The Evolution of Minecraft on YouTube: From a Small Community to a Pop Culture Phenomenon

In many ways, the past of Minecraft It is similar to your present. If we remember, this video game of Swedish origin became very popular thanks to a large community that recommended it in forgotten forums on an internet very different from today’s. In 2024, this same sense of community remains as a platform where millions of players and viewers gather where creativity and knowledge flourish in equal measure.

For this reason and to celebrate 15 years of Minecraftwe chatted with Karla Agis, Culture and Trends Manager for Canada and Latin America to talk in detail about the impact of Minecraft on YouTube, a popular platform where, in 2023 alone, Mexico generated more than 13,000 million views of videos related to Minecraft. Amazing.

From players to creators: the transformation of the gaming community Minecraft

Minecraft has transcended its origin as a simple building game to become a cultural and educational phenomenon that has inspired unprecedented collaboration between content creators. This phenomenon has influenced a generation that grew up playing Minecraft, and also in those who consumed and continue to consume everything that its creators offer. About the evolution and growth of Minecraft On the platform, Karla commented: “Minecraft has distinguished itself notably, not only for the level of collaboration between creators, but also for the diversity of content formats that have emerged in this regard. If we look at the case of Minecraft Since its beginnings 15 years ago on the platform, a series of content was started that addressed everything from discoveries to tips and even tricks.

Now, if we analyze it, it is very different. There has even been talk about a topic of nostalgia. Not only is it a generation that grew up playing Minecraft, but also consumed a large amount of content related to the game. Now it’s your turn to rediscover this part of Minecraft. What did she look like a few years ago? And how does it look now?

“This evolution not only reflects changes in the players themselves, but also in the audiences”

Through various aesthetics and exploration spaces, such as SSP (Single Player Survival Servers) or even the use of Minecraft to satisfy other needs within the same generation familiar with the aesthetics and dynamics of the game, a variety of approaches are observed. Minecraft It has become a creation space for learning.

It highlights the work of one creator in particular, Bobicraft, a Mexican who has produced a series of explainer videos. These address complex topics from an educational and discovery perspective. For example, he has used Minecraft to explain situations in Ecuador. And recently, he has addressed the conflict between Israel and Iran within the game. This evolution not only reflects changes in the players themselves, but also in the audiences who seek content from their favorite creators of Minecraft.”

Minecraft: innovation and learning in the digital age

The player base of Minecraft It grew and around it a generation of content creators formed who, gradually, reached a level of professionalization that led them to explore formats and collaborate. Furthermore, experimentation led these creators to transform the game into a platform to address topics outside of the game. Karla explained to us: “We have witnessed, especially in the last 5 or 6 years, a rapid evolution of various formats that have had their own cultural moment, so to speak. For example, we have seen the emergence of challenging dynamics in the content of Minecraft, not as we knew it before. Suddenly, this trend became one of the most predominant, especially when we analyzed that Minecraft It reached 1 billion views globally on YouTube. We’ve also seen how it’s become more of a cooperative space, as I mentioned earlier, with the proliferation of different servers.

“Minecraft reached 1 billion global views on YouTube”

We have moments like Karmaland, Calvaland and Piratas that have presented an opportunity for unity for both the community of Spanish and Latin American creators. Most recently, we saw this with Quackity, a Mexican creator who launched the first bilingual server a year ago, generating a lot of buzz around it. He has managed to bring together a large number of creators and integrate new languages ​​into the server to have a more global reach and not just Spanish-speaking, as his predecessors had done. That’s where we’ve really seen it become a space for experimentation.

We have also observed how the openness to create different ways of telling stories within Minecraft has been highly awarded by the platform. For example, we have seen the emergence of the Machinima phenomenon using Minecraft to tell specific stories, similar to what has been done in other games like Roblox.

We are talking about a generation that has consumed Minecraft as entertainment and now he is using it as a learning tool, transcending what the game has historically been. Now it is even being used to consume news, being a more digestible and simple way to explain complex events, which brings these events closer to younger generations and encourages a deeper understanding of the geopolitical, social and economic issue in which we live in our world. world.”

The power of fandom in the future of Minecraft

Celebrating 15 years of a product that transcends its environment is a special occasion. It is a time to approach it nostalgically, but it is also important to ask the question: what will the future of Minecraft? Karla, in her position as a statesman within the platform, has a different perspective on its direction: “The future of Minecraft. Every year we carry out an in-depth analysis of the direction the platform is taking. We publish these analyzes through our culture and trends report. Last year we discussed a lot about the phenomenon of fandom, which is emerging as a determining force in the direction of the conversation in pop culture.

Fandom has greater decision-making power, not only in what becomes popular, but even in what comes to exist. A case that will surely be familiar to you is that of Barbenheimer, which has become one of the most notable milestones in pop culture in recent years and which is supported precisely by a fandom.

Now, as we look at where the platform is headed, as well as content trends and audiences, we realize that fandom is playing a starring role, so to speak. And it’s starting to diversify even more. Being a fan of something right now is very different than it was 2 or 3 years ago.

“The phenomenon of fandom, which is emerging as a determining force”

The reality is that the quantity, or rather, the diversity of fans within the platform is closely related to the type of creators present and the level of interaction they generate. So, we have casual fans, who are passive. We have active fans who demand and expect a content strategy from their favorite creators, they interact a lot and have decision-making power. And then there are professional fans, who build their careers on the content of the platform or its creators. It is a very interesting diversification in the evolution of the role that audiences play in YouTube content.

I believe that we are moving towards a panorama in which fandom will be much more active and participatory, with a validity comparable to that of the media or institutions when it comes to validating a pop culture phenomenon. And I think this reflects the success of Minecraft Quite eloquently, don’t you think?

Yes, it is true that many institutions recognize Minecraft as a cultural phenomenon, but it would not be what it is without all its fans and, above all, without all the content creation that has emerged around it. So it looks like we’re moving toward a dramatic evolution in fan engagement.”

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