EVOLVING FROM LEGO BRICKS TO DIGITAL SANDBOX GAMES

Plastic building bricks such as Lego and MegaBloks have been around for a long time, yet
have remained to this day a timeless hobby, for all age groups. These small bricks or
pieces enable users to construct anything of their choice, simply by clicking them together
with gaps and knobs.

In my own lifetime up to now, I have had a lot of time to enjoy this toy. As a child and
teenager I primarily used Lego, MegaBloks and Kre-o bricks, which I still tinker around with
now. Additionally, after many years of learning how to build things with those reasonably
large bricks, NanoBlocks (which use the same shaped pieces yet are so much smaller)
aren’t too difficult for me to use.

Though at the same time, constructing things with these building bricks does still have
downsides. Firstly one does need a lot of physical space to store Lego sets, or to even have a place to sit down and put them all together. Another deficit is that plastic is very
harmful ecologically, and it’s important for me to use as little of it as I possibly can. But after saying all that, my interest in building things piece by piece hasn’t ever solely
involved tangible plastic bricks.

In my childhood, computer games such as Sims and Roller Coaster Tycoon were available, in addition to Minecraft that was released during my late teen years. Minecraft has remained a favourite game after the two earlier precursors I mentioned. In 2013 Disney Infinity was also released, and I liked to use that game to build virtual worlds.

Nowadays in Minecraft I can build worlds which don’t have a size limit. Other games such
as TinkerCad and Lego Studio are excellent for the pleasure of constructing objects,
without having to physically store them somewhere afterward.

For the past three years I’ve also been enjoying to escape into Virtual Reality worlds by
using a MetaQuest headset. I spend a lot of my free time watching immersive 3D YouTube
videos, using the game Stellarium to stargaze from anywhere in the world or in our solar
system, and I like escaping into historical or futuristic worlds whilst playing VR games.
Whenever I’m using my headset it truly does feel like I’m in a much larger area, even if the
room which I’m actually in is small.

Something else that I must mention here is that I also construct things piece by piece in
certain VR games, such as futuristic machines or robots. As well, I can even build entire
worlds of my own (much like Minecraft) for me to escape into, whilst I’m playing Space
Elevator. In order to do that I only need a very small amount of actual space around me,
and when I’m wearing my headset I cannot see my space limitations at all!

Eventually I won’t even have to wear a large helmet with goggles in order to escape to
other places or worlds. Over the past few years I’ve been buying Meta Glasses, for me to
use in various other ways besides improving my vision alone. Currently my glasses also
work as headphones for me to use whilst traveling in a car, and they can also do many
other things.

Yet within a decade I’ll be able to use Meta Glasses to escape into VR worlds (just like I
can do now with my MetaQuest headset). Also, as technology improves I won’t have to
keep recharging my device after a few hours of use. At home three hours is definitely
enough time, though if for example I’m on a long flight more hours are ideal.

Returning now to the topic of building bricks and digital sandbox games (and how Virtual
Reality worlds are perfect for giving me unlimited construction space) are each a great
assistance tool for me. The word “toy” describes an item or object which gives a person
pleasure whenever they’re using it. But at the same time, toys are also great for teaching
babies, children, teenagers, adults and the elderly various new skills.

There is no other method of learning which works better than us doing so by using
enjoyable tools. If we find a lesson boring our brain will only “zone out”, and we won’t have
nearly the same amount of motivation to continue engaging in the lesson (or activity)
again and again. So in conclusion it’s always best to make every individual activity both
work and play, in equal measure. In my own case I find that I learn a lot about history,
architecture, antiques and mechanical skills whilst engaging myself in the activities
mentioned in this blog.