#machtalksminecraftargs

[mach-talk]

⚠️SF/DAWTDE SPOILERS⚠️

I feel like if Derek (D3rlord3) would have lived, he would’ve started an Ask Me Anything blog. He would’ve been popular too, but just because nobody would believe the batshit crazy stuff he was saying about the Universe.

[mach-talk]

I think one of the most interesting things about Minecraft is the same thing that makes D&D so important for creatives and those who want to learn to lean into it, which is that you can do literally ANYTHING in it with enough imagination. I think that’s why Minecraft ARGs have become so prevalent, from the early days with the Herobrine myth and Aphmau’s popularity to the hugely popular DreamSMP and now things like StateSMP and the Wifies videos.

Seeing people take a game that is fairly simple in design but with nearly infinite ability to customize through so many routes (not even just mods, anything you can think of) has given way to a new online gaming experience focused around the possibilities that this opens up. People are bored with television and entertainment nowadays and want something more tailored to their interests. Plus, sites like YouTube and TikTok make it so easy to be seen and to interact with people who share those same interests, leading to people being able to connect over them and create large-scale projects like these.

I’ve made the D&D comparison because, while D&D comes with modules and books, so many people have preferred to homebrew their own worlds, leading to so many epic series becoming mainstream, like Critical Role, Dimension 20 and (my personal bias) Just Roll With It. As long as you know your way around, the world is your oyster.

I think this is an incredible shift in itself, not because we’ve never seen creativity like this— it’s always existed in some way. But when ARGs and indie projects are becoming mainstream, I think it’s something that the whole world should watch out for. When the people are bored of the same copy-paste content from streaming services, they turn to smaller projects with actual heart and soul behind them. Minecraft ARGs blowing up is, from my perspective, the result of the people putting entertainment back into their own hands rather than relying on larger platforms, and reflects how much the new model of streaming is failing its consumers.