It was Christmas morning, maybe 2012, when my brother unveiled a DVD case displaying a geometric character holding a pickaxe. At the time, my five year old brain had no grasp on the world the disc inside would open up, only that my brother was excited and I wanted in. As my dad helped him connect the purchase to our online Xbox arcade to begin the tutorial for a game called Minecraft, I moved closer and closer to the screen, taking in every detail. I was first impressed by their unfashionable wood hut, and then in awe at the castles generated by the rest of the map. These were the moments that led me to my favorite activity: building. While I would not get my own chance to play until a couple years later, I took every chance I got to watch my brother play. I snuck into his room to read his books on building, examining each Mojang-approved creation carefully. I finally got to play on the Xbox when I was about seven, and it was not long after when I switched to PC. Many people found the superflat worlds to be boring, and although I disagreed, viewing them as blank canvases ready to tell stories, playing solo did grow old. Once again, I took to watching my brother, who introduced me to the concept of servers. I scoured the Internet, typing in "best creative Minecraft server," joining almost every single one. These servers unlocked so many more features, including WorldEdit and Voxel Sniper, both huge time savers. They allowed me to create massive maps, getting rid of tedious tasks like placing 50,000 blocks of coarse dirt. In a handful of hours, I could sculpt mountains and adorn them with the custom trees I worked tirelessly to perfect. In a couple of weeks, as opposed to years, I could build my own Pokemon region, another source of childhood nostalgia. But the greatest benefit: the players I met. I learned so much about building by observing the techniques of others and asking for advice. I gain way more beyond building skills. I became a collaborator, a problem solver, and an overall better person. Working together on projects, even when we weren't sending messages in the chat, established meaningful bonds. Some of these bonds remain today, as I enter 2024 with friends I've known for seven years. It is hard to believe that I gained so much from placing blocks in a video game, but it is something I will never take for granted.