Posted 18 Jun
MOD. 
Words by Debbie Devis.
16.06.2020
“And so, as the sun descended on our decaying world, we shut our doors and retreated for 6000 days. But maybe what comes at the next dawn will be better than today” – TheMODyssey being dramatic.
I keep hearing all about how the world is ending and we are in the apocalypse, and it made me wonder… After we have been stuck in isolation for so long, what will life after look like? Would we work together, or would we rather stay alone?
This was the thought process that led us to LIFE AFTER, our new Minecraft server that takes place 6000 days after the apocalypse. Visitors spawn into a bunker and need to survive in a completely different world to ours. We had no idea whether people would want to work together or not, especially if they were strangers.
It has been two weeks since we opened our new exhibit and it has been a surprisingly delightful ride (despite all the zombies). Initially, we noticed first time visitors would leave the bunker and venture out alone or with friends they already had. This made sense, as the initial days in Minecraft are very important for getting resources, and it can be difficult to share. However, over time and conversations, we noticed our visitors start to talk to each other more, and offer aid to each other.
We are at the point where many of us are establishing our own houses and farms, and it is not uncommon to hear “You can take some carrots from my garden” or “Would anyone like to come spelunking with me?”. These offers are usually readily met, and it has led to this gentle comradery between the players that we didn’t experience in the same way in our previous Minecraft realm. Previously we played in creative mode where we had access to every resource, but now we no longer have that. Instead, we are seeing a lot more sharing and shared expeditions to collect resources. It doesn’t reflect the solidarity and deep companionship that comes after years of friendship, but it is a blossoming comfort and courtesy that gets extended to new visitors.
Now, people who were once strangers are asking if they can visit another player’s house to check out their progress. I have not heard a single “no” to this request because there is enough trust between players to assume there will be no theft. Anytime a player falls off a cliff, or is slain by zombies, or some other sort of Minecraft disaster, it is followed by multiple exclamations in support. We even had some huge tech issues one day, which led to our server crashing three times, and EVERYONE playing came back each time with a “No worries, thanks for troubleshooting”.
In all of the talk about apocalypses and isolation, we have somehow built this burgeoning community of people who are visiting 2-4 times a week just to play together. We are still in the early days, so I hope to be able to watch these new relationships and community develop over time. Who knows, maybe we will even make our own MOD.city?
MOD.craft: LIFE AFTER is played on the JAVA version of Minecraft and is recommended for ages 13+ (Watch out for zombies!).
To play with us, click Multiplayer and enter the server address 139.99.145.69
MOD.Craft will be open Tuesday-Friday from 4pm-7pm.
There’s also an interactive map so you can follow along, even if you aren’t in the game.