Is Minecraft a RPG?

Unfortunately she-who-must-be-obeyed suggestion that I set up a Minecraft server for the holidays has eaten heavily into my blogging. Since she is currently asleep I can quit digging out gravelled in lava pits to look for seams of redstone and diamonds. There is a village in the server world, but I am banned from visiting it for fear of triggering a zombie attack. She-who-must-be-obeyed claims there is a witches hut, but I have never been to it. Finally found a lost mine two days ago. She-who-must-be-obeyed has indicated her displeasure at my plan to link all the seven plus caverns we have discovered into one giant underground network but the first four are already linked and I am not stopping. By judicious use of our pick of fortune two we have amassed a horde of over ninety diamonds but I am not allowed to build either weapons or armor with it. I have managed to enchant enough iron armor, so that creeper blasts no longer kill me instantaneously. I think the monster list is even shorter than one in the three little brown books I bought in 1975, but since I don't fight better even after I gain levels that is perhaps a good thing. Still not used to a game where gaining levels does not make you fight better. Is minecraft a RPG? Yes, but not a particularly good one. As I told she-who-must-be-obeyed Minecraft is seven different genre of games, all done halfway. And no I am not turning off the monsters, just so we can mine diamonds faster. At least its not dwarf fortress (we'll talk about the angry ghost left in the wake of the ax murderer some other time). I do enjoy watching Minecraft on youtube One of my favorites is the Yogcast Galaticraft Moon Quest:

It's kind of like the three stooges play Minecraft, but Simon's voice is so soothing. Unfortunately none of interesting mods they threw into this world pass muster with my virus checker. She-who-must-be-obeyed is more interested lately in Panda4994. Here's the video where he beats the Ender dragon with snowballs.

Unfortunately, playing the game panda's way although totally awesome, destroys any illusion of minecraft being an RPG at all. Think of your worst rules-lawyer/loop-holer run amok.

P.S. Either what I didn't get for Christmas but bought for myself, or the 4e Thursday groups plan for the Grand Finale.