The other thing is that the Dream SMP is literally the first of its kind when it comes to storytelling
There is not a single other medium where you can be completely immersed in every character’s thoughts and actions for the same event
Like you could watch a war and see 20 PEOPLE’S PERSPECTIVES ON IT?! Everything from what they were feeling before to whose side they took and why and who they fought during it to the aftermath and how they dealt with the trauma.
NEVER BEFORE IN ANY STORYTELLING MEDIUM WAS THAT POSSIBLE
And we have had storytelling through Minecraft for years, that’s what I grew up on and fell in love with. But it was never done like this with every character being fully fleshed out and having their own back stories and side projects while also being connected in such intense multi-layered lore before.
And then the purposeful leaving out of a single character’s point of view…
Something that should be SUCH a red flag and alert viewers that this is something they should pay attention to
And yet I swear on my life the majority of the fandom just took the whole thing at face value and never thought to look deeper
This was a brand new storytelling medium with the ability to be SO complex and yet people clung to the “Hero vs Villain” trope like their life depended on it
And it just says so much about media literacy in general. Like most people don’t take the time to pick things apart (and I get it, for some people it’s just entertainment and a way to destress after their day and I can’t blame them for it. Like that’s completely valid!)
But I just think there is SO MUCH to be learned from every piece of media. Like every choice is made so intentionally, whether it’s a book or a movie or a theme park or something else entirely! And picking things apart and figuring out the underlying messages and themes is half the fun of consuming creative content! It makes you an active participant instead of just a viewer.
Anyways the Dream SMP is literally so cool and I fear I will never get over how much we can learn from it as viewers and as storytellers! :)
