Minecraft players ‘unionize’ to demand more mobs and fewer votes

It’s a Minecraft tradition for players to log on each year around Minecraft Live, a yearly celebration of the voxel building game, and vote for a new mob or enemy to be added to the game. In previous years, fans have voted for the fearsome Warden, or the helpful Sniffer to be added to the game. In 2023, however, there’s a sizeable protest over the mob vote. Fans don’t want to choose between the available options — they want it all, and they’ve created a fan union to protest their cause.

This year’s Minecraft Live vote comes down to one of three new critters: a crab, an armadillo, or a penguin. Each mob has a special utility associated with them. The crab can be used to create an extendo-claw, allowing the player to place bricks further away. The armadillo’s scute can be crafted into wolf armor, adding extra protection to a player’s furry friend. Finally, the adorable penguin helps boats go faster. Choosing one of these means saying no to the other two options, and fans want all three to be added to the game.

The protest is going viral on TikTok, X (formerly Twitter,) and other social media, including in languages other than English.

The movement includes a petition on change.org, started by Holly Mavermorne, who posts under the handle visualeyesmusic. She writes: “The Mob Vote generates engagement by tearing the community apart, leaving fantastic ideas on the cutting room floor, and teasing content that will never be seen in the game. [...] Many have expressed their discontent with the Mob Vote in the past, with fan favorites like the Moobloom not making it into the game, and with content creators mobilizing their fanbases to vote for the least popular option for the joke of screwing over the other voters. This shows that the mob vote is inherently flawed.”

This year’s vote is currently set to go live in two days, but fans are hoping Mojang hears their pleas before Minecraft Live on Oct. 15. Over 315,000 people have signed the change.org petition, and we’ll have to see if the movement leads to concrete results and more mobs in Minecraft.