Why Are They There, Then?
Didn’t Minecraft die out years ago?? Why are people still so involved with it?? What does Reddit have to do with anything?? Well, Minecraft did fade from the public eye for a bit, but to the members of the community, it’s just as active as it has always been. Reddit, seen as a hub of Minecraft activity, has been just as active as well and has played a major role in keeping the community thriving. With its tutorials, creations, and fanart, there’s something to engage every member, and there’s always something to be improved upon.
A+ For Participation
The participation of members in events like Minecon keeps the game alive through updates; it keeps people coming back while also attracting new players. As I’ve mentioned before, Minecon is a convention with one of its main events being the updated vote, where players can opt for certain features of the game to be updated (such as biomes). Surrounding this event are discussions on Reddit about players’ opinions on the outcome of the vote, which definitely plays a big role in maintaining the community’s interest in the game; take for example user DexterNation555’s post, “The Warden is the best part of the 1.17 update: Do you think it? Cuz I do. Like I really love the new caves and mountains and biomes, but I’m very hyped for the deep dark biome alpha. What do you think?” Other users on this thread agree, but user scudobiuo argues, “The warden will be interesting to fight ‘legitimately’ once and then annoying. Mojang has a problem with respect to the addition of challenging mobs: Such mobs either need to be able to destroy/ignore blocks, or they quickly become easy to fight…” Reddit provides a great place for discourse and the discourse itself, the criticisms players may have about the game, can strengthen and diversify the community.
Help!
Members of the Minecraft community who participate on the subreddit get tutorials, making learning about the game much easier than trying to figure it out themselves. They also get to see pictures and videos of how other users play the game and make it their own, providing inspiration.
BFFS
Participation on Reddit also means that you are surrounded by people who share the same interests and can have fun socializing because of it, creating friendships that will last a lifetime. In reference to a 2000 study of teens, Gretchen McCulloch states in Because Internet: Understanding the New Rules in Language that “To be sure, some Full Internet People did eventually make friends via the internet, whether for dating, professional networking, or bonding over a shared interest…” People who were born with access to the Internet are able to make friends online including most, if not all of the members of the Minecraft community (as it is an entirely virtual experience).
“The Sacred Texts”
The Minecraft community greatly benefits from committed members on Reddit because they have worked to make Minecraft’s own Library of ALEXandria (haha, because one of the default characters is named Alex) for resources concerning the game. As a result, anyone even remotely interested in playing or just learning about Minecraft can access any and all information needed for free on Reddit. For example, Sportskeeda has an article titled “5 best builds from the Minecraft subreddit community this week” in which they discuss the importance of builds and their role on the subreddit: “Building has been and will likely remain the number one aspect of Minecraft’s gameplay… For inspiration, it can be nice to see what other players have built in their game worlds.” (Sepulveda). The vast amounts of pictures and text posts providing help with creator’s block (haha block) and with in-game survival keep members coming back for more.
