When my brother and his friend first got Minecraft on Xbox 360 back in 2012, I didn't expect myself to get this involved into a community as wonderful as this.

2012 is where it all started. Where my younger self managed to pick up a control and stare at one half of the screen at the blocky terrain and characters running around. (Later, I learned these characters were named "Steve." I can't remember if we got Minecraft before the first Skin Pack came out, or after but we didn't buy it, but I do know we had those Steve models in a tennis outfit or a bike outfit.) This was back in the time Xbox 360 didn't have anywhere near the features it does now - No creative mode, for example. I remember our first world. A large desert was on one side while a forest was on the other. We first lived on the highest mountain we could find before we gained enough confidence to live on the ground-level where the monsters roamed. And trust me, we had more then enough creeper experiences then we would have liked. The simple cobblestone houses we made proved good enough shelter for us and the shops we made for trading our goods with each other gave us entertainment for days. It might only have been 3 of us on such a vast, expanding world, but it was good enough for us.

Again in 2012 is when Minecraft would resurface, near Christmas this time. With a new laptop and the firm plastic card with our favorite character Steve and the big, blocky letters spelling "Minecraft" above it filled me with excitement. I knew that this new version would be extremely different from the Xbox 360 my love for Minecraft originated from, but this only filled me with more excitement. My computer then wasn't good and I still had no skills in Minecraft what so ever, but that still didn't discourage me. I could have given up and moved on to another game or back to my dolls, but I didn't. But I did give up on the P.C Minecraft because my laptop could barely run it and stuck with the Xbox 360 version.

However, everything changed in 2015. 3 years later I had gotten a new laptop and my knowledge of Minecraft increased. In 2014 I had started playing on the P.c again more then I did on my Xbox 360.
This part of my journey is the part I am the most thankful for.
This is the part of my story in which I was changed for the better.
This is the part where I met the people who have helped my find myself.
This is where I found myself.
It was a late March day in 2015. School was over and I was at home, relaxing. I was playing the Hive as I normally would. (My Hive obsession was at it's peak in this time.) I jumped into the First Trouble in Minevillie game I saw. I didn't say anything, not yet. I was too shy to, and didn't know what to say. A message popped up on the screen.

BeGwen> Vote 3 for Disney World!

I had no idea that the girl named BeGwen and I would become friends.
But seeing this message, I was confused but amused by it at the same time. I was used to seeing messages like "Vote (Place Number Here)!" but never had I seen something like this. I wanted to know what she meant, so I voted 3. As some of the last people entered the game, the counter started to tick down. We were thrown into the map. Some might have been thrown blindly into the game, but since I had played many games before this one, I knew what to do. The timer again ticked down and I waited eagerly to see my role. Would I be a traitor? Or a detective? I hoped for something other then an innocent, though I was. I wasn't sad by it. I was used to it. But even if I wanted to be sad, a message popped up. It was her.

BeGwen> Come to the bus for Disney World!

It could have been a trap, but I didn't care. I was curious and went to the bus. I was silent for a few minuets before budding in on some of the conversations. Before I knew it, after minuets of sitting and chatting, it was down to the final 10. Everyone in the bus left and hunted for the traitor. After going to the bank and finding the Traitor, Akasuken, we had gotten short on numbers.
I remember at one point it was Gwen, Aka, and Me. We got into an intense bow battle, and I ended up getting to half a heart. Of course I ran and then like a logical person I quoted a CaptainSparklez song and typed (Because I wasn't going to miss such a great opportunity like this):

ThatGirlSpeaker> Half a heart but don't die die die..

Another message popped up.

BeGwen> We were destined to be friends.
And following was a friend request. Smiling, I accepted.
Of course happiness couldn't last too long as I was shot dead by Aka.
In death, however, I met a new girl. Spooky. Soon enough, we had gotten engaged in a conversation, joking around about the situation we watched go down. The game ended in an amazing way. Aka had placed down a Claymore near the door and I jokingly said:

ThatGirlSpeaker> It would be funny if he stepped on his Claymore.

And not 5 minuets later, an explosion was heard and the game ended. Innocents won. Aka had stepped on his Claymore.

This game ended in new friendships that still remain strong today. Since that day in March, my true self has come out. My love for puns was discovered, My humor, everything that makes me who I am.
Some think Internet friends aren't real friends.
But they are.
Internet friends can even be better friends then you think.
You just have to find the right ones.

I still am in contact with these people. We might not talk a lot, but we still have each other. I've met people, I've lost people. And there are those I still need to meet.

I'm not a Minecrafter because I can make okay skins. Not because I can build decent things nor is it because I know things about the game.

I'm a Minecrafter because Minecraft has become and forever will be a part of my life.
It will forever be how I found Myself.
My true self.

And my story has only just begun.


(Words: 1,122. Characters: 5,829)