Lauryn D

In the last couple of years, there has been a surge in video content created on YouTube of what seems to be gameplay of the popular game Minecraft. See, because Minecraft is a sandbox game, meaning you can make whatever, these people have discovered that it can be an extremely unique medium for storytelling. 

This thought of Minecraft being a medium for storytelling started in quarantine with the rise and fall of what is known as the Dream survival multiplayer (DSMP) which featured several YouTube creators telling a story about politics, betrayal, and grief. This series lasted for the entirety of quarantine and gathered a large following of millions of viewers invested in this story. 

But storytelling in Minecraft has existed for much longer, although with shorter, simpler stories. The very first instance of a storyline told through Minecraft was achieved by one StampyLongHead, a beloved creator who made child friendly content and was watched by many people through their childhood. 

Ever since the DSMP proved that Minecraft has the possibility to express detailed and deep plot lines, many others have decided to have their attempt at the same. This brought forward a new trend called Minecraft civilisations, where hundreds of real people play on a confined world where they craft their own story as a community, often replicating real world ideas of politics, diplomacy, and war. One creator had pushed this trend to the extreme, as in 2025, Ish had gathered a thousand players and separated them on two separate islands, one rich with bountiful supplies, and the other desolate. The story then unfolded as the two islands experienced infighting and government corruption, the story mainly focusing on the character Saparata – who had never intended to be the main character but was forced to act as one as he was the main suspect in a mass regicide of the rich island’s leaders. Him being framed by his best friend, Fluixon, the story climaxed as they duelled to the death. The video had a total length of 2 hours and 30 minutes, garnering 47 million views. 

This wasn’t the first independent viral story told through Minecraft, as the creator Evbo had made a video about power struggles and the abuse of the lower class, titled ‘Parkour Civilisation’. This video was filled with humour and unserious moments leading to its popularity through memes as it made its way into internet cultural relevance. 

Arguably the most loved video is from Wifies in his ‘Searching for a world that doesn’t exist’. An ARG (alternate reality game) inspired plot. In the creation of this video, Wifies had drawn inspiration from the niche and popular, the story as a whole being a well-hidden adaptation of Robert Chambers ‘The King in Yellow’. In this story, the theme of a greed for knowledge is explored as the main character avoids warnings and continues on until he meets with the “King”, who, from Robert Chambers writing, can grant knowledge of all at the expense of one’s sanity. Earlier this year, Wifies had released a sequel titled ‘Destroying a world that doesn’t exist’ where the king in yellow is directly confronted. This two-part cinematic experience gathered attention through Wifies expert use of techniques and form to create a suspension of disbelief and break audience expectations. Hitting nearly three hours over the two videos with over 50 million views in total. 

I give an honourable mention to the series known as ‘Unstable Universe’ which is a collaborative effort of four creators who craft a story comparable to most television shows. With nearly 150 episodes as of writing this, with each episode ranging from 30 minutes to 3 hours, the story had developed through several arcs. With each episode the quality of acting and editing has improved as the four creators grow in their abilities of cinematography. 

In my own opinion, the absolute best example of Minecraft as a medium for storytelling comes from the series ‘Whitepine’ by IvoryTV. Recently reaching its finale on episode 11 and 6 hours in total. Whitepine is a crime/detective story from the perspective of a shy maid being the main suspect in a murder. In the making of Whitepine, Ivory creates her own music to use as backing tracks, she builds complex settings and utilises camera angles to enhance the story. The characters feel real and their emotions are expressed and justified. She has mastered the art of Minecraft storytelling, as the story she writes is emotionally impactful and engaging. But in my opinion, what makes Whitepine stand out from all the rest is that it didn’t have to be in Minecraft, it uses all the cinematography techniques used in real cinema and it the story isn’t centred around the game itself. The reason this is so impactful is the suspension of disbelief it creates; you don’t have to be adept with Minecraft to follow the story and connect with the characters. This too being a strong testament to Minecraft’s storytelling potential, that the game itself can be stripped away but still be used as a medium through the creativity it offers. 

And recording a film in Minecraft has some major strengths. Such as requiring a much lower budget, as all expenses are greatly cut; you can build your own set; actors don’t need to be professionally trained as you only hear their voices; and the recording software is much cheaper than high-quality cameras. The number of complex storylines that are told through the medium of Minecraft grows each day as the concept gets pushed further in attempts to make films that can compete with high-budget movies. All these plots, great or bad, are just the beginning of this medium; the future holds stories awaiting to be told, all done in a simple blocky game. 

• “Stampy’s lovely world: the entire story” – Lando, 31st October 2023. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yLEkmfYg5bM  

• “1000 Players Simulate Civilization: Rich & Poor” – ish, 12th July 2025. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ef568d0CrRY 

• “Minecraft but I survive in PARKOUR CIVILIZATION [FULL MOVIE]” – Evbo, 19th December 2023. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2pFwQiwRbcg  

• “Searching For A World That Doesn’t Exist” – Wifies, 25th October 2025. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3V7Rvo4Gvic  

• “WHITEPINE 1” – IvoryTV, 12th August 2024. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JqZRB4WtqZI