My last weeks in Minecraft have been very intense: I have lived in the sea as a pirate, I have fought an epic battle against the Ender dragon and defeated the Wither. My intention for this week was to find something to do more relaxed to contrast with so much action… and I’ve almost succeeded: I’ve discovered the wonderful world of parkour in Minecraft.
Parkour in Minecraft: people drunk on skill doing crazy things
Hours after the last story of Minecraft, my friend (the same one who “cheated” me for the ender dragon odyssey) called me on Discord to chat. The conversation went on for hours. In the end, I asked him the typical question that we all ask when we don’t know what the hell to say: “Well and what are you doing?“
That question was the beginning of an adventure that has given me as much joy as it has taken years away from me. “Well, I’m being silly in Minecraft, for a change…“, he told me. To which I jokingly replied that this is what he does every day of his life. “I’m doing parkour [inserte insulto que no puedo decir aquí]He replied while laughing.
¿Parkour in Minecraft? Mobility isn’t that great: you can’t climb blocks, climbing ladders can be awkward, jumping isn’t very rocket science… My first thought was that I was messing around with some mod that introduces Dying Light-like moves or something for the style. No mods.
After some teasing on my part, which I later washed down with chips, my friend invited me into Minecraft to teach me what parkour is like while he told me the first facts about this wonderful world.
Skills worthy of a machine
minecraft has a subcommunity Parkour Focused: Perform insane tests of skill where they quickly move through suspended blocks in the air. There are even YouTube/Twitch channels and competitions focused on parkour!
- The simplest tests require a surgeon’s control of the jump and speed.
- The more complex ones include all of the above, plus buckets of water to stop falls, different blocks to create some footholds as you move forward, and endless other craziness.
We watched some videos for a couple of hours and then I figured I wouldn’t mind losing a few years of my life trying to complete some simple tests. About this paragraph you can take a look at one of the many videos we saw.
Between the two of us we built some basic tests (and a couple not so much) to see how far he was able to go. The first time I went exactly three blocks before falling to my death in the most humiliating way possible.
“Now it’s my turn“, he told me. He jumped like crazy on the blocks as if it were the easiest thing in the world. Before he finished, he used several blocks to descend and finally a bucket of water to break his fall. My jaw dropped.
Mapa de Minecraft: “Parkour Spiral”
While I was trying to complete the tests, not at all with the fluidity that I had seen in the videos, my friend invited some colleagues from his community of Minecraft. They were all very nice and told me about all the dedication and passion they put into their videos and hangouts.
A mighty young padawan in parkur-strength
The smallest member of the call told me that he dedicates tens of hours a week to practice his parkour and think of new cool techniques. It is a trial and error process that can be very frustrating and also requires a lot of creativity.
Mapa de Minecraft: “Escape the Cave!”
Currently, he is creating a circuit that starts in the heavens and descends to caves full of lava waterfalls. The critical moment is at a series of “door” shaped openings in the lava. As he says, there is no room for error.
Several of them, including this kid, assured me that they have gotten to repeat some simple circuits so much that they can complete them with their eyes closed. “It’s all muscle memory and concentrationadds one of them. After everything I’ve seen, I believe them.
A very exciting week in Minecraft
Starting something new is exciting and scary at the same time. Failure is necessary, although it is not pleasant to take blows. I have died many times throughout the week and I am still unable to complete most of the circuits that I have tried, at least not smoothly and “making it pretty“. I’ll keep practicing!
Mapa: “Everything Parkour”
Video games have once again shown me that they exist extraordinary people and communities around them. Some manage to stand out and become content creators, but most live in the shadows for one reason or another. And you can’t imagine the enormous amount of talent that we lose every day!
I was unaware of the existence of these communities so dedicated to an activity that was not intended from the beginning to Minecraft. This “game mode” grew out of a number of people who found it to be fun and started sharing their experiences. This inspired other people who did the same.
Have you ever tried to do parkour in Minecraft?, do you know someone who does it exceptionally well? I read you in comments.
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