Minecraft's 'mob vote' brings out the mob mentality in its players

 

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I've said it before and I'll say it again: If someone had told me in 2010 that Minecraft would become a cultural phenomenon spawning an inescapable amount of merchandise, from action figures, clothing, Legos, and even A-grade cereal, well I wouldn't. would do. I didn't believe them. It was just a lovely indie game with a lot of potential.

There's no need to debate whether or not Minecraft has fulfilled this potential, it certainly has, and then some. Since its inception in 2009, the game has expanded relentlessly, only slowing down for a moment when Microsoft bought the property in 2014 for $2.5 billion.

More than most other games, Minecraft lives and dies for its community. Developer Mojang has hosted several live and in-person "MineCon" events over the years, and a staple of these events is a so-called "mass vote" where three potential new creatures are showcased. Players then vote on which one they'd like to see added to the game, and a few months later, Mojang is doing just that.

While I like this idea, it has a habit of bringing out the worst in a healthy community. The problem is that vote losers seem to be shelved forever: the first mass vote was held in 2017, and the losing creatures haven't resurfaced in any form since. This is problematic in games like Minecraft, where more diversity is almost always welcome.

This year the vote is between a villain, a tracker and a good puppet. All three concepts are fully realized with detailed illustrations and explanations of their in-game mechanics, should they be implemented. Not surprisingly, people are already worried about the inevitable conclusion that two of them will disappear forever.

If added, the Crooked Rogue will spawn deep underground, where he will play hide-and-seek with players, rewarding them with an item the third time they are found. The Tracker is an ancient six-legged dinosaur-like creature that hatches from an egg found in an underwater wreck. After hatching, they can find ancient seeds for players, which can be used to grow new varieties of plants.

Finally, the Tough Golem will be created by the player. It will act like a statue that can hold an object and occasionally "wake up" and walk around and put it on display. Additionally, he can be equipped with any color of cape that matches the different shades of wool in the game. Voting will take place today via the in-game menu and Minecraft.net online. Over a million votes were cast last year, and the combination easily defeated Dazzler and Copper Golem.

The level of tribalism and pettiness I've seen online has to do with the 2022 Minecraft crowd vote competing with the upcoming November election vote. While Minecraft does offer competitive modes, it's mostly loose co-op play, so the toxicity is both shocking and terrifying. Implementing community engagement is often a good idea in online games, but I'm not so sure it's worth it in this case.

I think patching up some old creatures in the Mojang collection will help smooth things out a lot in the future. Therefore, players can know that even if their favorite audience loses, there is a high chance that they will end up being added to the game. In fact, the current status quo appears to be a huge waste of development resources.

As for the results? I've been monitoring various online forums and communities, and if I had to put up any money, I think the sniffer would win, followed by the Tough Golem. This rogue seems even less popular than last year's dazzling creature, which got a pitiful 11.2% of the vote.

Personally, my first choice would be the Tough Golem (I'd like to have a friendlier creature in my base), but the Crawler is a close second thanks to its unique appearance and simple utility. While I love Minecraft for what it is, the game mechanics are a bit dated and clunky, and I highly doubt that the interactions with the villains are more than annoying and frustrating.

Regardless of the outcome, I can't wait for the crowd vote to end. I wish the Minecraft community would go back to their usual kindness.