Minecraft Fandom

Fan art created by a fan of the game (2)

The Fandom

The Minecraft fandom is huge, but what is Minecraft? It's a game where everything is a block and it's decently simple to play therefore having a large fanbase. It's a game for creating new things, whether communities or dirt houses. The Minecraft fandom features a wide array of content, including fan-made creations, fan art, videos, and beyond. 

Minecraft has created a place where thousands of people connect with each other, creating a large group of individuals who love and appreciate the game. It has created such a large fanbase that there are even sub-fanbases within the major fanbase of Minecraft (4). For example, people who are fans of YouTubers, these YouTubers have played the game for over a decade. 

YouTube

Numerous YouTubers have built a career around their love and passion for the game. Some engage in role-playing and storytelling, crafting lore, while others showcase their building abilities. Hayden Blake does many roleplays within Minecraft getting thousands of views on her videos. Archelaus for example makes huge structures within Minecraft showing the scope and love for Minecraft getting thousands of fans to appreciate and love the game just as much. There is also a whole music genre that fans have made covering popular songs through Minecraft, creating music videos, and more. Some of my favorites were created by CaptainSparklez. Youtubers like these show their appreciation for Minecraft through all of the videos they have made throughout the years, demonstrating their love for the game. In the following video you will see an example of cover music made by fans:

Many fans use Minecraft to make magnificent creations showing their love for the game. Some make fan art. While others cosplay as their favorite characters or make music. Everyone shows their love for the game in different ways.

Minecon event in 2015 (1)

Events

There are many events fans can go to, to talk with other fans. Events like Minecon offer fans the opportunity to connect with fellow Minecraft lovers in person. Attendees cosplay, compete in competitions, and meet with both YouTubers and the game's creators. 

There are many servers made in Minecraft for fans who want to connect with other players. Allowing events to not just take place in real life but also within the game. Fan-made pages like Minecraft amino that allow you to communicate with other fans have been created (7). They can tell you when events and meet-ups within the game are going on. For example, there is a meetup going on this weekend in the Hive server allowing fans to get to know each other better and play the game they love together. These events provide fans with a platform to gather and discuss the game they all love. Another platform that people use to connect with others is the

Real-life Minecraft Chest (6)

Minecraft wiki page. It gives a lot of information about Minecraft as well as it allows people to discuss what they love. Reddit is also a great source of communication within the fandom (4). For instance, lazyloppy posted a photo of a chest that was made in real life. These factors have enabled people to connect on many different scales in a bunch of different ways. 

Education

Minecraft has been used within the education system by many fans to help learn new technics. It has been used to help with coding due to being able to put different codes beside each other in a block formation (3). It has also been used in experimental research on building. It has helped many people with being able to design structures, like bridges and houses (3). If you don't have money to go out and design a bridge Minecraft is way cheaper to help design structures, which has created an even larger fanbase among designers and architects.

Bridge construction in Minecraft (5)

Overall, Minecraft appeals to individuals of all ages, offering a platform for enjoyment and creativity. That is why I believe it contributes to such a vast and dedicated fanbase. The love people show for Minecraft is unparalleled to many other games that I have seen. 

References

(1) Minecraft. (2015, August 13). Minecon 2015 costume competition. YouTube. https://youtu.be/8jWSja7plJo?si=chXdNZ5S0-tjItXC

(2) Minecraft fan art Steve Alex Herobrine by bubblemuffinsart on DeviantArt. by BubbleMuffinsArt on DeviantArt. (n.d.). https://www.deviantart.com/bubblemuffinsart/art/Minecraft-Fan-art-Steve-Alex-Herobrine-943621192

(3)Nebel, S., Schneider, S., & Rey, G. D. (2015, September 17). Mining Learning and Crafting Scientific Experiments: A literature review on the use of Minecraft in education and research. https://www.jstor.org/stable/jeductechsoci.19.2.355

(4)Pellicone, A., & Ahn, J. (2014). Construction and community: Investigating interaction in a minecraft affinity space. ahnjune.com. https://ahnjune.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/05/Pellicone-Ahn-GLS-Final.pdf

(5)Realistic minecraft bridge render: Minecraft bridges, Minecraft Architecture, minecraft. Pinterest. (2015, January 31). https://www.pinterest.jp/pin/264375440601622944/

(6)r/Minecraft. Reddit. (n.d.). https://www.reddit.com/r/Minecraft/

(7)Wang, Y., & Anderson, B. (2016). Minecraft. Amino apps. https://aminoapps.com/