Minecraft Player on a Decades-long Walk to Far Lands
Over 10 years, 816 episodes and 5,000 kilometers on foot is the result of youtuber KurtJMac's journey in Minecraft so far. And that's not even half of the road that will lead him to the legendary Far Lands.
- Youtuber KurtJMac has been traveling to the abstract Far Lands in Minecraft 1.7.3 for over 10 years;
- The player has traveled nearly 5 of the 12,500 kilometers separating him from his destination as part of 816 episodes of the Far Lands or Bustseries.
We've seen the passion and dedication (or just stubbornness) of Minecraft players time and time again. This usually took the form of huge or intricate structures created across days, weeks or even years of work. However, one player showed his devotion to Mojang's game in a different way. KurtJMac has traveled nearly 5,000 kilometers in the world of Minecraft in 10 years on his way to the distant Far Lands.
Beyond the lands we know
Contrary to its name, Far Lands is not a land per se, but... a bug from early versions of Minecraft. Prior to the release of Update 1.8 in September 2014, the game's world - in theory unlimited - had a problem generating every more distant edge of the map. As a result, after passing a certain distance from the starting location, bizarre structures started appearing.
These unusual areas were dubbed Far Lands by fans, and their fame led to the term being adopted by Minecraft's creators. Even now, nearly seven years after the bug was patched, players are deliberately modifying the game to reach Far Lands (or their even more distant neighbors). The name has also found its way into the story-driven Minecraft: Story Mode, but also into Super Smash Bros. Ultimate as the name of Minecraft's hero path in Classic Mode.
Minecraft: The Longest Journey
The phenomenon of Far Lands is due to more than just the abstract landscapes. True to its name, a significant distance also contributed to the legend. To reach Far Lands, the player had to travel about 12.5 million blocks, which converts to over 12,000 kilometers. Of course, this wasn't a problem for modders literally flying and teleporting all over the map, and the latter option in Nether was also available to regular players. Without this, the journey would have taken an absurdly long time (no less than 820 hours, and even that only in the case of a completely flat world). Moreover, the trip is made more enjoyable by the effect of the landscape "tearing" due to the game's decreasing precision in determining the player's position at increasingly higher coordinate numbers.
But there was a person who took on this impossible - in the words of Markus Persson, the creator of Minecraft - challenge. Kurt J. Mac (better known as KurtJMac) began the long trek in 2011 with one goal in mind: to reach the Far Lands without any additional help or facilities. More than 10 years later, he's completed nearly 5,000 kilometers and holds the Guinness World Record for "Longest Journey in Minecraft", of course in Minecraft version 1.7.3 (the last version released before the 1.8 update debuted). He's been publishing his quest as part of subsequent seasons of the Far Lands or Bust "series", the most recent of which ended in late March. KurtJMac will embark on the journey again in May.
Slowly, but with a (charitable) purpose
KurtJMac's dedication is certainly impressive. It's fair to say, however, that he will by no means be the first person to reach the Far Lands on foot (or by boat, if need be). Back in June 2020, an internet user known as KiloCrazyMan managed to do just that, after less than a year. Slightly later (and also much faster than the creator of Far Lands or Bust) youtuber nicknamed Eckwall also reached Far Lands, and here and there we can find recordings or streams of other people who in a short time went much further than KurtJMac (although not necessarily reached the destination). This is partly due to the helpful techniques (such as constantly getting in and out of the boat to maintain speed), but also due to the much longer daily sessions with the game (over 2 hours compared to the 30 minute episodes of Far Lands or Bust).
Nevertheless, KurtJMac still has quite a reputation among Minecraft players. Just the fact that he's the one who started the trend for expeditions to Far Lands is reason enough for many to adore him. However, the Far Lands or Bust series is not only a curiosity for fans of the voxel sandbox. It's also a charity event, which raised about $450,000. In this context, I don't think anyone can complain about the slow pace at which KurtJMac is heading towards Far Lands. Which, judging by the 816 episodes released so far, will probably translate into over a thousand more episodes of the Far Lands or Bust series.
