Written by Tech Desk member A.J. Schmidt (2018-2019)
Since it seems like these days everyone's favorite pastime is playing video games, running a video game server seemed like a pretty decent topic to write about. Fortunately, a friend of mine ran a Minecraft server, so I interviewed him about what it was like. Cue all of you whining about Minecraft being for twelve year olds and how no one plays Minecraft anymore. All of that is irrelevant, really. This isn’t a tutorial, nor is it about any specific game, and while a lot of twelve year olds play minecraft, none of them are a part of this interview. Let’s get right into it. Interview: A. Schmidt: Well, what’s it like running a multiplayer server? Canaan: It’s like being the president of America. A.S.: How so? C: He’s gotta deal with a lot of nonsense. - I relate. A.S.: How much time do you have to put into it? C: It’s not like a 9 to 5 job. I only have to work on it whenever there are bugs or glitches, or if I’m coding something to release a new thing to do on the server. Typically, I’ll spend two or three hours per day, on average. A.S.: What was the most frustrating thing you’ve ever had to deal with? C: Probably dealing with the community. Having to make decisions that will affect the entire community, and having to deal with the backlash. A.S.: Speaking of the community, what kind of challenges can they create? C.: Apart from being annoying, they rarely pose a threat. If a player is causing trouble, usually I just ban them. The most annoying player I ever had to deal with was a hacker who had dozens of accounts at his disposal, I had to guess which accounts were his and ban them individually. A.S.: Does banning players ever bother you? C.: Not really. I try not to let my friendships with players affect my decisions. Impartiality is essential, but not always easy. A.S.: Do you have any other advice for people that want to run a server? C.: It’s actually pretty expensive to do, this server costs over fifty dollars each month just to have it online. You also have to have good computer skills and a lot of friends that are willing to help you. Conclusion: Many video games like Minecraft can be excellent ways to express creativity and spend time with friends. While many people say that they are useless and have no place at school, video games can improve important skills like three dimensional visualization and hand-eye coordination, and some have also been found to improve memory and reduce stress. Regardless of all that, students still play them, so why not play with a friend? Special thanks to my friend Canaan, who made this interview possible.
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
The Tech DeskThe team writes about the latest developments in technology. Archives
January 2018
Categories |