it first came out on Xbox 360 lol I remember watching videos by a Call of Duty guy named Seananners playing it and just loving the idea. Eventually watched other people play it and then of course when it came to a system I had and could afford I jumped at the chance. I poured hundreds of hours into it and couldn't have been happier with the time I spent on it. I haven't played for years just because my creative imagination mojo has gone to shit but damn do I love Minecraft just for being and allowing Minecraft lol

[@ThePrimordialChronicles]

This will sound cringey as fuck, but the last time I think I enjoyed Minecraft was back in Alpha… I’ve spent entire two dollars on it lol… Also, for some reason the ending to this video made me… kinda emotional I think? There is this realization that we all eventually get to in our lives, of how much of our endeavors- both creative and just day-to-day life stuff- are just singular,unitary and lonely moments spread out in time, with no one else to truly and honestly share them with… I guess it’s bittersweet, because those moments become special to you and only you, and they are gone as soon as you are. All in all, quite the thoughtful video.

[@VZed]

Haha, Minecraft means different things to different people, and that's part of what I love about it. Thank you for your comments. I've been stumbling into the epehemerality of my own perspective and experiences lately and this video was kind of a centre-point for that. Ultimately I'm just so glad it's reaching people who need to see it.

[@NT-sx2bd]

I just discovered you now and I'm glad I did!

[@Ulraf]

This was beautiful. Thank you for this

[@plm-fp6nu]

What good is a ship if you can't sail it? What good is a castle if there are no enemies to attack it, a king to rule it, or gaurds to defend it?

[@caseyoung1527]

I had never heard of Myst before, it looks like an interesting combination between interactive KZbin and open world puzzle games like Physicus. It looks like something I might actually play

[@kayracan3663]

I love Razbuten even more now

[@VZed]

Isn't he just the best?

[@ughaghost]

take a moment to be proud you got this video out man. you finished this thing, thats a big deal. celebrate that.

[@VZed]

Haha, yup. A feeling i haven't had in a good while. Hoping to get videos back into my life on some level.

[@jobobminer8843]

I swam through a frozen ocean once. This is the first time I remember being at rest in a long time. gliding through the meaningless chaos of code, I found ... something nameless. Peace, love, beauty? Perhaps. Home. Home in a place I had never been, constructed by a thousand similarly meaningless vectors intersecting. It is the first time I remember being truly alone. There is such joy in exploration. In being somewhere no one has ever been. Measures are lost with society behind you. Freedom.

[@iamnoimpact]

Dude this was an awesome video! I hope that in the time that's passed since you've posted it, you've found a creative routine that works for you without feeling the need to sacrifice things that really matter. I hope you've figured how to line up the seams and sew together a suitable quilt. You do great work and I think there are ways to strike a work/life balance that will get us all through to the end. That being said, your comments on Minecraft and the ability to understand and *accept* impermanence are huge lessons for all of us to learn. It should help us all live in the moment and appreciate things as they come and not rely so much on being able to come back to them!

[@VZed]

Thanks for your kind words. I'm glad people are still finding this video helpful. I think i'll always be working on finding that work/life balance. I'm the kind of person who needs to jump between projects/things in order to feel happy so maybe I was always destined to be restless where ever I go and whatever I do :)

[@rsfalzone]

Man, this hit home. Too much of what i do is dictated by milestones or some external validation. Things feel empty when those are sparse.. but whats the point of finding thing i enjoy intrinsically if they dont help me get to the next milestone...

[@kraftykactus1028]

Minecraft is like a cool glass of water on a hot day! If you don't want goals, you don't make goals. If you want goals, you set goals. Simple as that!

[@caseyoung1527]

I am extremely impressed by the mapping

[@saps5831]

Like many I was sent here by a dude wearing a paper bag on his head and I loved this video, this is one I'll watch many times. Also another reason to buy minecraft is added to the list.

[@PureSlime]

I missed this video when it first came out. :( You've put into words a lot of the same feelings I've had, both about content creation and about Minecraft. Excellent video.

[@SolDizZo]

I know that you had a lot of things to say, and you've inspired me to have a lot of things to say also... however, in the spirit of the theme of the video, all I will say is... Same.

[@kraftykactus1028]

same

[@loganschaloske3435]

wonderfully put

[@Letyourheartfly85]

This video took my breath away. This was amazing💗💗💗👏🏽👏🏽🤗

[@screamingapple6195]

You are brilliant good sir

[@ChanceDrive]

New scriber, nice videos essays.

Thank you so much for the video. Hope you are all right.

[@VZed]

I'm doing alright these days, thanks for the thoughts. I think i've found space for videos and whatnot in my life again. Glad to be back :)

@@VZed Nice to "hear" that. Good to know you're better. Thanks for the reply.

[@TheProbots]

Beautiful video.

[@philingupspace]

Thank you for making this video! I haven't been able to really get into a game for over 9 months and your notice that Minecraft fosters starting anew really resonated with me! Apart from also having a routine in the first few hours of a new world, I also only have footage of older worlds, not the files themselves. Thanks a lot, and I hope you find a creative outlet that fits your energy and time schedule!

[@VZed]

My pleasure! I'm glad to know this video is reaching people. Thankfully, I think i've found a good equilibrium these days, even if it does mean videos don't happen quite as often.

[@philingupspace]

@@VZed That's so good to hear and a thousand times better than stressed uploads! :-)

[@Maceyoshiman]

Love your work man ♡

[@Jazztache]

11:15 I think you can also used named banners to add markers to maps. Try it out sometime :)

[@MochaGreen911]

This is why many people like dwarf fortress, the diference between them is how friendly they're to start, I personally don't like DF becuase I honestly think it need a lot of UI designe improvements but I understand why this is the case, thediference of amount of people working on this games is to big

[@Orange_Swirl]

Keep it up!

[@FelipeGomes-ek8lf]

This video is beautiful.

[@nobledrakeules2596]

Enjoyed it 😊🙏

[@jimlord]

here from razbuten nice video

[@94knux]

Commenting for the algorithm.

[@kraftykactus1028]

Came here from Razbuten and I'm probably here to stay!

[@VZed]

Glad to have you!

[@kraftykactus1028]

@@VZed Thanks! Great video btw!

[@cyberdragonzekrom6790]

Impermanence. Infinite Impermanence?

[@metal0n0v]

... considering your intro on how you've put your life in order.... have you considered building a house in real life?

[@caseyoung1527]

17:05 is that a Greg Laswell reference

[@ginko2692]

I see you build a lot in survival. Do you like creative? Which do you find more rewarding?

[@VZed]

Building Survival is more rewarding, but creative building is important to me as it helps me get to what i want to build much faster. I play more survival, though.

[@ginko2692]

@@VZed thanks! I'm always torn between the two!

[@caseyoung1527]

[@merytheru]

I have to ask...why do you say it's all failure? I really don't get it

[@VZed]

You're right, failure is the wrong word in a literal sense, but i tried to use it to set more of an emotional context. It's like an acknowledgement that the feelings i've had surrounding my time in and things i've built in Minecraft are emotionally in line with things in my life that could be considered "failure" such as maintaining consistent creative output, putting music on hold, etc. But on a long enough timeline "failure" starts to mean less and less and realizing that makes it less devastating in the long run.

[@FlashCake]

:)

[@melissajohnson5734]

Razbuten send me here

[@VZed]

Welcome! Please enjoy your stay :)

[@melissajohnson5734]

@@VZed I am really enjoying your channel

[@qu765]

690th like, 90th comment, and and excellent video

[@longarmsshow]

First

[@Steven_Azrael]

Second

[@Jraddy]

Third

[@AwfulPossum]

Fourth