off topic

I've been playing Minecraft again now that another big update has come out and it makes me think of two things.

1) One of the game's big features is that it's very retro (for lack of a better word). It employs the use of "pixel art" (the quotes are because all digital art is pixel art but nevermind) and it gives off an 8-bit vibe like it would have been our favorite game on the original Nintendo had it been capable of 3d graphics. What occurs to me is that in another decade or so perhaps the blocky 3d graphics of the 90s (like the original Quake) will be used for some popular retro-looking game - probably once games start trying to do real-time ray tracing or something. Minecraft by virtue of not setting out to be a realistic looking game can get away with having low system requirements and have a massive map size.

2) I really wish I had a few more years of programming experience before Minecraft came out. I think of neat ideas for utilities or mods and I'm kind of just stuck still doing simple Project Euler problems. I know that in time I'll reach the next plateau but I feel like a kid that can't wait to grow up.

On the second point I have been having a hard time motivating myself to program. I'm at a point where everything is just grunt work like plowing through the GTK book or banging my head over the PE problems. Yes they are indeed extremely important but it's starting to become a chore. I need a pet project like a ray tracer or game mod or something that has neat flashy results that would improve over time with me.