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Hello everyone! I have recently come back to minecraft to open my server and to play with some friends that I havn't seen in quite some time. After coming onto PMC and checking out the world of minecraft as it stands, I find some very disturbing things that I think are detrimental to the creative communit, and to minecraft as a whole. It is the so called "Comission Builds".
If people don't know what a commission build is, it is when a certain group of creative builders make, say, a spawn hub, a large project, or a map for a person that "hires" them. Recently, they have been getting popular and just this morning I was asked by a friend on skype if I would be interested in making a build with him and then selling it to a 13 year old for 200$. Needless to say I was disgusted and asked him to deny the request to build a hub.
Anyways, usually the people making maps are upcoming build teams that actually don't build for fun, but for monetary income. Almost always, the people paying for the projects are little children, most likely below the age of 15, that have money they saved up for christmas or their birthday that they spend on these "Comissions" to maybe impress friends or to temporarily boost thier player input. To me, this is disgusting. It is taking a child's money and sure the commisioners are giving them, some of the time, quality builds, the client does not really know the true VALUE of money and would soon regret it. I think that if you do this you are to an extent immoral and taking advantage of a child's temporary wishes.
Furthermore, building for the sole purpose of money is NOT what this game is about. Minecraft is a game that is about being creative, making the most with what you have with the world around you. It is a very special game in this regard and one of the ONLY games that give off a purely creative vibe. I would like for it to still be a special game to play for some people and not just be about money. I know the amount of people who "whore out" their server's capabilities for money like giving people op for 100$ and sadly people do that. In my opinion, that is too hard to stop because way to many servers do it. I have heard Mojang is trying to take action and shut down servers against that but again, in my opinion, there are just way too many. THIS however is semi-stopable.
TL:DR Build for fun and the joy of creativity and not for money!
I might get a lot of crap for this but I usually do for things. I don't care :)
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But no, seriously, I have to disagree with you on certain points. Yes, I believe it's wrong to steal money from children. However, I don't believe it's wrong to be paid for doing something you love to do.
In an extreme example, what if those commissions were helping someone who was barely staying afloat financially in life? What if those commissions were keeping bread on their table?
Yes, it's an extreme example (and God only knows just how realistic) but it is a possibility nonetheless. At that point you almost blur the lines between what you consider "socially" and "ethically" acceptable.
If I was ever in that position, I would accept that commission and the payment ONLY under the following conditions:
1. I know for a fact that the money isn't coming out of someone else's bank account without their knowledge
2. I am performing the task and completing the project to the absolute best of my abilities
3. I am NOT manipulating my client. I must ensure that they are not paying an exuberent amount of money unless the finished work is truly worth what they're paying for.
There is nothing wrong with receiving money for your trade, or your skills and time. If anything, it should be a great incentive to work harder and increase your pre-existing skills.
Stealing candy from a baby is one thing, but offering your services and time for proper and appropriate payment is certainly not immoral in any sense.
But that's just my two cents on the topic
Frankly, most of the commissioned builders I meet are people whose dialogues consist of memes and business talk, and whose building styles are regurgitations of others that have succeeded in the past. This bland objectivity is a symptom of "building for gain." When a person sees that a certain approach works financially or in terms of popularity, they like to emulate the approach. Do this, sure – it's part of how we evolve – but at least for the sake of your own intellectual and emotional health, add something new and something yours.
What about expression? What about message? What about theme and motif? What about narrative? What about personal experience? What about poetry? Heck, what about humor? There is so much that can be wrapped up in a build but is left out when time and money take precedence over artistic thought. The listed items are rarely considered in commissioned builds, and for this reason such builds often fail to measure up as real art, but rather hover just below it in the realm of "craft." I have heard that a layman works with his hands; a craftsman with his hands and his head; an artist with his hands, head, and heart. And when you work with all three, something clicks, and things become efficient, sustainable, and beautiful. One of those mysteries of life.
Without passionate and prolific artists, culture stops evolving. Then, it stagnates. Then, it collapses, just like a top falls over when it stops spinning.
So build for money, sure, I say – but build for joy first. If you sense yourself moving out of that dynamism, take a deep breath and realign your priorities, for the sake of everything and everyone.