Why the 1.20 Minecraft Update Failed 

I went into this Video thinking this would be a Horrible take. An immediate “1.20 bad here’s why” video with no decent points. But this video, you my good sir, are different. A good different. Instead of bashing the sniffer, camels, new blocks, cherry groves and archeology for being “Boring and simplistic” or “lackluster and not fleshed out”, you instead tackled a serious debate in the MC community from a different perspective. Minecraft does has a feature problem. Some say it’s not enough, some say it’s too much. But the idea that if Minecraft were bloated with features the same way Mods tend to be, it would end up Receiving DOUBLE the backlash? I couldn’t agree more. Players will often ask for intense new bosses, tons of new gear and weapons, vertical slabs and many crazy, and somewhat stupid-, features and suggestions. Yet the game is already jam packed with those same adventures and features, just toned down to fit the game. Let’s say these players that complain are strictly 1.8 players, for the sake of this example. Those players want new bosses? Try fighting a Raid! They’re incredibly fun and tough, and even more so because of the Ravager and evoker, two relatively boss like mobs! Or go find the deep dark and try killing the warden. It’s a sandbox game, the warden can be a boss if you want it to be! Those players want new blocks? Open your eyes, zoom out! Look around you- they’ve added 5 new wood sets, 3-4 new brick and stone sets, multiple new functional and decorative blocks, and plenty more unique building blocks to the game since 1.8, even as far back as source trapdoors in 1.13! Those players want new mobs? Find a Fox and get them to trust you, ask a dolphin to help locate an ocean ruin using fish, get a turtle helmet using turtles and turtle breeding, I bet some players didn’t even know you could do those things! All in all, a great video. Do I think the 1.20 update is bad and will ruin the game? No, but I do think what we got was enough and that the updates do deserve the time to grow and flesh out the world, inspiring players around the globe.

i think this is why we need a "housekeeping" update of sorts, inventory update, new advancements, redesigned progression. all of these things should be looked at in order to increease the playability of minecraft again\

I think the biggest problem is that Minecraft needs a performance update.

My biggest concern is how disconnected each update feels from the larger game. It’s not often we get features that closely tie in with an older feature already present

What can Mojang do to encourage players to stick around in their worlds for longer? The epidemic of people quitting their worlds so quickly is pretty sad.

I personally don't think there's too many features, just poorly implemented half finished features... Even though old minecraft had less features all of the blocks and mechanics served multiple purposes and interacted together in a much more harmonious way, which like you said made you feel like an artist with a pallete. I just think the features and mechanics we already have are not fleshed out enough, think the end, glow ink (like what is the point in it glowstone already exists???) copper, amethyst, the deep dark. A lot of the new features are really disconnected and don't do much apart from 1-2 things, they are good on their own but once you have interacted with them once there's no reason to really do it again, which then gives the werid paradox of there simultaneously being too much to do and too little to do.

About the birch forest: Making it more interesting wouldn’t dilute the player experience; it would enrich something we already know and love/hate. Those are the kind of updates we need, not a new weird mob/biome/excavation mechanic.

With the mods vs mojang argument, I think something everyone always forgets is... When moders make a critical mistake, people just don't use their mod. If mojang makes a critical mistake, it threatens the value of a multi billion dollar investment. The stakes are different, modders can play it fast and loose because they have little to loose. Mojang on the other hand, needs to be careful that the decisions they make, don't make the number of new players less than the number of old players lost. Also, I've gotta give respect for the length of most of these comments as I've scrolled down. And for some reason I feel like I've heard your voice and pacing somewhere else but can't quite remember where.

I think there's another huge factor at play here - the "snapshot" method of development that Mojang uses. I think the time has come for Mojang to sadly stop releasing snapshots of new updates. Think about it. The 1.20 update was first announced all the way back in October and we've been getting 1.20 snapshots for almost 6 months now. By the time the update actually drops, half of the content is ALREADY going to feel stale for a significant number of players. Having over 6 months between announcement and release is way too long for players to stay excited about a new update, especially smaller less impactful updates. So of course people are going to be asking for new updates faster - they feel like the update is old news before they've even played it. What makes this even worse is content creators jumping on the new snapshots as soon as they come out. I don't blame them, I would do it too, but looking at youtube, reddit, tiktok etc you would think 1.20 came out months ago. RU-vidrs do entire series and playthroughs of the update before it even comes out. Reddit posts show off crazy builds with the new blocks before they're even released. This is not the original intention of snapshots - they are basically supposed to be open beta tests for the community to find bugs and provide feedback. How many other games actually do this? There's a reason most games only announce new updates shortly before they're released. Snapshots do have a big advantage, which is allowing the community to give feedback on new updates before they are finalised. The entire community collaborating on minecraft's updates is very unique and it would be a shame to lose that. But to be honest, Mojang has seemed to listen less and less over the years anyway. And new features can always be tweaked in the next update in response to the community. tl;dr I think that Mojang switching to closed beta testing (instead of snapshots) and announcing updates just before they release would be beneficial in the long run, making updates more exciting to most players.

Back then, ppl would make the most of every feature in the game and find creative ways to use the game's mechanics. Nowadays, ppl expect so many new updates and features to where it's overwhelming.

TL;DR: Mojang isn't adding too much, their additions just have no impact on progression anymore. We've "hardly touched our copper and spikes" because nobody wanted them, and even those who did want them were completely underwhelmed by their uses. The cave update wasn't anywhere near peoples expectations, and despite its massive size only seems to contribute to the constant inflation of items and content in the game. I personally think that 1.16 was the last actually meaningful update to the game because 1.16 was the last update to *improve* features instead of just bloating the game with uninteresting content. The deep dark especially just angers me because its completely worthless, in every possible way. The warden is clearly built up as this menacing boss character, yet is completely unbalanced and unfair to fight in a biome that houses loot no better than a simple dungeon. Their philosophy of the warden being an "obstacle" rather than a boss is so disconnected from the core ideas of Minecraft that its just sad, even laughable. The comparison of modders to mojang developers is completely unfair, yet I say this in favor of modders. The reason is because the difference between mods and updates is that mods (generally) add USEFUL content that contributes to the game, and while they may not be for everyone, their additions are meaningful in a way that Mojang devs have failed to replicate since at least 2020. Take a mod like create as an example, which you showed in the video. Everything create adds has a meaningful, practical use, and create updates all contribute to the mechanisms and systems that are buildable in the mod. On top of this, other mod developers are given the freedom to write their own additions for Create that give more functionality and purpose to the mod. Create is a mod that has the style and professional graphics of new Mojang, while keeping the functionality and work ethic of old Mojang. As I said before, Create is not a mod for everybody. That's okay. My point is to demonstrate that modders are compared to mojang in this sense because teams of 3 or 4 developers can create complex systems that all contribute equally to the game while the million dollar game studio releases updates that pollute the game with unnecessary gimmicks. Seeing recent minecraft updates have made me develop a distinct hatred for "vanilla+" mods, and no update demonstrates this better than 1.20. And at the end of the day, I dont actually think the reason for that is the amount of content added. I actually think that minecraft, in it's current state, does need more content. The issue lies in the fact that none of the content changes the core part of the game- the progression. Minecraft's progression has always been the same, with TWO notable exceptions. Get wood, get iron, get diamond, go to the nether, go to the end. When you boil it down its actually embarrassingly simple. The first update to change this progression in any notable way, while controversial for other reasons, was 1.9. Most people tend to hate 1.9 for the combat changes, (which I honestly think were needed but that's a separate topic). Most people overlook the actual change that 1.9 made, because it isn't really about the combat at all. 1.9 is an end overhaul. Before 1.9 there was no actual end game content. You simply beat the dragon, and then had to just figure out where to go from there. There was the wither, but it wasn't really necessary as beacons aren't particularly useful. After 1.9, the end became more than just a boss arena. The outer islands added depth to the end, and a reason to return after beating the dragon. Even if the elytra wasnt there, the loot in their chests was like nothing else in the game- enchanted diamond, iron, and gold. These were endgame commodities that kept people playing and added an important step in progression. The second update that changed progression, and arguably the more impactful update, was 1.16. The nether overhaul COMPLETELY changed how the nether was viewed as a dimension. Rather than simply being a gateway to the end, the nether became it's own fleshed out world, with dynamic interactions between mobs, the addition of a completely new faction of piglins, new structures with great loot, and and actual use for gold. The greatest addition, however was the addition of netherite. While many will argue that netherite was unnecessary, I argue the exact opposite. Netherite completely changed the way you viewed progression, because now not only was it an actual challenge to get to a nether fortress, you also had a reason to return to the nether AFTER beating the dragon. Netherite became an end game resource that players sought after, which forced them to explore the new update fully and become enriched with all of the features. I ask, now that you've read this, can you name 1 feature in 1.20 that is functional? That changes progression? That contributes in any meaningful way to the game? Archaeology is nothing more than pots and dusting, and the pots look average at best. They also really dont fit with the style of the game, and seem like something out of a furniture mod. The sniffer basically just has a huge nose and lives in the cherry biome (which also inflates wood types for no reason, the wood looks straight out of biomes o' plenty). Camels are replaceable by horses, and horses already arent used anyways. Bamboo wood is barely even wood, looks honestly quite ugly, and (again) inflates the wood types. Almost every addition in this update is purely cosmetic. The only thing that changes progression is the changes to the smithing table, and they really don't do it well. Why do you suddenly need a little relic that lets you upgrade to netherite instead of just making it? I understand that it forces you to explore bastions, but why is that needed? You're never forced to explore end cities because they are end game content. The same goes for netherite. It's already enough of a grind trying to get the netherite ingots to begin with, and now suddenly you're forced to go back and get another item? You also lose the upgrade template when you make 1 piece, which means you now have to duplicate it for all 4 pieces of armor & all 5 tools (all of which will cost 7 diamonds to duplicate, if it wasnt expensive enough to begin with). No amount of time will allow these updates to become "second nature," because when youre able to see through it, theres really no features to get used to. Mojang doesnt need to slow down their updates, they need to rethink their process entirely. They need to change the way their additions are applied to the actual game. They need more functionality. I'm really sick of trying to defend Mojang's sloppy work when its completely in plain sight. Good video though. Left a like.

While I do agree with your point about players not exploring the current update enough to already want another one, its just because those updates are so lackluster. Copper as a block is interesting that it changes overtime without player input except it has large veins like coal, and are located EVERYWHERE, so if you don't want to use copper, its just a waste to have to mine an ore and get a block that does literally nothing. I hope Mojang can add more uses to copper in the same way iron and gold has over the years but until then, the current update was boring

This is actually eye-opening for me because I haven't played Minecraft for awhile thinking: "Oh maybe I'll play next time when there's a huge update and more content of the game" but what I realized is that no matter how much new content is added to the game, the more I stopped having fun after a few hours of gameplay..

This was a good video and I mostly agreed with it, but things I dont like about Minecraft's development is when their features seem unfinished and get boring after 5 minutes. The most recent example is the sniffer and it only having 2 plants it can dig up. 2 plants is an extremely low number for a mob who's entire use is providing special decorative plants.

I think that, instead of adding more features they should focused on interconnectedness. Each new mod or item that they are going to the game should connect with several different existing systems in the game, the more the better. Doing this will help prevent useless mobs like the polar bear and panda, which practically don’t connect to the rest of the game whatsoever it will help the update sfeel less like DLC With less fully separate tech trees, but you can access with existing items

I agree with all of your points, I remember starting a new world last year after taking a break from the game since 1.16 and being pretty lost. But I wouldn’t use the term “dying”. When a game even just loses the smallest bit of popularity, people LOVE to use that term. I am pretty sure we all know minecraft won’t die and become lost into obscurity, it’s the best selling game of all time, perhaps the most recognizable video game, and has proven that Minecraft has the ability to save itself from a dark age.

I think one thing to point out is how the nature of the game and its updates has changed over time. I've played since all the way back in 2010, here are some of my observations: Early Minecraft (2009-2013) was updated frequently with lots of content because it was an incomplete game, it was still being developed as an indie project and features that had been on the to-do list for ages were being worked on rapidly. This was also during the time where the game was still an indie at heart, so even with all the new stuff being added it was still relatively simple at its core, most of the complexity stemmed from emergent gameplay and player creativity. These updates were: - Smaller in scope, greater in frequency - More hap-hazard/random in what features were added (remember "Secret Friday Updates?") - Filled in some hole that was present in the core gameplay - Announced with little fan-fare, mainly just a blog post or dev video Now I feel like updates are more akin to a corporate mandated "yearly DLC" that the devs have to fulfill every year: - They always get announced with a large event of some kind - They follow some sort of set theme, with an associated title and marketing - They promise some major change/addition to the games scope, even if that thing compromises other features or bloats the game Not that all the new updates are bad, some are great (like the ocean, village and terrain updates), but ultimately I think we have to accept that the nature of the games development itself has changed post Microsoft buyout. This is no longer about fleshing out an incomplete indie game, this is a carrot on a stick to keep players coming back (and at the expense of sounding cynical, buying minecoins). TLDR: The main consequence of this is that we are accustomed to a frequent influx of updates, expecting a development model that does not reflect the state the game is in now compared to 10-12 years ago.

Some points regarding updates that weren't touched in this video: -Having too many updates hurts the modding community. Each time a new update gets released, mod developers are forced to update it so that it's compatible with the most recent version. Previously, they had quite some time between updates, but nowadays, they're so frequent that many developers will just give up on making the mod compatible. -New content usually isn't available in old chunks. Each time an update adds new content, players are forced to travel thousand of blocks to find it. And then, after the next update, players will be forced to travel even further. Maps end up being huge, and many players will just give up their worlds and create a new one.

The main issue is that whether you digest the existance of foxes and pandas or not, they're not going to add to the usual gameplay loop. To me, Minecraft has always been a game with a simple loop: Get resources, build a base, get better resources, build a better base. And that works. Exploration isn't interesting because all your resources and crafting blocks are left behind, and whatever you find out there isn't better than the iron you mined under your bed. I think future updates should push towards making the player build a network of bases. Imagine having multiple outposts/bases connected by rails, each place being specialized at generating a specific resource, with the end result being something truly special. Something that rewards not just running around and raiding loot chests, but also claiming the lands. Villages would probably be a good starting point - they generate at random and have enough nuance to them that turning them into a core gameplay part would work

Completely agree. I’ve been working on the same survival world for about 5 years, and every update feels more like a hassle to find the new stuff than anything

the problem with the updates isnt that they add too much or add too little, its what they decide to add. im sure the 1.20 update would be well received if they just made it so archaeology gave some sort of "powerful ancient weapon" like the trident. but instead we have pots and a biome that adds 3 new things. there isnt any substance within the updates. sure the caves are more dynamic and expansive, but theres nothing to find. its why the end works and the deep dark doesnt. the end has the elytra and shulker boxes, things that transform the game once you get em. in the deep dark, the selling point of 1.19, you get nothing but a compass you never needed and a customization options. swift sneak was never going to be worth it to explore the city. they needed something like a "warden bell" that summoned the warden close by or a "skulk charm" that lets you use skulk as a kind of teleporter, something that makes it worth seeking it out

I think the main problem is we have so many things to do and collect but have no time or room to get them like an actual backpack or new storage systems would go a LONG way in terms of making the game more manageable in terms of all the new stuff that exists

You raise some good points, but it's important to note that Mojang are definitely incompetent in what they decide to add to the game as well. One of the most popular ways to play the game nowadays and on a smaller scale in the past is to have a huge build of some kind that you're constantly working towards, Mojang knows this is which is why they added so many blocks for automation (hoppers, observers, etc.) and nearly every new block has some way of making it renewable. But for some reason they've focused all of their updates in recent times around exploration with new biomes or blocks that only generate in new terrain which then contain items which you can farm. This makes for a bizarre version of "exploration" where you travel for 1000s of blocks (or make a new world to only travel a few hundred) to find the new biome and get the new item and then return home to farm it, never to return to the biome. Another failure of Mojang's updates as of late is the sheer amount of content that is either useless or made in a vacuum. A good example of this is the Respawn Anchor, which is a good idea on paper but when placed in the context of lack of reasons to live in the Nether versus the Overworld it's quickly made pointless. Copper is another good example, while it has a cool concept Mojang forgot that most people would want to just have the exact block they want and don't want to have to wait for actual hours to get it. I like that you mention the fact that there are so many useless ambient mobs in the game as well, because I do find it really quite silly that people want any of them at all. I said this was all incompetence at the start of my comment, but there's a part of me which actually thinks that Mojang knows all the features are half baked and are just fluff because that means they can have more for their advertisement campaign for the actual update itself along with the update serving as an advertisement for the other Minecraft games that are being made every two years or so because that's where the real money is. If this is the case then it's quite sad that Minecraft's development has become nothing more than a husk where the question at Mojang is no longer how do we make the game more fun but instead how do make the game more popular next summer so we can announce another game. Hopefully my ramble doesn't give you too much of a headache, this was a really good video and I do appreciate someone raising some more points beyond the typical critiques that have been said a thousand times.

i think after mojang finishes 1.20 they should work on an end update and put loads of time into it giving us enough time to get used to all the new stuff currently and then get a nice new batch of content for an underwhelming dimension

I thought it was just me being old and boring, but I often have this thought, too. 1.16 was the last update I really thought was cool and exciting. Ever since then, they’ve just felt like unnecessary complications and clutter. 😵‍💫

The reason modders can add so much more than developers is that the developers have to make sure all interactions and functions the new item or mob brings are balanced and working. Take the glitch where placing an end crystal on the end spawn platform immediately after spawning, would instantly delete the dragon. A modder would rarely care to fix these problems but a developer has to.

I never expected to agree with this, but I think I do. Minecraft is all about Intrinsic Motivation but this makes it feel like we are constantly waiting for the devs to give us something new to do instead of finding our own fun.

This video aged like a fine wine. We need this take more than ever. People are debating weather all mob vote mobs should be in the game and getting rid of it entirely. They want the game to be blown with features and it’s harsh to see how nobody sees this is a negative take to the game.

I personally feel like there should just be longer gaps in between updates so that: 1: people have more time to digest the new content, as you have said, and 2: so that mojang can make updates that are either more content rich or more cohesive in their theme or more refined. This way, people might get even more excited when a new update is about to drop, because it's something special now, and it's something they have had more time to think about.

I feel like Minecraft updates can be seen in two ways: overhauls and add ons. Essentially, updates that drastically change the way the game is played such as the nether update, caves and cliffs update, and even the aquatic update added things like swimming, new world generation, and new biomes which were unavoidable during a regular play through. I believe things like the wild update and the tales and trails update are more like add ons. Updates that you could honestly miss if you weren’t specifically looking for them. Stuff like archeology, gilded armor, frogs, and camels do change the game, but not in a way that is easily noticed during a random survival world unless you happen to be in the right biome/situation. I think adding these features to the game is fine, but overhauling the game to frequently could prove problematic

I've never really thought about updates like this but you make total sense. I can admit I've still never been to a mangrove biome or an ancient city in any of my survival worlds. They just seem like features I have to go out my way for, and for very little reward. Great video! 🙌

I think smaller updates for now are actually perfect because it allows us to still get an annual update while also fixing up small problems like adding a biome maybe revamping another biome. Adding blocks and concepts that don't fit a particular update. 1.20 isn't about a massive load of content which I'm sure they're saving for later it's about both improving storytelling aspects and adding little features to keep players engaged while adding to the overall world of Minecraft. I think 1.20 has a lot more to offer builders and lore makers as opposed to other forms of players which is why many people feel disengaged. But I think updates like these are essential to the betterment of Minecraft as a whole.

6:38 Maybe make more structures from the blocks, that are already in the game. It won't be confusing to older players and will be easier for everyone!

I agree with this. Thank you for saying this!!! After 1.17 I created a permanent world and let me tell you slowing down has been amazing.I’ve never used amethyst but a month ago it became a primary building block and item. I’ve never made a recovery compas and it saved my life 3 times in a week. I just started used ping loadstones and they re such great world building tools. It’s wild! Mojang is smart the content is great. People just need to slow down!

I'm early in the video, but I feel like it keeps my point a little more pure before I watch, but I wanted to talk about the idea of Minecraft getting updated too often. I would agree, if the updates Mojang put out were large enough to justify it. They frequently add things that do one thing, interact one way, and achieve one goal, and then do nothing else. 1.16 was the last update where an addition to the game really felt like it linked back into the existing game (Piglin Bartering, Netherite Armor, Soul Speed Enchant, Striders, and entirely new biomes). Ever since then, basically everything added in 1.17-1.20 only adds into itself. The Deep Dark and The Warden are cool, but the reward for dealing with it is... Swift Sneak being the biggest reward which allows you to.... loot the deep dark quicker. You can get similar or better loot from End Cities with generally less danger and with better main rewards (Elytra, however you feel about it). The new Generation from 1.18 is awesome and gorgeous... but it makes moving around the world a hassle more times than anything in my experience, I find myself carrying ladders all the time because it's so much less frustrating than trying to traverse without them. Goats, Amethyst, Frogs, The Sniffer, etc are all examples of other things that only really function within themselves, Goats add literally nothing but their horns to the game and achieve nothing else, Ametyhst is used for Spyglasses and that's it, Frogs are used for Froglights and that's it, and The Sniffer is used to get the new seeds, which I may be outdated in saying, are used for nothing. Then you toss on a long list of broken promises, and things getting removed for random reasons (Fireflies getting entirely removed, and the Birch Forest Update being cancelled), and that there's a slew of huge problems the game currently has already (Primarily Performance issues on Java edition) that need fixed, and it turns into the idea that Mojang is lazy, and while I don't know if I'd agree, I'd argue the company is lazy not the devs, since I wager the only reason things are as bad as they are is because of corporate bureaucracy. TLDR - New Features in Minecraft Updates only add content within themselves rather than adding to the rest of the game, while there's a slew of existing problems or things that could be addressed by new updates instead of adding more pointless additions. Mojang devs most likely aren't lazy, but as a company, they're one of the laziest and least efficient developers around. I believe their bureaucracy is the problem, not the specific developers.

My problem with Minecraft is by the time you get all your gear and start building your base the next update is out and you have to create a new world.

Finally, a critique I can agree with!! I've been a huge MC fan for a decade and I JUST discovered the Deep Dark for the first time. The most devoted, obsessed fans never take a break from the game and they are dominating the conversation among the MC fan community. It's frustrating. They keep asking for "more more more!" And I'm just like "...yk you probably wouldn't be so bored or burned out if you tOOK A BREAK ONCE IN A WHILE"

I love this video. Even to this day, the VAST majority of people just want more and more items in the game without any second thoughts. rip Sandbox Minecraft

Honestly, I think the only updates that should be frequent are stability updates to improve the performance of the game overall

I think people genuinely forget this game is about building and aesthetics, not about having 20 farms for every single item, block and mob then waiting for more items, blocks and mobs to be released just to make another set of farms for them just in case you ever need them for whatever reason in the future, even tho what we actually need is uses for the previous stuff you unnecessarily farmed a billion of.

I think the problem with you saying that we haven't even yet fully explored the coral reefs and mangrove swamps yet amd yet we want more content is, that we have explored those things. There's no content to explore. There is nothing valuable or game changing at all in many of Minecraft's locations. I don't think EVERY conceivable biome has to have some ultra-unique and cool feature, but I disagree with your premise that people quit Minecraft because there's too much to discover: I think there's too little. Or at least, the stuff that is new is boring and not worth the time to explore. The game as a whole needs a revamp with not just more content, but better and more well-thought-out content.

What we’ve got to remember is these updates are free, if they were to charge for them it would be a very different matter.

i though you had 100s of thousands of subs, not 770! quality content, keep it up mate!

I totally agree. Minecraft shouldnt be as popular as it is. People expect it to be whatever they want, but they arent willing to put in the effort to make it for themselves. Minecraft is not meant to be high octane, action packed gameplay. Its meant to be what you make it.

I've been doing upgrade saga challanges (similar to the evo smp but on singleplayer) for a bit now and I've definitely come to realise how jarringly different old is from new. I've seen all the versions, from infdev, to alpha... all the way to modern release. The favourites (Beta 1.7.3, v1.8.9)... the controversial (1.9 combat update, beta 1.8). I've been 'all around the block', to put it that way. A lot of my run attempts die off arond 1.9, and issues start arising circa 1.14. I suppose when there's so much to do, it creates some difficulty to stay motivated. It's especially harder too knowing no one other than you will be looking at your work. Work you might have put hours, or days into. Maybe weeks. While it doesn't exactly change my opinion on 1.20, it is still good that Mojang is taking community feedback, I still sometimes feel like there's some sort of.. better way. I mean, I don't hate the update but... I don't know. An interesting take on this issue, and certainly not the response I was expecting.

It's not that the features added aren't being explored thoroughly enough. It's that the new features don't address fundamental problems with the game's progression.

Looking through the comments I see a lot of great ideas, but an idea I had is improvements to the recipe book, maybe adding descriptions for blocks and items so that you know what they do before crafting them, that way it’s more easy to figure out how some of them work

It gets worse when half the content they add is basically useless, copper is nothing but cosmetic and amethyst can only make 1 item.

"I think Mojang has been updating it too much." THANK YOU. I feel the amount of stuff they've added in so many updates is just nonsense and it's so overwhelming to try and figure out what each thing does

I'm so sad because there is no food update and no new block Or new vegetables & fruits, Especially no new items for survival or mobs

This is definitely a good point. When I heard they were trying to do two updates a year, I thought it was just too often. I'd rather have an update once a year, or even longer, but that really delved into a single facet of the game, like the Update Aquatic or the Nether Update.

You've hit the nail on the head and called me out in a way I really didn't expect. No, I don't know how bees work. No, I never tamed a fox, or a polar bear, or a panda. No, I've never gone to the deep dark or crafted a lightning rod or bred turtles. The issue is that most of this stuff is irrelevant in my eyes. I never HAD to do any of this. Polar bears and pandas and foxes are, as far as I know, useless. Turtles are made useless by enchanting helmets and boots. Last time I felt I actually wanted to engage with a new minecraft update was the Nether Update, because I felt like it was actually useful and somewhat necessary to engage with it, as well as actively making an outdated and boring part of the world more cool.

EXACTLY my opinion about the current state of the game! I haven't played this game since the pandemic and when I got back I was just incinerated by the amount of content from 1.16 alone and haven't consider exploring the other updates, I wasn't even used to 1.13 before I stopped playing and knew nothing about 1.14. I've made the decision to upgrade my world to 1.20 pre until the actual release comes out (just for armor trims) and never upgrade again for the next few years or so. If Mojang takes a step back to just make the game run smoothly, tie all the updates with each other and actually give someone a reason to waste durability on copper ores... then they would receive no less than overwhelmingly positive reviews on Steam (I would rather launch Minecraft from there instead of the junk it already has).

Personally, I find it crazy that people feel entitled to updates on a non-subscription game. I get wanting things to be added, and being disappointed if things don’t pan out, but getting angry at the developers for “not doing enough” just doesn’t compute with me.

Totally agree with this video! Minecraft needs less updates but more consequent ones! The community (me included) doesn't have the time to digest the new features (I tried nothing about the 1.19 yet, even the deep dark, beacause I'm too busy on my builds) and everything has become anecdotic and underwhelming lately.

HOLY I agree with this take so much. So, I'm someone who still finds concrete sort of new, and becuase of school holiday and the update, I started playing minecraft with some friends recently, and I was looking through recipes and I was like "Bro this aint minecraft, this looks modded, there's way too much stuff" while my friend wants even more stuff added to the game, and im like bruh.. So I took him to the deep dark and he was like "Wtf is this, this is sick, I didn't even know this existed". I think that is the biggest problem with the game, is that people need to take a step back and actually explore the whole game. If you want a boss filled sandbox survival game with shit tons of content, play modded terraria. The combat system in minecraft (in my opinion) just doesnt work for bosses and stuff, so i think people should give up on that weird idea. For future updates, I think the direction should 100% be to update already existing things. I really like how archeology builds upon desert temples and wells, and now they have an extra use. Trims are AMAZING and they FORCE you to explore if you want it. Overall, best take ever subscribed thank you.

There are some new thing nobody uses in almost every update. And maybe new updates just feel weird. But when I go to the Nether the 1.16 generation doesn't feel weird. It just takes time until something is really part of the game. You also told us about amethysts. Maybe they aren't important. But the 1.17/1.18 update didn't only give us these. It changed the world generation. And I thing it changed it in a postive way.

You see, the problem isn't the frequency or the size of the updates, its the content of the updates. If mojang dropped an update once every 2 years, but it was something that enhanced and expanded the game, maybe creating another gameplay loop or added tot he existing one, so that we could get lost in it until the next update does the same. Yet what they are doing now is creating updates completely disjointed from the main game. Adding small features that are separate from the core gameplay loop, meaning they are nothing more than 10 to 20 min distractions at best. There is no enhancement to the game or the experience. Essentially, there is nothing to do in Minecraft at a certain point. You can build and build and keep building, but for a good chunk of the community that isn't enough. The updates lack the quality to engage the players enough for them to be satisfied with what they are playing. They could add nothing item wise to the game, but if they upgraded the combat system- boom- suddenly there is more incentive for PVP or pve, because the combat is fun. They could add no new mobs, but if they updated mob behaviour, AI and their combat, suddenly fighting enemies or bosses, or building more fortifications so that enemies have less of a chance to attack become fun. They could add no new biomes, but for gods sake, upgrade the old ones. Give us a reason to play the game!

Honestly 1.20 adds enough fetures for me to be happy with it. And you have a point, i’m not even done exploreing all the 1.19 stuff in my survival world yet. I think a lot of ppl compare this update with The Nether Update which was huge update

Minecraft needs a catch-up update where they fix old features, add more uses to useless things, add more novelty features, and most importantly. PERFORMANCE!!!

I agree with most things you said, especially with the older versions of minecraft being more addictive and fun, but I do enjoy playing with over hundreds of mods on the newest versions.

I remember when the bed was introduced in minecraft beta. That was monumental.

This is an interesting take and actually explains the reason why I cannot enjoy modern terraria. That game is so bloated with content it becomes overwhelming to play. I do not have this problem with Minecraft currently, I definitely would if the game received major updates like Terraria has done throughout the years

As a player that actually always plays on the same minecraft world, my problem isnt the lack of updates/content, or the opposite, or that it feels disconnected, etc. etc. its seriously that after 1.13, the updates havent been making the game more fun at all, not to me at least, some just add more stuff which doesnt change much, but some of these downright made the game more annoying, 1.14 villagers were cool in paper, but seriously, some of THE most stressful moments on my world had to do with dealing with 1.14 villager trading: having to sit in front of a villager for 2 hours to get mending wasnt fun. 1.16 made the nether 10x more annoying, not harder: skeletons + soul sand, hoglins everywhere, having to wear gold because of stupid piglins + the nether biomes are like a cool for 15 minutes sorta deal imho, if you actually spend time to explore the nether, as I have, you'll have found every nether biome in about 20 minutes, and then it doesnt feel more 'alive' when all you see is the same 4/5 biomes repeating the entire time. 1.18 changes to lighting and mob spawning did the exact same thing for caves: why so many mobs??? It is not difficult, its just so annoying to have to deal with all that while mining, even more after youre full netherite and none of those mobs are ever gonna kill you, and mining used to be so chilling before that, i loved it. That is not to say none of these updates added cool stuff, its just that after you get used to it, all you see is the annoying part of it, and thats mostly how I feel with their updates now.

Most of the content is disjointed, it's use is niche, or completely useless to the progression of the game. When have you ever used copper outside of building? Amethyst? I liked the Archaeology update as it breathed new life into older structures, such as the desert temples and wells, without completely changing them

Bro I know everything about the ancient cities yet I've never even seen one

I actually never thought it that way, I along side many others think that minecraft needs to update more often while we blatantly ignore the pre-existing features that minecraft as a sandbox game has to offer. Thanks for your view on things.

In the olden days of minecraft, the game felt like it was full of natural art, and now it feels like it's just unnatural simulation.

I 100% agree and i think that mojang should work on more quality of life features, parity, bug fixes and performance more as well.

i literally havent touched minecraft since the ocean update and been really wanting to play again but i havent because "1.20 is just around the corner so why would i play on 1.19" and this video explains that feeling perfectly.

I understand that people who dont play as often might feel overwhelmed by all the content, but as long as you start a new world every month or so that really wont change. I have been playing in my world for alsmost 5 years now and am just about catching up with all the farms you can build and exploring all the features. When it comes to mojang i think they just havent been good at prioretizing whats important, for me some kind of inventory update is by far the most important update since it gets more fustrating with each update because of all the new blocks and items. However i hope they spend more time on the new stuff, for example the cherry forest seems to be rushed, it doesnt have anything special about it and other them collecting the saplings and flowers there is really no reason to stay there for long ...

I agree somewhat. Minecrafts biggest flaw is not The lack of content. it's the lack of good design. A lot of features feel totally disconnected and pointless. 90% of the game is completly disconnected from any parte of the games progression. But most importantly many core mechanics feel outdated for what the game has become. I don't think youre right in saying we simply needs more times to adjust to the changes, i think the game accually has design/direction problems that need to be fixed. But youre 100% right that simply adding more "cool content" isnt going to make the game better. In My opinión people ask for more content becuase they can't figure out what's wrong, why their not having fun. They detect theres a problem but misdiagnose the root cause or the solution. And they look past the fact that simply adding more content, while fun in the moment, in the long run will simply make the game even more convoluted and worsen the problem. its the foundation that needs fixing.

This is accurate, instead of a ton of new content, content that could be used in the way the player wants instead of in a way Mojang expects makes sense, like how honey blocks revolutionized flying machines, even though they didn't serve much of a powerful single purpose. I found an airship mod and even though it was so simple, just building something and making it fly with balloons, it could be used in almost any way, to make a ship, a plane, a car, or even a catapult.

I wasn't with you at first, but I agree. You might be suffering slightly from "not my minecraft" syndrome (when an older player no longer considers modern minecraft to be the same game they played as a child, and thus loses interest), but what you say is true. I'm much more accustomed to the features of the nether and village updates than the deep dark. The place where we disagree, is that I think that 1.20 is a massive step in the right direction. Instead of dropping some massive new biome, they're adding more to what already exists. Adding new items to chests you'd already be interacting with, a new mob to a place you're already going to go to, and a completely optional way to get extra loot out of certain structures that already exist or are new but unobtrusive additions to old biomes. The only real feature that you'd have to go out of your way to find is the sniffer, and the rest is just decorative blocks and variety. 1.20 feels a lot more like the updates we got before update aquatic, which we are in sore need of.

This is the greatest video defending mojang I have seen! I see so many minecraft fans whining about stuff like, "the warden doesn't drop anything" or "copper is so useless" when they haven't even tried them. Great video, deserves more views!

I don't even care about updates anymore because I can't be bothered to actually go out and see what they changed. My world is around 6 or 7 years old and when the village and pillage update came out, it took me months to go explore and find a new village. Ive also never seen a mangrove biome and bees yet because I just don't care. It seems that Mojang is adding fluff to the game and not anything useful

Great video! And yeah I kinda agree with what you’re saying. For me i love the early game feeling and All the things I know but when I get mid game I start to lose interest cause I’m lost, and don’t know half the stuff or feel like their is just too much stuff. I can’t believe this video hasn’t blown up yet!

I still wants an update that will make the game harder with even more bosses so my gear could actually have a reason to exist

Honestly, I fully believe that Mojang should do update cycles. Every other year we get a patch update; an update entirely focused on fixing bugs and improving the performance of the game with no new features - maybe targeted towards a consistent Summer release. Then on top of that, every other year should be the major update, that way we get a major update that is well crafted and better suited to the game. So for example; 1.21 (Update) - 2024 | 1.22 (Patch) - 2025 | 1.23 (Update) - 2026 | 1.24 (Patch) - 2027 This would allow a much longer development time to flush out features, bugs, etc. whilst also providing players an update they can use for a longer period of time, which in turn would allow them to discover the usage of that update more so than the current updates. This release method would work way better I think, and I don't see why it wouldn't be plausible. They should give it a shot.

I feel like the problem is that no new updates tie into old and well known features, forcing you to experiment and progress into the new update to make the most of something new

This is very true! They should add less things that are more polished and interesting instead of random things that no one will ever actually play

I think that mojang has started to focus on NEW players more, but the CURRENT players are now more forgotten and old things that we were all used to like the creative inventory or the world create screen are now changed and different. even the logo has been changed from the classic pixelated Minecraft logo we all loved.

I have mixed feelings on it. Last update I liked was 1.18 because of the caves and mountains. 1.19 is well a bore and lack luster I appreciate the new tree but otherwise could care less about it. I am looking forward to 1.20 simply for the fact they added stuff with bamboo and while the cherry trees are nice I likely won’t ever use them other then maybe a potted plant. Sniffer I’m looking forward to simply because it gives access to some new decorative flowers I couldn’t care less about the mob it’s self

minecraft fans when their 20th major free update 12 years after the game fully released doesn't have enough content 😭😭😭 edit: i agree with the video, that's just about the beginning stuff and everyone that complained about 1.20 not having enough stuff

It’s nice to see takes like this not many people see the issues Minecraft has created I believe they should have taken a year or more for an update to be polished in that time people can get used to the current version. I do have an old world but yea at some point u hit a road block and with everything that’s added it feels overwhelming

This is so true, it's almost hard to keep up and get comfortable with the new content in time when more keeps coming and people demand to have it even faster

Heavily underrated channel dude, I went in expecting something very different. As a veteran of the game I really have to say you've opened my eyes, and hopefully the eyes of many others. I hope to see more content like this soon!

fascinating how every word in this video is wrong in so many ways, it even looks like the video was made by mojang to justify their horrible work

I kinda disagree with both sides. I think around the 1 update per year we get now is perfect. Getting a decent amount of new content every year. No I haven’t done everything in the game possible. But I have done everything I want to do, and adding more to that would be great. The things that I haven’t done yet might be the favorite part of others and they have done all of that too and have no interest in trying my favorite things. So they would also love for more stuff they like

As someone who has been playing Minecraft for quite some time now, I have to respectfully disagree with the notion that the game's updates are too frequent. In fact, I find the frequent updates to be one of the most exciting aspects of the game. Each update brings a fresh wave of new content, features, and improvements that keep me engaged and constantly coming back for more. Sure, it can be overwhelming at times to keep up with all the changes, but I see it as a testament to the developers' dedication and commitment to enhancing the game. They consistently listen to the community's feedback and strive to deliver a better experience with each update. This ongoing support and innovation are what make Minecraft such a dynamic and ever-evolving game. Moreover, the frequent updates ensure that there's always something new to explore and discover. Whether it's new biomes, mobs, blocks, or gameplay mechanics, there's never a shortage of surprises. It keeps the game feeling fresh and prevents it from becoming stagnant. Of course, personal preferences may vary, and it's understandable that some players might prefer a slower update cycle to have more time to fully explore and master each version. However, from my perspective, the frequent updates breathe life into the game and make it an endless source of creativity and enjoyment. So, I'm personally grateful for the regular updates and can't wait to see what new adventures await us in future Minecraft updates. PS: As an individual who has immersed myself in numerous Survival Multiplayer (SMP) experiences alongside a few close companions, I can assert that whenever we decide to discontinue our gameplay, it is primarily due to having exhausted all available activities. Remarkably, within a span of a month or at most two, we manage to construct a vast array of automated farms and monumental structures. The quandary lies in our desire for a broader "color palette," as eloquently phrased. While we must await an entire year for the inclusion of additional creatures and building materials, the reality remains that it merely takes between three to four months to achieve a state of near "completion" in the game, unless one exclusively dedicates their time to colossal projects that themselves culminate within a couple of weeks. Ultimately, it hinges upon where individuals allocate their time and efforts. Personally, I am of the opinion that a complete year provides an ample duration for MOJANG to deliver a substantial update, and I am content with their current release schedule.

Thank you so much for making this video. I really wish bigger youtubers made these statements more because it absolutely baffles me on how I going to comment sections, in Instagram, RU-vid, reddit, and twitter, and they all claim Mojang is a lazy corporation even though they have no idea what it takes to make an update. They compared making an update to modders, even though people don't understand that these mods are usually very exploitable in gameplay and littlered full of bugs. People are demanding so much and no one talks about it, and everyone just laughs and jokes about it, and it makes me very upset, because there's a very clear point between the developers and head of Mojang. I guarantee the reason why we get updates during the summer is because corporate side of mojang probably wants something to push out during the summer. Hence the reason why we got the 1.17 split instead of just prolonging it until December. Same thing with 1.19 not feeling complete. And I'm not really seeing them change that. And mix with the fact that they need to flatten out bugs, because the product that they need to release needs to be polished. So they can't just add a whole bunch of things you said the game, they have to live up to his standard. Probably the real reason we did not get fireflies. Cause they needed to ironout the warden and deep dark. Not to mention, I believe they were also transitioning back into the office from Covid from what KingBdogz said, or someone at mojang at least. Another thing people don't understand is that Minecraft is just a simple game. You mentioned it yourself that the reason why it got so popular is because it was a simple block game back in 2011. However, that is kind of like a double edge sword in a way. It needs to stay simple... However, if you don't add enough content, the game is going to die and that's what kind of what happened up until 1.13 and 1.14. You need to think outside of the box, but you also need to do it just right. Like Netherite. And now people are wanting all this stuff. Unwilling to forgive Mojang and the developers and saying, they're the reason why the game sucks. Hell, ironically enough, I've seen people compare Minecraft to Terraira. Trying to get Minecraft to add all these over complicated things until the game that just isn't Minecraft. It makes me very upset to see how the community acts and the fact that youtubers just let this happen. There needs to be more people who speak out against this, because it's very unfortunate that people constantly rag on the developers, even though they're great people (from what i have seen). They're just doing their job. if you want to take your anger out on anyone. Go yell at the head of Mojang because I guarantee you the reason why we got the chat system. Just don't blame the developers.

My main problem with Minecraft is the frequency of the updates. Because of this issue, I’m probably not going to actually play the game until I feel it’s complete, or until it is complete. I’m okay with the vast amount of stuff in the game, as long as Mojang isn’t pumping out updates every year.

I completely disagree, I'm underwhelmed with the current content In minecraft as I've explored mostly everything and at this point I can't play without mods and addons or I'll get bored because theres nothing else to do and I feel like a lot of other people could agree. and If you feel overwhelmed by the amount of content minecraft Is adding [which Is In my opinion, not enough.] you could always stay on the previous version until you have enough time to digest everything.

I’m so hyped to have this update in addition to my friends existing survival server but I don’t find myself excited to start up a brand new world on 1.20

I love your positive and constructive criticism! It gets old hearing people drone on and on about what is missing and what is there, but not good enough, or not the way THEY would have implemented it. The Mojang team is amazing in my opinion! To keep a game going as long as Minecraft has and for it to stay relevant is truly something special, and to add all this content FOR FREE in a time where the gaming industry milks players through micro transactions is really something to be grateful for, especially considering the fact that Minecraft is cheap. I think when I bought the game like 12 or 13 years ago, it cost me like $8! I had to buy it again because I forgot my login, but even then, it was only like $10-15 I think. You could pay that much for DLCs in a lot of other games. Mojang, I think really loves and cares about their community and they don’t get as much love as they deserve. P.S. you’ve earned yourself a subscriber. Excellent video, excellent monologue, and excellent editing. Looking forward to more from you!

I've worked for a major corporation as a developer, a project manager, and a team lead over at team of 15 people on and offshore. I write mods now. Major Corporations *cannot* develop as quickly as modders. * There are more modders * They are passionate about their mods. * They are not subject to Sarbanes-Oxely (SOX). Per SOX, you *cannot* change code unless your lead, your manager, your director, QA, Marketing, the business side Analysts, your CIO, *and* the CEO approve the change *before you start a single line of code* (heck, before you start the design documents if they are really anal). It's often literally illegal and exposes your CEO to legal liability and so it *will* get you fired even if it is the best idea ever. Let's call that chain of approval (which takes about 1 week per level), "the process". As a modder, if I think of a cool mod ( "Regrowth", "Redstone Magic", "Spawncap Control Utility"), I can sit down, write, test, and publish it in between 8 hours and 4 weeks. Each release, I'll spend between 16 and 0 hours to fix the mods so they work under the new version. If I were a corporate programmer, it would take me 8 hours to 4 weeks *plus* 8 weeks. Suddenly, any 8 hour project is *canceled* because it's a small feature that's going to cost 8 hours *plus* 8 weeks (including a lot of high paid executive time). I had multiple fixes that would improve our corporate system by 2%. They were rejected. Only 10% improvements justifed "the process". Even tho 5 smaller fixes would result in an 11% improvement and my time to code them would be short. But *every* level of management had to know *and understand* them. Marketing and the business wanted *new features* not improvements. QA also had to know and understand the improvements and required a test to *show* the improvement (even tho they were in a tiny test environment compared to production). That said, Mojang is putting out releases too fast. The public server I play on isn't even resetting the map. It's too soon to reset the map again.

Mod creators can add way more in a year then this but a way bigger development crew only adds a biome a few mobs and items I don’t get it? The updates are getting really thin I feel as if where getting only ⅓ of an update that where supposed too

I literally triggered people on a insta post because the posts caption was "starting a new world knowing you'll gather materials for a house, get bored, and start a new world" so I commented basically calling out these players n trying to explain that there is more to the game n how we all played it back in 2011. It's massive with endless possibilities and things to do. And everyone got mad at me n told me to touch grass LOL. As an artist and creative person, I love minecraft, my world is a story that I continue to grow and add to everytime I play.

I've always thought this way, that they are adding to much to these updates, and that there is to many things to do. I guess that is one of the reasons why I don't play single player, and haven't touched a normal minecraft world in years. Your video sums it all up for me, it gives an great explanation that I've never been able to give. Keep up your videos!

For me the thing that makes me quit isn't that there's too much stuff it's that there's too much stuff that doesn't do anything. Just adding mods doesn't really work since mods are mostly rough due to limited resources. I feel like if Mojang added a biome, a new boss, or new tools they would be implemented in a way that would feel natural and not forced.