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If I were to ask you about Minecraft's mascot, which would you think of first, Steve or a Creeper? I'm betting it's a Creeper, the exploding green monster who's been roaming people's blocky maps since 2011.
Appearing in all sorts of merchandise, a long-time subject of memes, and recently jumping to the silver screen in A Minecraft Movie, the Creeper is an indelible part of the sandbox game. But as a creature that spawns in the dark, sneaks up behind players, and blows itself up, it’s not altogether conducive to the current design principles, to the point that the team probably wouldn’t add it now if it weren’t already available.
"If you were to follow the rules that we have today, we would probably not add the Creeper," Jens Bergensten, Mojang CCO, explained in a video on Minecraft’s development. "Because it would actually be so controversial to have a monster that would show up and destroy what you built."
He concedes, though, that the explosive creation is "iconic," and that's an understatement. Minecraft wouldn't be the same without the unpredictable risk factor they bring. Although annoying (and occasionally scary), Creepers keep you on your toes while constructing and gathering resources.
I'd argue they're crucial to its overall popularity, both as a slightly cooler ‘face’ of the brand than Steve (no offense, pal), and as an engine for calamity. Minecraft has been a cottage industry on YouTube and other platforms for over a decade, and the sudden fright and despair at the disastrous arrival of Creepers have led to many hilarious viral moments, thus spreading the word about the joy that comes from harnessing these cubes for your own.
All in all, they're not going anywhere. Frankly, I'm glad - just stay away from my next floating castle.
A previous version of this article misidentified Jens Bergensten as Mojang CEO; Bergensten is instead the CCO. This has since been fixed, and the article otherwise appears as originally published.
