The Curse of Minecraft

Last updated: 2025 / 08 / 17

The curse of Minecraft and any other modern-always-updating game is that it is subjected to constant updates that must be proven necessary and mandatory to both itself and to their players in order to remain in the spotlight and part of the average gamer's discussion, otherwise it would start to suffer abandonment due to poor sales and lack of interest for every incoming quarter, which is a huge no for companies.

The problem with updates is that Microsoft and Mojang doesn't know how to make these continual updates great.

I believe there was a point long ago when updates stopped extending Minecraft as a cohesive and completed game because they have failed in understanding what made updates cohesive in the first place. Most updates add either new content for the sake of it (to end up being too rare to find or too niche to use), or end up as a "lackluster" or "lazy" update that barely changes any core mechanic of the game.

Once they released the much needed caves, nether, and ocean updates it's like they've been perpetually testing the waters with whatever content they release. They introduce no new core mechanics because they fear they will ruin the game, so they release a decorative-blocks-update in an attempt to compensate but ends up failing because it all amounts to just visual clutter and nothing to the core game.

Many people argue that we don't have to play the new updates or engage with the newer features if we don't like them. Many people also suggest, that if we find these updates or features lackluster, we can just install mods instead...

Which in my opinion...

It's a stupid, dismissive, and ignorant line of thinking. It makes it so nothing new gets added to the discussion and infuriatingly ignores and disregards any criticism of the new updates.

Because... I no longer play newer updates. Why would I even force myself to play newer versions if I wouldn't even find or make use of what has been added since 2021?

I am too, very well known of the fact that Minecraft still offers older versions of the game in their bloated game launcher (I know the existence of Prism Launcher too) and that I am more than welcome, to stay there, which it's something I already do.

But trying to return to that previous line of thinking really ruins the conversation about the many criticisms people have made of the game in the last decade, because you are deliberately allowing yourself to remain stuck in mediocrity of the current state of the updates.

I haven't played newer versions than the Caves/Nether update, which were released in 2021, because anything beyond that is just visual noise for me, I simply don't have any interest in it, especially after the Chat Reporting update (1.19.1).

My usual newer experiences with Minecraft are me tapping into the usual "New Minecraft Updates" videos on YouTube, where I read about a new block, mob, or item that only has one singular and niche use, and I end up losing interest in learning more about it. It is even worse when I learn that it's about a singular structure that I will never see in the game because of how rare it is.

Though the new command-block functions are very helpful, it has been a long time since I wanted to make an Adventure Map or wanted to create a custom modpack.

Modern players don't play beta or early release versions because it was simplistic and didn't had that much content, they play it because most of the features felt more cohesive and truly felt they belonged into the core game, there weren't many niche items, mobs or biomes players could ignore because everything had its own place. It was the right amount of mechanics, blocks and items. That is a complete, cohesive game (well at least in Release versions).

The old versions of the game were certainly more focused on survival though, especially since creative mode didn't exist until 1.8.1. As Mumbo Jumbo said in its "Honest Thoughts on Updates" video, modern updates are more geared toward creative players, often adding blocks that help and can blend more creatively with building. And while this is great for the creative part of the community, it hurts the survival experience by creating visual noise and unnecesary stuff. This problem is particularly frustrating for players who only focus on survival, an aspect of the game that has become progressively more grindy, mechanical, too meta, and monotonous.

Old Minecraft was also monotonous and quite grindy, but it didn't had an established meta in how to get everything because it all had one or two ways to get it. In Modern Minecraft however, sure, you can not follow the meta and get everything in your own way, you're free to do aynthing, but everything will feel slower and unoptimized because you're not following the meta.

It's not about whether you want to follow it or not, the problem is that it now exists in a game that didn't have it, or at least wasn't that pronounced before.

In my opinion, if Minecraft had remained an indie game, it would have stopped after the Nether update (1.16) or even at the World of Color Update (12.2.2). From there, there would be only Quality of Life updates or even the Modding API that was promised a decade ago, but at least we have Datapacks.

But as I said before, Microsoft expects Minecraft to continue generating money like a tap. As any other company would, which will continue to harm the complete game in the long run.

People need to learn that a game can be finished or feature complete, and then later extended with minimal additions or extensions. Not every game needs to be completed, but some can be.

Do I think that Minecraft was at its best in its simplistic alpha/beta versions?

No, maybe.

Do I think Minecraft is "becoming like Terraria " because the newer updates add too much to the game?

No.

Do I believe that everyone should play or accept my ideal version of Minecraft? Do I dislike seeing people have fun with the newer versions of the game?

No, I do not. Such a conclusion tells me you lack of critical thinking.

Addendum 1:

There's a rumor that Mojang developers are 'bogged down' by bureaucracy. The rumor suggests that Microsoft knows the Minecraft image Jen and Notch created was perfect and that any update changing a core mechanic could disrupt the entire gameplay. It also says that developers find it too difficult to get permissions to do anything and that's why most April Fools updates nowadays are full of things because those are the times they can work more freely on stuff.

Addendum 2:

A lot of people in forums like to suggest to play Vintage Story, which is a game a lot of people claim it is "what people wanted minecraft to be". But to be fair, I don't think people besides hardcore grinding modpack players want every single process (like cooking, building and basically survive) to take hours of pure grinding. I played Survivalcraft back in Highschool and I couldn't find a reason on why I should play a harder, monotonous and grindy version of Minecraft.

I dont't play grindy games anymore. In fact, I don't even play games anymore.