Hey folks. So I haven't been on in a while because I didn't know what I could do in Minecraft that would be engaging and would hold my attention, but I've had an idea. Basically, I'm thinking of holding competitions based around different activities in Minecraft, whereby players would pay a fee to enter (say 1k or 2.5k, maybe more) which would go towards a jackpot, and whoever wins (or comes 2nd or 3rd) would take a share of the jackpot, and would also be required to disclose their methods/techniques as to how they won. The main competition I have in mind would be a mining competition, whereby I'd take a group of players out to a distant point in the Wild/Wastelands, and challenge them to mine as many diamonds/diamond ore blocks as possible within a time limit (maybe 2-4 hours). They would be required to show themselves on the livemap, would be banned from exiting the Wild/Wastelands unless they are forfeiting, and would have to initially swap their inventory with cobble from a chest full of cobble to verify they are not carrying any diamonds/ore at the start of the competition. Of course, anything they mine, diamonds or otherwise, would remain theirs to keep. Not only would this be a fun competition in which one could win big, the competition would serve as a test of different mining techniques and their efficiency. When I search online, I can't find one single up-to-date source laying out explicitly what the best mining technique is. This competition would serve as an experiment to find out, over time, what the best technique/method involves. As well as mining, this could also be applied to tree-chopping, quarrying, mob hunting, arena PvP, as well as group activities, to test whether group mining yields more per person than individual mining (excluding EMC's XP bonuses). It could also be applied to activities that may occur out of game, like referring new players to EMC (using the referral leaderboard to track) or getting people to attend/participate in certain events. - If anyone has thoughts or suggestions about what I've said, feel free to say so below. Is it a good idea? The first such competition of this kind I would wanna hold is the mining one. Has anyone any suggestions as to when would be a good time to hold this, and what would make a good entry fee, and if you'd be interested yourself in taking part?
Any game that charges for participation must be validated by staff and added to the Wiki list of Approved Player Games. Do not alter your contraption without staff approval if this applies to you and you have been registered. You can easily start a PM with staff most likely to be able to assist you with approval here. Skill competitions that are numeric (able to be quantified) I see as fine as they are not a lottery. Entry fees required refundable if no participation occurs. I do PREFER that you can get a staff member online to oversee, simply because it reduces arguments over these situations later on. The problematic one I see is going to the be the referrals, due to using Alts. As staff we are unable to reveal who is/is not an alt. Therefore as a player you would not be able to legitimize this. Feel free to message me if you have any more questions/details that you would like to hash out.
I like it I would say perhaps do this on a Saturday early evening (emc time) - In my experience there are the greatest amount of people on at this time. You can also reach out to some of the staff who hold events often such as MoreMoople, she is a great resource. Finally, make sure to get your event put on the events page and give people ample time to prep for your event, around a week. I would also ask the community for help or donations to your events; people are almost always willing to help. Good luck and good to see you around again!
I've been thinking about this for a long time - I think it is possible to do it in a way that sufficiently prevents cheating. I'd participate and bring some friends. I'm very surprised that the rules about player made gaming machines are somehow brought into context of player run competitions. I think that it is an essential freedom that players can agree upon rules and prizes and have competitions. Besides "do not scam" and "do not cheat", no further rules are needed. Over-regulation is not a good idea. It is especially valuable for younger members to experience risk, competition and sometimes loss of investment - and also situations where they've perhaps misunderstood the rules or the character of a game, or even misjudged trustworthiness of other players. Trying to make everything around them safe makes them unprepared and weak. This is arguably one of the greatest mistakes of the late 20th and early 21st century and one of the main causes for increased health issues among millennials and gen Z. See: "Jonathan Haidt: The Three Terrible Ideas Weakening Gen Z and Damaging Universities and Democracies" https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B5IGyHNvr7E
Also you do have a very valid points, there are plenty of other servers out there where we can get a very opposite experience and learn to be scammed, cheated, toxicated and whatnot. As well as, there are plenty of ways to experience the same, as soon as anyone is exposed to internet in general. I personally, and also as a parent, would still like for EMC to have this uniqueness of a safety haven, where me and my kid can be assured to have a fair experience and simply enjoy a block game. Thank you.
It's the question of right measure. If it is so safe that there is no risk and there are no bruises, or so safe (and thus dull) and/or so complicated that the wish to play is suppressed, than it's obviously overdone. On the other side, if children (and not only children) experience menace or violence or evil without having a foothold and support than it's damaging. (Not so much the hardship, but being left alone, without support is damaging.) The best one can do is to play together. When something happens or something new is there, notice how children will turn towards you, examine your reaction and learn from it. If you're easily scared and insecure, they will be even more. If you're confident and show strength and competence, they will learn that and strive to gain it as well. Really, we should not act out of fear, it does no good.
