The Liminality of Minecraft

You can go back to the past, but nobody is there

Liminality is just such a beautiful concept

if anyone remembers some of those old ~2014 era modpacks for minecraft, some of them had at least 5 mods that added tons of empty structures, especially over and near water. there was one structure mod that added tons of things like hot air balloons and pirate ships and huge vacuous cathedral like buildings with no mobs set to spawn on them or anything, they were always empty with maybe some chests in them. It was a landscape filled with basically empty buildings that gave me a feeling that i have not found anywhere else.

there are (imo) 6 reasons as to why older versions of minecraft had a strong sense of dread and comfort: >thicker fog >crispy textures >slower/calmer gameplay >hard to find to non-existent friendly NPCs >shared footstep sounds for every mob >less mobs and less blocks to work with bring those back to current versions and i swear people will get that old feeling of liminality and uneasy comfort as of before

There is this sort of vibe that your videos invigorate that i cant shake off. Thank you for making these!

Bro, u got mad potential, came here from ur MCSX video. keep It up

Liminal space is like being a kid and looking over at your closet and you can see everything but that one dark corner of it with a silhouette of a shirt or maybe something else.. that’s in there

I remember booting up my xbox 360 playing the old version of xbox minecraft and exploring the all the worlds i created and the feeling was surreal

The way I get my liminal feeling is that I make sure that almost everything I build has to NOT make sense in some way or another. Maybe a shop has a hidden secret that leads to some underground tunnels, maybe there's a catwalk that leads to nowhere, maybe some stairs lead up to a massive room that houses only one chest. Heck, even my house looks like something straight out of Hello Neighbour. You have no idea how much I smile when I'm in Discord with friends and they ask me what the hell I was thinking when making whatever. I rarely am able to achieve that LIMINAL feeling with any of my builds, but I definitely do think that I get some kind of fun feeling whenever I decide to add things to a build that just don't make sense or have no purpose being there.

When all you want to do is spin up that 2011 minecraft world you made with your friends but they all tell you they are exhausted from work and kids so you wander around reminiscing looking at all the 13 year old builds alone :(

I just found your channel, and you’re combining two of my favorite things in one. I’d totally watch more of this!

My main world is a world of endless snow forests, with a few spooky creatures stalking me from the trees, I have a nice cabin, farm, and watchtower, my cabin is the only source of warmth in the entire world.

I wish I could go back in the past, back in Minecraft 2015 when I played first, but its lonely there, it's the past, no one will have open arms waiting for me, it's scary, s scary concept.

Love this video and the PS1 minecraft video! I've been wanting to make a video or videos playing minecraft horror but never really found any packs or mods that captured that particular liminal feeling i was looking to play in. I feel like it was because they all seemed so modern, so the point of liminality being tied to nostalgia really makes sense to me. And the PS1 mod being different enough to immerse you in gameplay while capturing that nostalgia and eerie feeling is perfect. I'm excited to play it, and I'm looking forward to more of your videos! The way you express your thoughts is nice to listen to!

Wow, I just watched this and your other PS1 Minecraft video and I must say - stellar work!! 🙌🏻 keep doing what you’re doing cause this shit is GOOD! Would love to see you potentially explore future liminal horror Minecraft mods like the last video, or just more Minecraft and liminal videos in general - the vibes your videos bring are just something else and I love it 👌🏻❤️

Brilliant video, waiting eagerly for it to blow up!!

As soon as libets delay plays i know this will be good. And all you want to do is get back there omg. The caretaker is fire. Too bad they ended so fast.

So, I was kinda not familiar with the liminal spaces, but I was at the same time. I don't know how to explain. Since I'm not english native, there is not a lot of explanation in my language for "liminal spaces". I've heard some french youtubers talking about it but very quickly. You kinda explained in 8 mins what I couldn't understand for 2 years. Great video. Thanks!

I really enjoyed this video and your analysis of the liminality of Minecraft. I agree that the game has a unique aesthetic and atmosphere that can evoke nostalgia, curiosity, and sometimes fear. I think Minecraft is a great example of how a simple game can have a profound impact on our emotions and imagination. Thank you for making this video and sharing your thoughts.

I personally love your old Minecraft videos, especially the PS1 horror mod.