Minecraft Players Aren't Happy With Game's Advertisement

Minecraft players are lambasting a recent advertisement in the game, asking things like “Who in their right mind would greenlight this?” The long-running title has been popular with both solo players and groups for years, but Minecraft fans aren’t particularly happy with the studio’s recent choice of wording.

When it comes to Minecraft, the only limit is the imagination of the player. Fans of the game have used the tools provided to them to create all kinds of incredible Minecraft builds, no matter how many hundreds of hours or numerous years of work it takes to put them all together. While many players would agree that building or playing together with friends in Minecraft is fun, many also feel this new message is uncalled for.

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Minecraft Players Criticize In-Game Ad

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Minecraft player Cautious-Surround340 brought an in-game advertisement to the attention of other players, and many have been upset by it. The ad’s topic is simple enough, as it encourages players to check out Minecraft Realms Plus, which lets users play with up to 10 other players on a persistent world at any given time. The issue with the ad isn’t that it’s invasive or costs too much, but rather the wording used in it. The ad, titled “One is the loneliest number,” tells the player to “stop playing Realms alone like some sad wandering trader.” Cautious-Surround340 notes that people often play Minecraft alone to help with mental health issues like depression, and added that some people particularly struggle with their mental health during the holidays, so the timing of this particular advertisement couldn’t be much worse.

Others have chimed in on the ad, with many agreeing with the OP. Some have pointed out that it seems particularly bullying in tone considering how many little kids play Minecraft, and pointing out that children may end up feeling sad if they’re already lonely and trying to play the game just to have fun. Some have talked about their own experiences in the game, noting that they’ve played it alone for years and like it that way, while others have said that they got into the game because they didn’t have friends to play other games with online.

While some likely clicked through this advertisement without giving it a second thought, it’s clear that it’s had a negative impact on some players, while others feel it’s simply uncalled-for. As some have pointed out, it wouldn’t have taken much to word an ad like this in a way that’s inoffensive, simply letting players know that they can sign up for Realms Plus to play with up to 10 of their friends. While it was likely meant to be taken humorously, especially with the reference to Minecraft‘s wandering traders, it’s not being received that way by much of the playerbase at large.

Though not every player felt that this ad would necessarily have an emotional impact beyond kids playing Minecraft, others complained about a perceived increase in advertisements and marketing in the game. Although this particular ad is just a small pop-up that can readily be dismissed, it’s likely that most would prefer to get into the game that they’ve already paid for without being bothered about spending more money on services they may not need.

Ultimately, it’s up to each player to decide how they want to play Minecraft, and that’s part of the appeal. Some fans of the game have spent thousands of hours or more building up worlds all on their own, and are perfectly fine with that. Others regularly enjoy the chaos and fun that can be had with playing Minecraft with a group of friends. There’s arguably no wrong way to play Minecraft, but it seems there’s definitely a wrong way to advertise to its players, judging from these reactions.