More than 100 Minecrafters are competing in White Plains to win Minecraft’s Galactic Mission, a worldwide competition that lasts for four weeks. The ultimate winner receives a $15,000 scholarship. Starlord is an 11-year-old gamer, who lives in New Rochelle. He’s been playing Minecraft for five years and is reporting on the competition for lohud.com and The Journal News.
This week, he’s joined by DinoGio, one of the handful of girls competing in the championship.
During last week’s round there were a few Wi-Fi issues that delayed the start, but this week ran smoothly, except for one little problem, according to team DinoGio: “We had one hack who compromised the server and cheated, raiding other teams. He fixed it so he wouldn’t die and controlled the leader board. Not fair!”
Her dad added that the techs running the competition were really on top of all the kids, caught all the bad behavior and put a stop to it immediately.
Starlord and DinoGio recap Round Two:
DINOGIO
Who I am: Hi! I am 9 ½ and my name is Brianna, but I like to be called Brie. I started Minecrafting when I was only in kindergarten (“I think”). My mom downloaded it five years ago just to keep me busy not knowing anything about it. I love Minecraft because if it’s in your imagination, you can build it; you can do anything. I am hooked on DanTDM, my favorite Minecraft YouTuber, who just married Jenn. They try out all the latest software.
What else do you do besides Minecraft? My mom says I need more days in the week for all the things I do: I take Taekwondo, Hip Hop, Jazz lyrical and I cheer for my school and I cheer competitively. I started singing the “National Anthem” for Mahopac High School basketball games (three times so far plus another in two weeks). I play the viola, I love art, attend CCD and I have also have been a Girl Scout for five years and do things for the community.
How was the Galactic Mission on Saturday? My favorite part was the building part, but I thought the whole competition was soooo amazing!
What was the hardest part? Hmm, I would have to say the hardest and most challenging was the P.V.P. because I think they should give you more time for more challenging stages. The looting part was way too short and I could hear all the frustrated kids around me. As you check the close looted chest, then the faster kids would kill you.
Any surprises? I loved how comfortable I felt and really fit right in from the minute I walked in that theater, even if I was one out of only five girls. I was very surprised how nice and awesome my team was. We all cooperated and listened to each other’s ideas and needs. I walked in not knowing anyone. My friend Maddie is obsessed with Minecraft and had to cancel last minute because her software was not up-to-date. I felt bad. So I didn’t know what to expect entering into a large group of over 100 unknown crafters. But I found the competition to be totally amazing.
How did you do? My team, The Exotic PVP won the League for the building challenge.
Any challenges? My least favorite thing was logging in to find I had to play as a Steve because I played under my brother’s game tag. Of course the they thought I was a boy! They never checked online or in person to find out who is a boy or a girl. It was also intense getting in and seated, and set up.
What’s your strategy for next week? I can’t wait to go back. My teammates exchanged contact information with me and we will try a few gaming sessions; maybe just maybe It will be super hard because we are all so busy after school.
STARLORD
Where did you get the name Starlord? Since there was another Starlord in the system, I had to tweak my gamer name a little. Now my name is jamesstarlord10. I got the name Starlord after watching the movie “Guardians of the Galaxy” in which one of the characters is named Peter Quill a.k.a Starlord. I liked Starlord because his name is astronomy-related and I love astronomy. Plus he is a really cool character in the movie; he is the hero of the story.
You had a week to get prepared for Round 2. Did you practice? To get ready for round 2, I read “Minecraft Essential Handbook” on laptop controls when playing with the mouse and each day I practiced for an hour.
What did you do differently this week? I had the same plan, just to be more focused and to have fun.
Did you feel more confident? Yes, this week I felt more confident. I had time to practice with the laptop, which is different from playing on PC and PS4, how I usually play.
What was your strategy this week, build faster or get rid of your opponents? This week we played a survival game called “The Walls.” In my Team Base there is a character called The Wither (which is a materials trader). My team built a cage of Cobblestones to protect the Wither from people attacking him. When we played “Mayhem” (which is a survival game) we gathered as much loot (diamond sword, diamond armor and diamond pick-axe) as possible.
What were the other competitors doing? Most of the competitors were trying to get the most points and the most kills, along with building the best desert world they could.
Are people still having fun or is it getting serious? This week was more competitive; many teams were planning different strategies and trying to win. Next week I expect it to be 10x more competitive as the teams bond with each other.
Right now, who is the Minecrafter beat? The top three Minecrafters were amazing. They got the most kills in the survival games and had the lowest amount of deaths. They also knew when to get loot from the chest and when to strike.
What do you think your chances are of winning the tournament? This week my team did an amazing job. We grew a lot as a team speaking to one another and planning strategies. I think are chances are good.
What are you planning for next week? To practice more, be more focused and to have fun.
Where do I sign up!?!