After 14 years Minecraft can still be found pulling millions of viewers and players across all platforms – with the lockdown in 2020 seeming to breathe a new life into the game. Now with the Minecraft movie release, it makes you wonder how all these years later why people just can't get enough of the blocky sandbox game. Personally, I play the game a lot more as I find it relaxing and still have fun even in vanilla without mods.

*Image: Minecraft Teaser Art (Source: Mojang)*

Ever since the COVID-19 pandemic the game has pounded back to everyone’s hearts, through series’s like the DreamSMP being live-streamed on twitch and YouTube – bringing fame for many new creators while mixing in some already large ones.

There are endless possibilities in Minecraft and that truly is the best feature of the game. No two worlds are the same and it’s left up to your own imagination to be creative and have fun. The worlds never stop generating which creates good opportunities for forever worlds or even the casual player a world who can come back to a new update and not worry about missing new content because the world automatically updates. Reddit user Adept_Ad_473 backed this feeling up by saying “The cool thing about this game is that the world procedurally generates as you go, so you don't need to start a new world to get new content as it releases, you just travel to an unexplored area." Along with that players commonly say the game just feels comforting and relaxing to them and again go back to the endless things to do.

This massive open world may be viewed as a negative, though, as it may create isolation when playing alone. It's not always easy to start playing with others, especially on survival worlds rather than open servers. Sometimes players may crave to play the game but can't find friends or the time to game with. Reddit user Wonderful_Lie_7095 shared that they think they've outgrown the game and can't necessarily keep it fresh because they aren't confident with mods and ultimately the game makes them just feel lonely.

There’s plenty of ways to keep the game fresh even when it feels like it’s getting stale. Mods are a good way to keep it alive, and you can experience them without a PC by watching some YouTubers play maps, mods or SMPs. Mods are the most common go-to with Minecraft for both players and content creators. Within recent times user created horror modes like Cave Dwellers have gone viral but others enjoy the technical elements and use more complex mod packs that add new mechanics, blocks, recipes and such to the game.

Whether mods are included or not, watching creators is always a good way to keep your interest in the game thriving if you don't feel like playing. There is always many active SMPs on Twitch being streamed or survival series being played over on YouTube. From hardcore survival to adventure maps to creative redstone contraptions- the community is thriving and with a game so broad there's always something for someone to be interested in. The torch has been passed from generations of creators, from DanTDM to Tommyinnit, CaptainSparklez to Aimsey and all the while the “OG”s are still around. It's a great area for any creator with a passion for the game no matter big or small there's fresh ideas and good content being made across all levels such as “The Glitched Rabbit” who often plays Minecraft and makes good use of the earlier mentioned horror mods despite having only 900 subscribers. Or even on a more local level creators like Lozrix or Servver are smaller Scottish creators who excel playing Minecraft, alternatively what people produce around the game has changed drastically too, back in the day it was simply survival YouTube series but now there's other areas to create even outside of the game, such as Aura (@AuraCrystalMC on X) who is greatly skilled at making Minecraft skins on the Skindex website.

Personally, Minecraft is a game I've loved since I was a young kid. Something about the endless chance for creative output was something that stood out to me and my dad was always my biggest fan being amazed by the things I would build. It is and always will be a good, relaxing experience for me and while I agree it can get extremely boring and lonely when you play solo unless you have an idea but when you play with others the game just clicks so much more, leading to hours of laughter whether it's a two week phase or not while also frequently watching content of a range of maps, mods and styles.

Ultimately after going strong for 15 years, it doesn't look like the gaming giant that is Minecraft will be slowing down any time soon. New updates just keep coming with the major feature of the newest one announced being friendly rideable Ghasts. Somehow it just stays fresh all the time even if you need to take a break – the endless potential prevails.

What keeps Minecraft so special?