In the United States of America, we are in a polarizing period. We are at odds. Socialism or Capitalism? Feminism or Egalitarianism? Is social media making us dumb? Are kids “snowflakes”?

Is Minecraft dead?
No, no, and NO.
Whilst it is an undeniable fact that Minecraft is no longer as popular as it used to be, the game is far from dead. As of 2018, Minecraft is still the second most popular game of all time, bested only by Tetris, and still has 91 million active players. Minecraft is soon to have a third spin-off game and have a huge update regarding its biomes and mobs.

But I am not here to talk about that. I am here to talk about why I still play Minecraft. And, no, Minecraft is not a game for kids.
The games simplistic graphics and lack of story may make it seem like it is for anybody below the age of ten. However, this is not the case. Minecraft allows anybody who wants to do more do more. If you want to make a castle, go ahead. If you wanna build an underwater kingdom, you can. Minecraft’s simple formula is what allows you to create complex structures like bridges and ocean liners.
When I first played the game when I was younger, all I wanted to do was build. I think that is what younger people find so appealing to the game. Even today, I have an entire world dedicated to just building flags.

But the reason I got back into playing Minecraft is due to all the new updates. All of the new blocks you could mine and all the cool blocks you could craft. Now, I mostly play in Survival Mode. Update Aquatic came this year, and new blocks like kelp and coral were added. This is important because kelp provides an easy source of food if you are in a pinch. Mobs like Phantoms and Dolphins were also added into the game, keeping it different. Survival Mode provides a refreshing challenge for new players. The waters are no longer safe, being populated by the Drowned Mob. Polar bears also roam in the ice biomes, attacking whenever you get close. These new additions motivate players to level up faster and get better at the game.

Going back into the game, I realized that there is still a very large Minecraft community on YouTube. Videos on YouTube still get millions of views on YouTube. This made me realize that despite what people are saying, Minecraft is far from dead and is still thriving. This makes me think to why I started playing Minecraft at all in the first place.
I first started being interested Minecraft after seeing Stampylonghead’s world touring videos. After that, I got into his Lovely World Let’s Play videos. This made me want to play the game myself and eventually start a YouTube series. After Minecraft “died”, I realized that we have to be the next generation of Minecraft players. (Sounds amazing I know). But what I have been trying to say the entire paper is this…

Minecraft is an amazing game, inspiring thousands of people all over the world to just go and do something. It influenced many others into pursuing passions they never realized they had. I still play Minecraft because I enjoy the game. But it isn’t just that. I still play Minecraft because this time, I want to be the person that inspires others.