Game Theory: Minecraft, STOP Punching Trees!

Game Theory has been running since April 18, 2011, predating Minecraft's 1.0 release on November 18, 2011 by more than half a year. The show has evolved from analyzing game mechanics to focusing primarily on solving game lore mysteries.

• Recent Minecraft series unraveled mysteries of the Enderman, lost discs, and the origins of the Wither • Connected findings back to an ancient race of master builders • Upcoming theory about Minecraft villagers currently in development

Throwback to early Game Theory episodes that ask whether ridiculous video game mechanics are actually possible in real life, specifically examining if a human can punch down a tree with bare fists like Steve does in Minecraft.

Can a human actually punch down a tree, and if Steve is superhuman, just how strong is he?

An internet video shows a ten year old Russian girl smashing a tree to pieces, but this example is misleading for replicating Minecraft's tree punching.

The tree in the video is dead and has been affected by dry rot, a form of wood decay where fungi break down the parts that give wood its strength and stiffness, which does not affect living trees like those in Minecraft.

To truly replicate what Steve does in the game requires punching a living, healthy tree, which would require significantly more force than demonstrated in the viral video.

The damage a tree takes from a punch depends on how hard the wood is, and different tree species vary greatly in hardness (balsa wood is much softer than hard maple).

These terms refer to the seeds that trees grow from, not the actual hardness of the wood. Hardwoods have covered seeds (fruit or nut), while softwoods have naked seeds. However, softwoods can be harder than hardwoods in practice.

• Balsa wood is one of the softest woods on the planet despite technically being a hardwood • Incense cedar is a softwood commonly used for pencils and is relatively hard • Yew tree is a softwood that is significantly harder than many hardwoods

Created by Gabriel Janka, this test measures the amount of force needed to embed a small steel ball into wood. Balsa wood rates 70 pounds of force while Australian Ironwood rates 5,060 pounds of force.

Accurate wood hardness measurement is essential to determine how much force is actually needed to damage or fell a tree like the ones in Minecraft.

Minecraft calls its six tree types 'species,' but they are not scientifically accurate. Oak is an entire genus with many varieties, not a single species. The same applies to spruce, birch, and acacia.

• Oak corresponds to live oak • Spruce corresponds to white spruce • Birch corresponds to birch • Acacia corresponds to acacia • Jungle tree corresponds to Amazon rosewood • Dark oak corresponds to black oak

Jungle tree is the hardest at 2,700 pounds of force, while white spruce is the softest at 480 pounds of force.

Tree designs in Minecraft, including bark and branch patterns, were used to identify the most accurate real-world equivalents for each type.

Studies show professional boxers can punch with an average strength of 776 pounds of force, with the strongest boxers reaching close to 1,300 pounds of force.

Four of the six Minecraft tree types are weaker than the average punch of a really strong boxer, making it theoretically possible for a human to punch down some of these trees.

Punching directly into the tree condenses the fibers, making the wood denser and harder. A hook punch could knock off chunks of wood more effectively, allowing for gradual removal.

It is possible for a highly trained boxer to punch down a tree with the right technique.

Using acacia tree as an example with a Janka hardness of 1,100 pounds: one 1,100-pound punch removes 750-1,500 cubic millimeters of wood. To completely pulverize one cubic meter block requires 1,330,000 punches.

To chop down a tree like a normal person (by removing just a thin strip through the center), only 66,535 punches are needed at full strength. Even at Steve's rate of four full-power punches per second, this takes 4 hours, 37 minutes, and 14 seconds of non-stop hitting.

The Janka hardness rating represents the force needed to embed a steel ball into wood of a specific size, cut, and moisture level.

The massive difference between methods shows that tree-felling in Minecraft is not realistic for human strength.

Steve can fell a log from a tree in just three seconds, which equals about 16 swipes from his punches. This means each punch must pack enormous power.

• When punching spruce (softest wood), each punch delivers 40 million pounds of force • When punching oak, each punch delivers 274 million pounds of force • This is 211,000 times stronger than the world's most powerful boxers

Steve's punch force is equivalent to 98 times the thrust of a Space Shuttle solid rocket booster at liftoff, powerful enough to lift a rocket into space nearly 100 times over.

This explains how Steve can carry dozens of giant gold blocks in his pockets. He is stronger than Superman and demonstrates virtually unlimited physical capability.

While Steve could theoretically wail on a tree with his titanically strong punches for about thirty minutes to fell it, this is impractical for humans.

Using an axe is far more efficient because it directs all effort to a single point of contact rather than spreading force across the tree's surface.

Even with superhuman punch power, working smarter by choosing the right tool for the job is more practical than relying on raw force.

The episode ends with the traditional Game Theory catchphrase and a teaser for next week's Minecraft lore theory about the deep dark secret of Minecraft villagers.