Minecraft players try to stop mob voting with propaganda posters and more than 220,000 signatures
Since 2016, Mojang has hosted an annual mob vote where players can choose the next creature to be added to Minecraft. In recent years, however, players have become increasingly dissatisfied with the tradition, and this year they have decided to express their disappointment by “unionizing.”
Last Thursday, the team behind Minecraft revealed Mob Vote 2023 and its three options: a crab that drops claws that can increase a player’s reach when placing blocks, an armadillo that drops shields that are crafted into wolf armor can, and a penguin that increases the range speed of nearby boats. However, many gamers are disillusioned with the idea that a company as large as Mojang could scrap two of these already developed ideas and focus on adding just one more to the game.
Now, fans on TikTok are creating and circulating posters inspired by war propaganda to encourage other players to “unionize” and boycott the mob vote. Many of these posters have adopted communist terminology, with some players referring to others as “comrades” while others have praised modders for bringing Mojang’s scrapped mobs into the game.
Currently I’m obsessed with the Minecraft union propaganda on Tik Tok as people unionize to end the mob vote pic.twitter.com/aQz3iowf2I
– Mufflekip, but scary🎃 (@mufflekip) October 7, 2023
Someone created a war propaganda-style slideshow against the Minecraft mob
Thank you for the best video I’ve seen all week 😭#MinecraftMobVote #MinecraftLive #MobVote2023 #StopTheMobVote pic.twitter.com/FEBAfb1oXH
– Manzaka_ (@Manzaka_) October 7, 2023
These efforts have led to a particularly large Change.org petition. At the time of writing, the petition has over 220,000 signatures and has seen a steady increase over the last day.
“Mob voting creates engagement by tearing the community apart, leaving fantastic ideas on the cutting room floor, and promoting content that will never be seen in the game,” the petition reads. “That, coupled with the fact that Mojang somehow releases less content WITH Microsoft’s support than without it, means players are seeing minimal content related to the game they love and watching as they are potentially deprived of the only thing which makes them want to play again.” “
Unless the anti-mob voting camp is successful, voting is scheduled to go live on October 13th and the results will be announced two days later during Minecraft Live.
We gave Minecraft a 9 in our 2011 review, calling it “an open world, a blank page that just dares you to jump in and do whatever you want with it.” However, the game has since received a few expansions, with the most recent major update adding mobs and more player customization features. It has also hosted an impressive number of dedicated players, including this fan who completely created Breath of the Wild in Minecraft.
Amelia Zollner is a freelance writer at IGN who loves all things indie and Nintendo. Outside of IGN, they have contributed to sites such as Polygon and Rock Paper Shotgun. Find her on Twitter: @ameliazollner.
