It is safe to say that Minecraft is the game of our generation. Everyone has played it, even if you don’t like the game there is no denying the popularity of the game. But the game has changed considerably since most people stopped caring about Minecraft. There have been a lot of big changes, updates, and even a brand new version that connects every platform the game is hosted on. But recently, the game has shot back up in popularity out of nowhere.  Now there are many reasons for this, people were getting fatigued of Fortnite, the game continued to update and add new changes, but more recently, the return of Minecraft youtube. Minecraft youtube used to be the biggest thing on the platform, it essentially started gaming youtube. And now it is back with new and old faces alike. Now with this game back in the limelight and so many people going back to see what they missed, I figured it’s as good as any time for a retrospective of the game.

It is crazy to think that this game came out over 11 years ago. It has changed so much since 2009 that it is unrecognizable. I would explain what the game is exactly, but we all know what it is. Even the adults reading this have probably played it once or twice, or at least know about what it is. The game started dwindling in popularity around 2013 which is upsetting because the game itself was only getting started. In 2014, the creator of the game (Notch) sold it to Microsoft for over One billion dollars. Since then, the creator has said very transphobic and racist statements on Twitter so Microsoft has cut all ties with him, while still developing for Minecraft. Mojang (the developing company Notch started but left after the game was sold) was still in charge of developing but now they had more funding and more resources.

Because of this, the game was able to add so much. Just to list a few major changes, there was a Village update, the addition of evil villagers that raid villages, a city in the End, a full rework of the Nether with new biomes and enemies, a rehaul of the oceans, new animals, new pets, new biomes, and next Summer they are adding a highly requested cave update. Fully reworking how the caves work and adding cave biomes. This game started as an Indie project by just one man but is now probably the most widely recognizable videogame of all time. Just recently, Steve (the avatar in Minecraft) was added to Super Smash Brothers Ultimate, among the other gaming all-stars. Securing their spot in videogame history. Steve is also the first default POC character in Smash, along with being the second non-binary character (the other being Dark Samus). Minecraft is the second best selling game of all time, only second to Tetris. The game has also grown its own franchise. It has a dungeon crawler spin-off, Minecraft Dungeons, a mobile AR game, Minecraft Earth, a series of books and guides, toys, and even a movie deal. And as I said earlier, with the return of Minecraft Youtubers, everything is looking up again for the game.

Minecraft is a cultural phenomenon, one of the biggest of our generation. It is like the Gen Z’s Super Mario Bros in a since. It is definitely iconic and an instant classic. The game is just as fun as you remember with even more to do and fight. There is even an ore that is stronger and rarer than diamond, which is insane considering how iconic diamond is in this game. The fandom is bigger than ever, the game is better than ever, and the game is way easier to play with your friends. no matter what device you are on. This game changed the industry forever.