Minecraft is gearing up for its latest Mob Vote, a tradition started by Mojang that has become rife with controversy due to perceived unfairness and waning popularity, which has prompted fans to reconsider if the vote is worthwhile anymore. Started back in 2017, the Mob Vote was a much smaller precursor to the current spectacle it has evolved into, but its core concept has remained relatively unchanged. Votes are cast for fans' favorite mob concept and the ultimate winner makes its way into Minecraft itself. But after several years the vote seems to cause more harm than good.
From popular content creators like Dream swaying the final vote to the criticism that Mojang is holding back for the sake of manufacturing player engagement, the Mob Vote's reputation has become tainted. The latest vote pits the Sniffer, the Rascal, and the Tuff Golem against one another. Despite Mojang's best efforts to approach the vote with as much hype as it can muster, it has already had criticism raised from Dream's lingering controversy and poor mob design. After the 2022 Mob Vote, Mojang should reconsider its future votes.
The Shortfalls of the Mob Vote Explained
Though the Mob Vote likely comes from a place of sincerity between Mojang and its players, the vote as it currently operates has plenty of downsides that outweigh its benefits. For example, most players are familiar with accusations that Dream rigged the vote after he asked his fans to vote for the Glow Squid. Unsurprisingly, the Glow Squid was confirmed as 2020's Mob Vote winner, prompting fans who hadn't voted for that mob to point out the unfairness that anyone with a large enough following could heavily influence the outcome.
Additionally, while the 2020 Mob Vote was contentious, every Mob Vote carries the disadvantage of introducing three mobs Mojang has plans for, only to whittle this down to one. Fans are left disappointed not only when their selection doesn't win, but also when these losing concepts are then seemingly scrapped, save for when some mobs might be later reused Minecraft spin-offs. Concepts like the Moobloom or Copper Golem are wasted for the sake of community engagement.
To compound the issue of wasted designs, the Mob Vote itself has been criticized for wasting the opportunity to vote altogether. The 2022 Mob Vote demonstrates that for a second time, as Mojang has introduced a golem indicating bias, undermining the point of a player-driven vote. Beyond this, the Tuff Golem and Sniffer's design has been criticized for adding little utility to Minecraft beyond novelty, where one is a quirky ornamental decoration and the other finds seeds that serve no current purpose.
Mojang Needs To Reconsider Its Approach
Though many of the criticisms leveled against the Mob Vote are valid, Mojang might be limited in how it can address the balance of the vote. For instance, without some kind of agreement with content creators to not influence the vote, Mojang would be helpless in preventing fans from following their favorite streamers. Mojang would also be short on options on how to expand the vote itself to make it seem like fans are getting bang for their buck. However impossible it might seem though, some kind of change is needed.
Despite these hurdles, revising the Mob Vote isn't a lost cause. Mojang has previously allowed players to vote on which Minecraft biome to next update, something which promised not just new mobs but also terrain, plants, and other environmental factors. A hybridized approach allowing players to vote on a group of new additions rather than a single mob could offer a better compromise for every player. Making each pack biome-specific or giving each pack a specific purpose could help to develop other areas of the game like enchanting or mining.
Minecraft is available now for Mobile, PC, PS4, PS5, Switch, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X/S.
