When it was released back in 2011,Minecraftwas often thought of as a kid’s game. It was an instant hit among the age group, and now, ten years later, many of them are in their late teens or are young adults, but they haven’t moved on fromMinecraft’s blocks and pixels. Now, it’s common to see content creators on Twitch and YouTube seeing wild success because of the sandbox video game, such asthe faceless creator Dream. Some even say that Twitch got off the ground because ofMinecraft.
OfflineTV recently started a new SMP server, or survival multiplayer private server among the house and their friends, bringing together some of the internet’s most popular content creators includingDisguised Toast, Pokimane, Ludwig, and even an old YouTube favorite, Ryan Higa.Minecrafthas been one of the biggest games of the decade, and yet this new surge of popularity among Twitch streamers and content creators shows that the game is still growing in popularity with no signs of stopping.
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Minecraft’s Massive Audience
The power in numbers behind younger generations, namely, Gen Z, can be underestimated by older generations, such as the fanbases behind games marketed for children audiences likeMinecraftorFortnite. ButMinecraftis among the most popular games streamed onTwitch and YouTube, with contributors spanning from the charitable Mr. Beast to Dream, his SMP server, and every contributing content creator apart of the roleplay world.
Dream’s private SMP serveris one of the internet’s most-watched series, especially among the aforementioned Generation Z. Other than the speedrunner who created the server, the SMP has seen wild success because of the other streamers involved such as TommyInnit, GeorgeNotFound, and Tubbo, whose names often trend following episodes of the roleplay series. But there are many otherMinecraftseries all over the internet, and the OfflineTV server is getting in on the hype.
Recently, the OfflineTV house and its friends like Corpse Husband and Valkyrae held their “final"Among Ussession, the game that put many of them on the map. While Pokimane regularly participates in sessions ofValorant, other members are debating what the next big game on their channel should be, and if that game should beMinecraft. Disguised Toast, for example, discussed live if he wantedMinecraftto be his main focus for the time being. “The audience is there. The numbers are there,” he said.
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Minecraft’s Versatility as a Game
Part of what makesMinecraftso great is the many forms it comes in. While Pokimane is busy breeding dragons on the OfflineTV server and crafting anonymous notes to keep detective LilyPichu off her tail in the roleplay, other members are more focused on the crafting elements and together, OTV has created a stunning village. Then there’s Dream, who’s recentlyadmitted to cheating in hisMinecraftspeedruns. And Markiplier and his friends used to play prop hunts quite often with one another back in the day.
There are a ton of different ways gamers can playMinecraft, where nearly any object can be created, making it the perfect virtual fantasy world to bring friends closer together. Don’t feel like fighting off creepers and skeletons in survival mode? Some players opt to build replicas of Hogwarts instead.Minecraftcan be competitive, or it can be relaxed, which is one reason why its audience is so vast: there’s something there for everyone.
So while the Dream SMP team has been capitalizing on a market filled with young gamers, OfflineTV has strategically kept itself relevant by diving into theMinecrafttrend at an opportune time whilst bringing the content creators together in a way thatAmong Uspreviously did, but with far more freedom and imagination.
Minecraftis out now for mobile, PC, PS4, PS5, Switch, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X/S.
