TO THE MINES!

What the Hell Is ‘Minecraft’—the Game Turned Cinema Hit

It’s everywhere, but why?

The children, apparently, yearn for the mines.

Since its 2011 launch, Minecraft, an open-world video game, has captivated millions, who’ve spent countless hours digging, building, and exploring a world made entirely of 3D blocks.

What began as a pixelated sandbox game has grown into one of the world’s most popular franchises, even spawning The Minecraft Movie, which is already making waves at the block office (pun intended).

It is the biggest domestic launch of any movie this year, and is had the best opening weekend of any video-game movie, ever. It even beat Super Mario Bros.

But for anyone outside the gaming bubble—or who don’t have kids who are absolutely obsessed with this—you might be wondering: What in the world is Minecraft, anyway? Why can’t people stop talking about it? Oh, and what does everyone mean when they say, “The children yearn for the mines?”

Don’t worry, all will be explained and more.

The Game

According to the game’s official website, Minecraft is a game about placing blocks and having adventures.

Simple, right?

Minecraft is actually what people refer to as a sandbox game, meaning there are no goals, rules, or final objectives, only the will to create, explore, and have some wholesome fun.

According to Minecraft guides, the game, at its core, has four key activities: gather materials, craft, build, and fight (but only if you’re in survival mode). When a player first starts out, they enter an entirely new and unique world with only the environment around them to guide their decisions.

They can gather resources like wood by punching trees, mine for raw materials like ore, build structures, find and eat food, and tame wild animals like ocelots by feeding them fish to turn them into a pet cat. (As a proud cat owner, I approve.)

If a player gets bored of one thing, there is always something else they can do. They can explore massive biomes, go to other dimensions (yes, literally), or just invite their friends over to join in on the fun. It’s all about using your creativity in new and different ways.

The Phenomenon

Minecraft is pure in concept and simple in execution, which is perhaps why so many people adore it.

As of 2023, over 300 million copies of Minecraft has been downloaded, which makes it one of the most played games in the world, beating out Tetris for the top spot. Popularity aside, what makes Minecraft stand out amongst other video games is how wide of a demographic it reaches; it’s truly beloved by people of all ages and genders.

Do Children Yearn for the Mines?

It all began with a reference to child labor laws.

According to “Know Your Meme,” in 2022, X user @Froggenthusias1 made meme history by posting a tweet that read: “Minecraft proves that abolishing child labour was a mistake. The children yearn for the mines.”

Shortly after the post went public, the meme began making the rounds on the internet. Then, in 2023, when some Red states began to repeal or try to repeal child labor laws, the meme started to gain newfound popularity, garnering thousands and thousands of jokes on social media about children and how they yearn for the mines.

Minecraft Gets a Movie!

On Apr. 4, A Minecraft Movie hit theaters and is already on its way to becoming the biggest movie of the year—terrible reviews be damned.

The film follows a group of four misfits who accidentally get dragged through a portal that brings them to a strange cube-filled world. In order to get back to their original dimension, these four friends must team up and master all the challenges the cubist world throws at them.

Directed by Jared Hess, the film stars comedy heavy-hitter Jack Black, along with Jason Momoa, Emma Meyers, Sebastian Hansen, Danielle Brooks, and Jennifer Coolidge.

Despite a lack of enthusiasm from critics, who panned the film almost unanimously, the film is already a hit with cinema-goers, garnering an 88 percent audience score on Rotten Tomatoes, along with huge amounts of online discourse.

Since its release, A Minecraft Movie earned more $313 million globally, making it the highest grossing movie based on a video game, ever.

The Controversy

Of course, with popularity also comes the risk of controversy. And unfortunately for movie theaters and their employees everywhere, it came in the form of unruly moviegoers.

In the past few days, videos began circulating online of audiences getting rowdy in A Minecraft Movie screenings, where young children and adults will go wild, throw popcorn, and trash the theatres when Jack Black’s character yells “Chicken Jockey” in the movie.

The “trend,” for lack of a better word, has gotten so out of hand that the police have had to shut down multiple movie screenings. The Township Theater in New Jersey has even banned minors from seeing the film without a parent or adult present, due to an incident last Friday involving a group of young boys who vandalized the theater during the screening.

Maybe it’s those children who should be yearning for the mines.

Clare DonaldsonEditorial Intern

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