The Reason Minecraft Is So Popular Again
Unless you've been living under a rock for the past ten years, chances are you're all too familiar with the sandbox building game Minecraft. Love it or hate it, it's hard to deny that the game is a juggernaut in the industry. It not only sets records, but constantly maintains a steady place among the most popular games. And while Minecraft has kept up its steady presence over the years, the recent surge in popularity it's seen may be a bit hard to understand. But to delve into the logic of the Minecraft resurgence, there are a few different factors to take into account.
The recent crack down on YouTube standards have been difficult for many creators on the platform. With demonetization happening left and right, it's more difficult than ever for creators to make money on the video sharing platform. This is most obvious when looking at a vlogger like PewDiePie, who constantly pokes fun at the demonetization scandal by over-censoring himself in his videos.
Because of these new strict rules, Minecraft is an obvious choice to anyone scared of possible demonetization. The family-friendly game isn't overly violent or bloody like many of the popular games today, which means that advertisers are all too happy to put their money behind it. Of course, this means that those hoping to expand their advertiser appeal need to watch their language and steer clear of any questionable behavior while recording.
But in addition to the obvious benefits of streaming a family-friendly game in the hopes to stay monetized, the influencers themselves are a big factor behind the game's resurgence. Back in June 2019, Keemstar decided to start hosting "Minecraft Mondays". In this streaming event, he'd invite various popular gamers to team up and play a battle royale-style tournament in Minecraft. With big names like Ninja, Pewdiepie, and James Charles, it didn't take long for the series to garner enough attention to overtake Fornite as the most watched game.
In addition to this newfound visibility for the game, streamers like Pewdiepie were reminded of the entertainment value an open-ended game like Minecraft could provide. And just like that, Pewdiepie convinced Jacksepticeye to play Minecraft, which prompted 8-BitRyan to play, which made The Game Theorist post more theories about the game, and the list simply snowballed from there. And without even trying, this virtual building game captured the number one spot.
How long it'll stay there is anyone's guess. But now you know why Minecraft is so popular again, and why it seems like every major content creator is playing it.