Normally at this time I'd have already long-prepared to go to bed and then stayed up way past to get as much of the Travelcast as I can before succumbing to fatigue. Instead, I'm finishing the opening episode to the second season of The Newsroom on one screen while on the other CptWow's Minecraft stream.
It's quite something to behold, as much as I detest using cliched phrases, and it had dawned on me recently on why I found it captivating and enthralling.
The silence.
It was not my immediate reaction to the stream when I first encountered it a couple months ago and, truth be told I had not kept up as they were either not streaming when I was looking or I was otherwise occupied with the aforementioned Travelcast. No, the first thing you shall notice is the shaders in use; the waving tree leaves, swaying grass stems, the shadows moving to the sun which itself will burst through breaks in the walls and wash out the colours if looking in that direction. Translucent water with reflections, depth of field, the interiors bathed in the warm colours of the glowstone lighting, bloody gorgeous frame rate, then there will be the chirping birds, cricket sounds, leaves being blown by the wind. Barely any music (subtle, quiet, understated to the point where you may barely notice it) and no talking (save for the very occasional text-to-speech interaction); just this world in front of us, basically speaking for itself, and showing us just what it can be by simply existing there for us.
At 1am it's a pretty chill and relaxing place to be. Probably when not 1am as well, really, but I don't get to make these decisions.
