Markus Persson, better known as Notch, was the original developer of Minecraft. It was first released in May 2009 as a beta. Alongside the early version of the game, he founded a video game company, Mojang, to help him further into development. This was a little after the time YouTube peaked in video game content. The gameplay of Minecraft was only half of what made it a huge sensation; YouTube was the other half. 

The rise and fall of Minecraft Youtubers shows the shifting atmosphere of media over the past fifteen years now. From single player “let’s plays,” adventure maps, and skyblocks series to multi-million subscriber servers and SMPs, the genre shaped the internet before these youtubers faced burnout, algorithm changes, and big controversies within the community.

“The Golden Age”

When Minecraft came out around 2011, YouTube took off with raw, episodic videos and unscripted creativity. Well-known Minecraft YouTubers like Stampy and DanTDM were staples to some childhoods, and their videos became a daily routine for people. They had wholesome storytelling, amazing world-building (especially with the entirety of Stampy’s Lovely World), and community with their fans, but also when they played with friends. Many Minecraft Youtubers laid the foundation down for gaming commentary, while others grew for playing mini-games, custom maps, on multiplayer servers, and even Minecraft themed parodies of hit songs. This was the time when many servers were alive and active; now it is only nostalgic to look back at the games we all used to watch and play ourselves. 

While the popularity decreased online, it was still a very important part of people’s lives and stayed a very well-known video game. Newzoo, a market intelligence provider with a focus on video games, claims that, in 2014, “Minecraft was by far the most popular game franchise on YouTube.”

The Very Rapid Decline of Minecraft YouTubers

Sometime between 2016 and 2018, Minecraft started to age and newer games, like Fortnite and Roblox, began to emerge. YouTube’s strict ad-friendly guidelines damaged content creators who couldn’t easily change, while algorithms preferred fast-paced, overstimulating flashing lights over long Let’s Play videos. Many creators wanted more than just Minecraft, as well. They focused on gameplays and walkthroughs of a variety of games, swaying away from Minecraft words, which swayed their viewers to move on to something new. Others continued their Minecraft worlds, but eventually had to give it up as the algorithm disliked the content that was being released. 

Tensions, mental health issues, and big controversies caused creators and friendships to completely dissolve. With creators’ desperation, a part of the community created the “3 am challenge” trend to reel in younger audiences, which somewhat worked for some Minecraft YouTubers today. 

The Revival?

Minecraft experienced a giant nostalgic revival around 2019, mostly thanks to Pewdiepie’s return to the game and the sudden appearance of new creators and their ideas. The community somewhat peaked with the Dream SMP and his manhunt videos, but it quickly went downhill following real controversies, the midst of COVID, and the passing of Technoblade, which left a massive void in the gaming community. However, while the community was active and invested, the storytelling and characters left viewers and fans stunned. The format of these roleplay servers was what brought back people’s love and interest in Minecraft as creators found new ways to bring light to the game. Even now, tons of people are creating their own Minecraft roleplay servers and series, creating beautiful cinematic stories. It is not as centralized on one big group, but Minecraft and Minecraft Youtubers have and, hopefully, will remain a fundamental part of people’s lives.