The Legacy Of Minecraft

        "Let's go to a place, where everything is made of blocks" - Dennis Vareide. author of the trailer for Minecraft, a video game celebrating the imagination and creativity of a player. With one of the world's biggest sandboxes, the only limit with Minecraft is a player's imagination. Introduced in 2011, Minecraft has become one of the most played and recognizable games ever. From blocks to builds, the possibilities are endless. There are no rules to follow: the direction of the journey is up to you. From that point until now, Minecraft has become one of the most beloved games with a fantastic fanbase and community. "Players" are the driving force behind this fantastic community and future generations will hopefully follow in their footsteps to keep this game and its legacy alive. Figure 1 below is the Mojang's official Minecraft title. This title is easily recognizable by viewers around the world and is a symbol of the video game community especially with the original trailer introducing the game for the very first time.

The Nostalgic Minecraft Logo (2011- Present)

 

        For nearly 13 years, Minecraft has influenced a variety of developments beyond the world of video games--toys, costumes, Legos, stuffed animals, and food. As the name implies, "players" are the consumers of a rich variety of worlds and the game is all about their creativity. They help to fuel the game's character, and give it meaning and life. Mods, maps, skin packs, and other factors are all what makes Minecraft a unique game. It's great that players--of all ages--are able to enjoy their favorite topics in a game: although Minecraft is enjoyed by the younger generation (according to Searchlogistics.com, the average Minecraft player is 24 years of age), its appeal spans a wide age range. Searchlogistics.com also points out that since its release in 2011, there have been 6 million copies sold. It's amazing that such as simple game can have an impact upon its fans. In fact, there is more than 166 million players active monthly.  Minecraft is one of the video games that can be played over and over and remain enjoyable time after time. However, there is one element in the game that makes it calming and in a sense "mindful"--the music. The soundtrack for Minecraft is beautifully hypnotic and is perhaps the most calming music ever found in a video game.

The Fan Base Traditions:

F2 Tornado in the game

Fans of Minecraft enjoy the game whole- heartedly--for many, it's become a driving force for a variety of new creations and revenue generation.  Users are constantly  developing new and exciting new ways for the active user to enjoy the game. To understand, it's helpful to consider some real examples of the ways fans contribute to Minecraft and the impact they have upon others. The very first one is creating mods for the game, and an example is the Weather mod, which introduces natural disasters such as hurricanes and tornadoes to the game. Figure 2, displays a tornado in the game; this has given Youtubers a topic to stream. But even the mods have generated income. Adam Rosenberg, from Mashable, stated that "One. Million. Dollars is how much money Minecraft's fan creators have earned, collectively, since the in-game Minecraft Marketplace launched in June. Next is the content sector of the game. "Youtubers" such as DanTDM are some of the well known streamers who play Minecraft keeping the community engaged. Streamings and "let's plays" are all some of the content that is shared; this helps generate revenue for them as well as the game.  One of the biggest events that happens is MineCon, hosted by Mojang. According to Wikipedia, "MineCon is an annual interactive livestream and fan convention about Minecraft, hosted by Mojang." It's safe to say that even fans are able to re-create the game in real life, and cosplay the various characters such as the creeper, enderman, and of course Steve. However, unfortunately, MineCon 2016 held its last convention in person in Anaheim, California. Over 12,000 attendees appeared with various cosplay, and merchandise being sold. Figure 3, is the annual MineCon premier in Chile, 2012. 

Fans at MineCON, Chile (2012)

Social Media & Online:

    Other interactions include a variety of incredible fan art such as that that can be found on DeviantArt. Fan accounts also appear where Minecraft knowledge, art, and music are shared such as on Instagram, X, and Facebook. Minecraft's official Instagram site has over 10.1 million followers. Other Fan sites on basic tutorials or advance tutorials also appear in order for other players to give them ideas, or teach them how to build various inventions.  Yet, Minecraft is also able to help with education especially with its simple, yet intriguing gameplay. According to Minecraft Education.com, they state that their branch "prepares students for the future, building future-ready skills like creativity, problem solving, and systems thinking, and nurturing passion of play." It's safe to say that Minecraft has become a game that not only is fun to play, but also helps in educational development to strengthen students' minds to become more creative and independent thinkers. One of the most common parts to the fandom is the Minecraft Wiki.  

The official Homepage of Minecraft Wiki

According to their site "This is the wiki dedicated to providing fan content and stories to for the Minecraft world!" Figure 4 displays the homepage of the official Minecraft Wiki, which has been alive since 2012. This platform allows for fans of the community to publish various works from tutorials, stories, or mods. Also, comments about videos, and communication is evident as people share their creations to inspire others and help keep Minecraft unique.

"Bring On The Night" - Alexander Lacarrio  

My Connection:

 The Minecraft community has been a part of my life since I first began playing the game in 2012. I remember my older brother first playing it on a small laptop, while I sat and watched him. I soon developed a passion for Minecraft and keep that passion even now. Even as an adult, I will always hold a spot for Minecraft in my heart, especially since I grew up with it and matured with it. I personally have been able to connect with other fans online through mini-games, social media, and personal communication. Even in the real world, I have displayed my love for this game. For example, I have dressed up as the Creeper and Steve for two Halloweens in a row. I have also been able to bond together with friends and others both at school, and college who love Minecraft and have played with them time and time again. While such a simplistic game,  it has given me such a wonderful experience, and has allowed me to become a better problem solver, and independent thinker. I have explored the areas of creativity I never knew I had, and have had nostalgic moments of the first times of placing blocks and having fun for hours. No matter how old I get, Minecraft will always hold a special place in my heart, whether it's through the music, the artwork, or even just a conversation. Winnie the pooh said it best, "We didn't realize we were making memories, we just knew we were just having fun."