Minecraft will be fifteen years old this year and reigns as one of the most popular games in the world. In fact, it is the best-selling video game ever; with over 300 million copies sold on record. Minecraft consistently ranks in YouTube’s Trending with millions of views and an upcoming Hollywood movie adaptation this April. Ever since 2011, Minecraft is a game that is enjoyed by millions all across generations.
A big factor in Minecraft’s popularity is the depths of its customization. It is a sandbox-style game that encourages the player to interact with and shape the virtual world to their whims. Not to mention the thriving modding community around Minecraft that can further personalize one’s playstyle. Between the seed system used to generate worlds and the plethora of mods, no two people’s experiences are the same.
Though Minecraft is a sandbox game, it does have an “end goal”. To reach the realm of The End and slay the Ender Dragon. Depending on the player, snatching the dragon’s egg or a bottle of its breath may be included in the goal. In addition, The End is a full otherworld with blocks and items that cannot be found in the overworld. Despite this, defeating the dragon is the end of a given Minecraft world for many players. What else is there to do in a dragonless world? The better question is, “What can’t you do in your Minecraft world?” Why can’t the world last forever?
The Origin of “Forever”
On December 14, 2024, YouTuber Luvstar uploaded a video titled “Why YOU Should Start a Forever World in Minecraft!” Although they are not the originator of Forever Worlds, this is one of the first videos that introduces the concept. A “Forever World” is as straightforward a concept as it sounds: a world you play in indefinitely. Luvstar’s video has garnered over three hundred and fifty thousand views and sparked a trend in Minecraft’s YouTube community.
In their video, Luvstar expresses that the criteria for a Forever World is fluid and varies between players. A Forever World could be a typical survival experience, or it could be a creative world or a multiplayer server. The Forever World can make use of mods, or it can be a vanilla experience. For Luvstar, they describe their own Forever Worlds as in-progress artwork that they continuously paint strokes of themselves into. Almost like treating the Minecraft world like a virtual time capsule.
The most viewed video about Forever Worlds belongs to a YouTuber named niko. Its title is simply “Starting My Forever World in Minecraft” and sits just below two million views. This video was uploaded two days after Luvstar’s video – December 16, 2024. In this initial video, niko discusses his goals with the world being to never delete it and explore its depths. To take things slowly and drink in all that Minecraft has to offer.
The Simple Life
Forever Worlds provide a stark contrast to challenges such as speedruns or the “100 Days” Let’s Play style. Rather than blaze through Minecraft at breakneck speed, maintaining a Forever World encourages a slower playstyle. There’s no need to rush to create the most overpowered armor and weapons. You don’t need to grind out for the best and most optimal enchantment table setup. You don’t have to rush to the depths of the mines for diamonds, redstone dust, or other materials for automation. You can simply take it easy and relax for once.
Minecraft is a sandbox game, after all; the possibilities are endless within it. A Forever World could be a prime opportunity for a player to put a different spin on their playstyle. Perhaps a Forever World is the push one needs to learn how to construct machines and farms with redstone power. Or maybe it will be a Minecraft experience devoid of automated contraptions. Conversely, it could encourage one to try their hand at building pixel art. Or to fulfill that childhood dream of building and ruling over your own kingdom.
A Minecraft Forever World could mean an endless nomadic journey for one. To explore every block the infinitely generated world has to offer. Maybe riding on the back of a donkey, llama, or camel rather than the typical horse. On the other hand, a Forever World could provide a means to permanently settle down. Why not use your Forever World to finally build your dream Minecraft house or base? The choice is yours, dear player.
Forever and Always
Mincraft doesn’t have to end at slaying the Ender Dragon or looting the airships and cities within The End. In a sense, a Forever World encourages players to focus on the journey rather than the destination. That journey may be trekking across the multitude of biomes offered by the base game and mods alike. Maybe the journey’s form is cultivating a farm of every crop Minecraft has in its code. Or a peaceful, creative world flooded with 3D artwork. It could even be messing around with your best friends on a server tailor-made for all of you. There is no right or wrong way to exist in and interact with a Forever World.
There’s no shortage of stress inducers in the real world. Work, school, poverty, and maintaining relationships, to name a few. It’s a no-brainer that everyone’s looking for some form of escape from reality for even a second. Perhaps a Minecraft Forever World could help alleviate that stress. Any goals that exist are self-decided and don’t need to be done by an arbitrary deadline. Life within the virtual world can be taken at its own pace.
Forever Worlds are almost a reminder of what Minecraft is and has always been: a sandbox video game. The player has full control over how they engage with the game. Even if playing on a multiplayer server, no two players will have the same experience in Minecraft. A Forever World can exist not only to immortalize one’s relationship with Minecraft but with oneself as well.
