Jump to content

Steve (Minecraft)

This is a good article. Click here for more information.
Page semi-protected
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
(Redirected from Alex (Minecraft))
Steve
Minecraft character
Artwork of Steve running and holding a diamond pickaxe.
Official promotional art for Steve
First gameMinecraft (2011)
May 13, 2009
Created byMarkus Persson
Portrayed byJack Black (A Minecraft Movie)

Steve is a player character from the 2011 sandbox video game Minecraft. Created by Swedish video game developer Markus "Notch" Persson and introduced in the 2009 Java-based version, Steve is the first of nine default player character skins available for players of contemporary versions of Minecraft. Steve lacks an official backstory as he is intended to be a customizable player avatar as opposed to being a predefined character. His feminine counterpart, Alex, was introduced in August 2014 for Java PC versions of Minecraft, with the other seven debuting in the Java edition of the game in October 2022. Depending on the version of Minecraft, players have a choice of defaulting to either Steve or any other variant skins when creating a new account. However, the skin is easy to change from the game itself or website. He will be portrayed by Jack Black in A Minecraft Movie, set for release in 2025.

Steve became a widely recognized character in the video game industry following the critical and commercial success of the Minecraft franchise. Considered by critics as a mascot for the Minecraft intellectual property, his likeness has appeared in advertising and merchandise, including apparel and collectible items. In October 2020, Steve was added as a playable character to Super Smash Bros. Ultimate, where he is commonly ranked as the game's best character and has sparked controversy due to his imbalanced power, leading to him being frequently banned from several tournaments for the game. Steve's design has additionally been used in unofficial media, such as the "Herobrine" creepypasta.

Concept and design

Markus Persson, the original developer of Minecraft and creator of Steve, in 2016

Steve was designed by game creator Markus Persson for Minecraft. He is a human character with a blocky appearance, which is consistent with the aesthetic and art style of the game. His design consists of a light blue top, a pair of blue trousers, and shoes,[1][2] while his face is sometimes adorned with a goatee.[3] In the console editions, Steve is presented in different outfits, such as a tuxedo, a prison jumpsuit, and a kilt.[4][5][a] While the name Steve originated as a joke due to Persson thinking it was "generic", the name was adopted by the community and became official in the Bedrock Edition of Minecraft.[1] In spite of his masculine name and features, Steve's gender was never meant to be specific. In 2012, Persson explained that Minecraft's blocky graphics reinforced the "[traditionally] masculine" aesthetic of the game.[5][6] He emphasized that Minecraft was designed to be an inclusive game where "gender doesn't exist" and that the character model was supposed to be a genderless human being.[5][7] Admitting that limiting the gender options to just male would insinuate that Minecraft was a "boy game only", Persson said he once attempted to create a proper female character in Minecraft but said the final results had been "extremely sexist."[5] To keep the game gender-neutral, Steve's goatee was removed in 2009 but has since been readded to his character.[3]

From left to right: Sunny, Kai, Makena, Steve, Alex, Zuri, Efe, Ari, and Noor

Alex, another complimentary default skin for all players, was added on August 22, 2014, to the Java Edition.[8][9] The character was added to the console and mobile versions at a later date.[5] Alex's character model is similar to Steve's but with a more feminine appearance: her orange hair is tied into a ponytail, and she has narrower arms.[5][10][11][12] Commenting on Minecraft's campaign for better gender representation compared to other video games, Helen Chiang, the Microsoft studio head responsible for the Minecraft franchise, explained in a 2018 interview that it is important for her company to use the Minecraft brand as a tool to subvert gender stereotypes. By presenting Alex and Steve with similar abilities or qualities, Chiang said it would reinforce the studio's stance on gender equality.[13] In 2014, an update to Minecraft added the ability for skins to have multiple layers, which allowed for more detail.[14]

In August 2022, an update implemented redesigns for Steve and Alex, using multiple layers and more texturing. Steve's redesign restored his goatee, which had been removed thirteen years prior.[3] In October of the same year, seven default skins were added to Minecraft using the existing Steve and Alex character models to increase diversity within the game's community. These skins were named Noor, Sunny, Ari, Zuri, Makena, Kai, and Efe.[15]

Description

Character overview

Steve is one of nine default character skins that are available to new players of Minecraft.[16][17] A skin is the appearance of the player's avatar that represents the player in the game world, which can be changed, altered, or replaced by the player.[18] Players are allowed multiple options to change the visual appearance of their player character's skin.[17][18][19]

Prior to Alex's introduction, Steve was the only official skin available to players on the PC and mobile editions of the game, though players of the PC version could use skins they have designed themselves or found online. On the original console editions of the game, up to eight male variants of Steve were also offered, none of them female, in addition to a greater variety of characters that could be purchased from bundles.[5][a] Like Steve, Alex initially could not be selected in these console versions, and the skin chosen is randomly assigned whenever players start a new game.[1][5] As of 2022, Steve, Alex, and the other seven default skins can be manually selected in all versions of the game, either via an in-game menu or in the game launcher, depending on the version of Minecraft being played.[15][20]

According to Lego Club Magazine, Steve and Alex are in a romantic relationship and have distinct interests outside of their shared aptitude for building: Steve has a penchant for mining and alchemy, whereas Alex prefers exploring and hunting.[1] In the next bimonthly release of the Lego Club Magazine, it is told that Creepers had infiltrated their clubhouse and wrote over their original writings and that Steve and Alex are best friends, correcting the aforementioned statement in the prior release. Due to this, the characters in Minecraft are generally considered asexual, except for villagers and some animals, who can be seen having offspring in-game.[21]

Other appearances

Steve will be portrayed by Jack Black in A Minecraft Movie, set for release in April 2025.

Steve will appear in the film adaptation of the game, A Minecraft Movie (2025), wherein he will be portrayed in live-action by American actor Jack Black.[22] Both Steve and Alex are skins in Minecraft Dungeons, with Steve being the most popular skin among players.[23] Outside of the Minecraft series, Steve appears as a playable character in the PC version of Super Meat Boy, in which he is referred to as "Mr. Minecraft".[24] Steve also appears a playable character in Super Smash Bros. Ultimate, wherein Alex and some enemies from Minecraft are featured as alternate costumes.[25] Cosmetics based on Steve's head appear in Hybrid.[26]

Reception

Cultural impact

Critics believe Steve has achieved a level of cultural impact and viral recognition outside of the character's origin as a baseline for new players of Minecraft. He has been considered the face of the franchise in promotional and advertising materials;[18] some commentators consider Steve to be the closest character Minecraft has to a protagonist or main character.[16][17] This is in spite of the fact that his existence is not asserted by way of an official backstory or in-game dialogue unlike most other video game characters.[2] Steve has been considered one of the most iconic video game characters by the publication staff of Glixel and GamesRadar+,[27][28] with the latter considering Steve to be the "enduring symbol" of Minecraft and his character model as one of the most recognizable silhouettes in video game culture.[28] In 2024, a poll conducted by BAFTA with around 4,000 respondents named Steve as the thirteenth most iconic video-game character of all time.[29]

Steve has been the subject of multiple fan theories spread across Internet communities.[30] One theory alleged that Steve is based on Tommy Vercetti, the protagonist of Grand Theft Auto: Vice City, due to the physical resemblance between the characters. It relied on a 2009 Tumblr post by Persson about Minecraft's development progress, where he confirmed that he used designs inspired by the Grand Theft Auto games. In 2020, Persson responded on social media and denied any connections between both characters, though he stated he had a subconscious connection due to him being a fan of Vice City.[31] In 2010, Herobrine, a creepypasta that is a derivative design of Steve with white, solid eyes, was created on 4chan, gaining prominence amongst the Minecraft community and becoming an internet meme, even being featured in some official artwork for the game as well.[32] Conversely, the portrayal of Steve by Jack Black in A Minecraft Movie became the subject of memes as well due to its live-action depiction.[33]

Super Smash Bros. Ultimate

The announcement and introduction of Minecraft-themed downloadable content (DLC) for Super Smash Bros. Ultimate, which is primarily represented by Steve, was received positively from critics and players.[34][35][36] Some commentators suggested that much of the excitement was due to the character's unprecedented inclusion into Ultimate; after the reveal, social media website Twitter struggled with posts generated in response.[37][38] Ultimate's director Masahiro Sakurai tweeted "Perhaps Twitter has fallen ...?" once Twitter's services came back online.[39] Patricia Hernandez of Polygon and Nadia Fox of US Gamer noticed a suggestive animation featured at the character's win screen, which generated more publicity surrounding the character's imminent debut in Ultimate.[40][41]

In his review of the Steve DLC for Ultimate, Mitchell Saltzman of IGN described Steve as one of the most complex fighters ever introduced in the game in terms of gameplay mechanics and highlighted the ways developers incorporated the resource collection and item crafting mechanics of Minecraft into Steve's moveset.[42] Kotaku staff were divided over the iteration of Steve in Ultimate. Ian Walker considered Steve as one of the most exciting characters to play in Ultimate after observing an event where a player used Steve's construction capabilities.[43] Ari Notis took a less favorable view and called him the strangest character he had ever played, describing the visual and gameplay dissonances he observed from the implementation of Steve in Ultimate.[44]

Since Steve's addition, the character was regarded as overpowered within the game's competitive community, who cited Steve's unorthodox playstyle and rapid rise in high placements at competitions.[45] In February 2023, a tier list created by several professional Ultimate players considered Steve the best character in the game.[46][47] Players began advocating for Steve to be banned from tournaments, fearing the character's dominance could negatively affect viewership similarly to the influence Bayonetta had on Super Smash Bros. for Wii U. Some opposed the ban, stating that effective counterplay had yet to be developed.[48][45][47] As more players selected the character and had raised their win rates increased, calls for a ban intensified.[49][50][51] By March 2023, Steve was banned in several tournaments due to the discovery of a new technique that removes the consequences from opponent attacks, effectively allowing Steve to immediately retaliate. This method is known as the "Phantom MLG."[52][46]

Analysis

In an entry from the 2017 publication 100 Greatest Video Game Characters, Chris Bailey explained that the sparse knowledge on Steve shows how video game avatars are being perceived in relation to player identity; the character embodies and conducts the spirit of freedom and customization inherent to sandbox games.[2] He elaborated that Steve exemplifies the "centrality" of relatable avatars in affording players their own creative agency in and around video games; while other games allow a certain level of customization, Steve embodies this possibility more than most by allowing users to change the entire surface of the body beyond changing between pre-defined hairstyles or skin colors. This process is visible through the proliferation of online communities set up to share user-generated adapted skins.[2]

While Persson asserted that Steve's gender is non-binary, Bailey took the view that it is "initially difficult" to account for the inclusion of an avatar with an "evidently gendered name".[2] Nevertheless, Bailey observed that Minecraft's player communities have embraced the game's openness due to their enthusiasm in customizing their avatars' appearances.[2] This is achieved through the process of overlaying a new skin over Steve.[2] Similarly, H. Chad Lane said the concept of skins in Minecraft, with Steve and Alex as starting points for the player to create their avatar, can act as a reflection of the player's identity and self-perceptions, regardless of whether it is similar to or in contrast to the real world.[18]

Notes

  1. ^ a b A distinction is made between the differences of the two different editions of Minecraft. This article refers to the game on consoles and smartphones where customization of skins is limited to skins that exist in the virtual store. This is in contrast with the Windows, Linux, and Macintosh versions where skins are completely customizable, as users may upload image files to Mojang.

References

  1. ^ a b c d Coles, Jason (December 24, 2020). "Everything you need to know about Steve in Minecraft". PC Gamer. Archived from the original on December 24, 2020. Retrieved April 15, 2022.
  2. ^ a b c d e f g Jaime Banks; Robert Mejia; Aubrie Adams, eds. (June 23, 2017). 100 Greatest Video Game Characters. Rowman & Littlefield, 2017. pp. 184–186. ISBN 978-1-59582-768-5.
  3. ^ a b c Phillips, Tom (August 22, 2022). "Minecraft Steve regrows beard after more than a decade". Eurogamer.net. Archived from the original on October 23, 2022. Retrieved October 23, 2022.
  4. ^ Machkovech, Sam (April 27, 2015). "Minecraft adds free female avatar to console versions". Ars Technica. Archived from the original on February 7, 2024. Retrieved February 7, 2024.
  5. ^ a b c d e f g h Harwell, Drew (April 27, 2015). "Minecraft is finally fixing its huge gender problem". Washington Post. ISSN 0190-8286. Archived from the original on January 11, 2022. Retrieved September 26, 2021.
  6. ^ Persson, Markus (July 28, 2012). "Gender in Minecraft". tumblr. Archived from the original on July 28, 2012. Retrieved September 25, 2021.
  7. ^ Good, Owen (July 28, 2012). "'Minecraft Guy' Isn't Supposed to Be a Guy—or a Girl, Says Game's Creator". Kotaku. Archived from the original on July 13, 2019. Retrieved September 26, 2021.
  8. ^ Webster, Andrew (April 27, 2015). "You can finally choose to play as a girl in Minecraft". The Verge. Archived from the original on April 28, 2015. Retrieved September 26, 2021.
  9. ^ Bergensten, Jens (August 22, 2014). "Minecraft 1.8 Pre-release – The Bountiful Update". Mojang. Archived from the original on August 22, 2014. Retrieved September 25, 2021.
  10. ^ *Jones, Owen (April 27, 2015). "New skins! Achievements! Music!". mojang.com. Archived from the original on April 27, 2015. Retrieved September 26, 2021.
  11. ^ Chalk, Andu (July 17, 2014). "Minecraft developer says narrower arms provide a more feminine look". PC Gamer. Archived from the original on June 11, 2022. Retrieved September 26, 2021.
  12. ^ Messina, Lynn (October 2, 2015). "Dear Minecraft Villagers: I'm Worried About You". New York Times. Archived from the original on April 18, 2022. Retrieved September 25, 2021. Recently, they added the first default female character. All human beings are no longer automatically a stubble-hewn male guy named Steve.
  13. ^ Fessler, Leah (August 2, 2018). "Minecraft's head says American employees should get a gap year like they do in Sweden". Quartz. Archived from the original on August 3, 2018. Retrieved September 26, 2021.
  14. ^ "Minecraft's latest PC update has taken nearly a year to develop". Eurogamer.net. September 2, 2014. Archived from the original on February 7, 2024. Retrieved February 7, 2024.
  15. ^ a b "Minecraft skins get seven more inclusive options". PCGamesN. October 24, 2022. Archived from the original on July 26, 2023. Retrieved July 26, 2023.
  16. ^ a b Goldberg & Larsson 2013.
  17. ^ a b c Smolčec, Marijana (August 2014). "Using Minecraft for Learning English" (PDF). The Electronic Journal for English as a Second Language. 18: 9. Archived (PDF) from the original on January 22, 2022. Retrieved September 26, 2021.
  18. ^ a b c d Lane, H. Chad; Yi, Sherry (2017), "Playing With Virtual Blocks: Minecraft as a Learning Environment for Practice and Research", Cognitive Development in Digital Contexts, Elsevier, pp. 145–166, doi:10.1016/b978-0-12-809481-5.00007-9, ISBN 978-0-12-809481-5, retrieved September 26, 2021
  19. ^ "Minecraft: Java Edition Skins". Minecraft Help Center. Archived from the original on May 8, 2022. Retrieved September 25, 2021.
  20. ^ Witman, Emma; Antonelli, William (June 10, 2022). "How to change your character's skin in Minecraft to give them a different appearance". Business Insider. Archived from the original on October 23, 2022. Retrieved October 23, 2022.
  21. ^ "Max Comic". Lego Club Magazine. The Lego Group. September 2016. p. 2. In the August issue of Club Magazine, Minecraft Creepers got into our clubhouse and wrote over our words! Steve and Alex are actually best friends!
  22. ^ D'Alessandro, Anthony (January 2, 2024). "Jack Black Levels Up For 'Minecraft' At Warner Bros – The Dish". Deadline. Archived from the original on January 2, 2024. Retrieved January 2, 2024.
  23. ^ Minecraft Dungeons [@dungeonsgame] (June 14, 2022). "The Dungeons 2nd Anniversary Event is quickly approaching its finale, so we've gathered and compiled the latest stats from your adventures in the Overworld, Nether, and End. Feast your eyes upon our history and enjoy!" (Tweet). Retrieved October 23, 2022 – via Twitter.
  24. ^ Gilbert, Ben (December 2, 2010). "Mr. Minecraft is a god in Super Meat Boy". Engadget. Archived from the original on April 17, 2022. Retrieved April 16, 2022.
  25. ^ Faulkner, Cameron (October 1, 2020). "Steve and Alex from Minecraft are coming to Super Smash Bros. Ultimate on October 13th". The Verge. Archived from the original on April 28, 2022. Retrieved September 26, 2021.
  26. ^ Groen, Andrew (July 17, 2012). "Minecraft helmets to appear in 5th Cell's Summer of Arcade title, Hybrid". GamesRadar. Archived from the original on April 17, 2022. Retrieved October 10, 2021.
  27. ^ "50 Most Iconic Video Game Characters of the 21st Century". Glixel. November 23, 2016. Archived from the original on November 23, 2016.
  28. ^ a b Weber, Rachel (November 8, 2021). "50 iconic video game characters". gamesradar. Archived from the original on November 30, 2022. Retrieved November 18, 2021.
  29. ^ Ollie Reynolds (April 3, 2024). "Random: BAFTA's 'Iconic Game Characters' Poll Has Us Scratching Our Heads". Nintendo Life. Retrieved April 8, 2024.
  30. ^ Rundle, Michael (January 19, 2015). "This Theory Might Change The Way You Think About 'Minecraft'". HuffPost UK. Archived from the original on April 17, 2022. Retrieved October 11, 2021.
  31. ^ Coulson, Josh (October 25, 2020). "Was Minecraft's Steve Really Inspired By Tommy From GTA Vice City?". TheGamer. Archived from the original on May 24, 2023. Retrieved March 17, 2024.
  32. ^ Morton, Lauren (February 1, 2021). "The story of Herobrine, Minecraft's decade-old creepypasta mystery". PC Gamer. Archived from the original on September 18, 2022. Retrieved September 26, 2021.
  33. ^ Tassi, Paul (September 7, 2024). "The 'Minecraft' Movie Trailer Blows Past 1 Million Dislikes". Forbes. Retrieved September 8, 2024.
  34. ^ "Ranking Super Smash Bros. Ultimate's New Character Introductions Over The Last 5 Years". Kotaku. December 20, 2021. Archived from the original on April 28, 2022. Retrieved April 16, 2022.
  35. ^ Carter, Chris (October 14, 2020). "Minecraft's Steve is one of the zaniest Smash Ultimate additions yet, but by God it works". Destructoid. Archived from the original on April 17, 2022. Retrieved October 11, 2021.
  36. ^ Good, Owen S. (October 14, 2020). "You can't beat Minecraft Steve's Smash Bros. victory screen". Polygon. Archived from the original on May 22, 2022. Retrieved October 11, 2021.
  37. ^ Gabe Gurwin (October 3, 2020). "Twitter Crashes And Reacts To Super Smash Bros. Ultimate's Minecraft Steve Reveal". GameSpot. Archived from the original on April 14, 2022. Retrieved April 14, 2022.
  38. ^ Kim, Matt (October 2, 2020). "The Internet Thinks Minecraft in Smash Bros. Crashed Twitter". IGN Southeast Asia. Archived from the original on April 17, 2022. Retrieved October 11, 2021.
  39. ^ Sakurai, Masahiro (October 1, 2020). "もしかして、Twitter落ちましたね……?" [Perhaps Twitter has fallen?]. Twitter (in Japanese). Archived from the original on November 1, 2023. Retrieved November 1, 2023.
  40. ^ Hernandez, Patricia (October 21, 2020). "Smash Bros. patches out Minecraft Steve's meat". Polygon. Archived from the original on April 28, 2022. Retrieved October 11, 2021.
  41. ^ Oxford, Nadia (October 21, 2020). "Unlike Arby's, Minecraft's Steve No Longer Has the Meat". USGamer. Archived from the original on May 7, 2021. Retrieved April 15, 2022.
  42. ^ Mitchell, Saltzman (October 16, 2022). "Super Smash Bros. Ultimate DLC Review – Minecraft Steve". IGN Southeast Asia. Archived from the original on April 28, 2022. Retrieved October 11, 2021.
  43. ^ Walker, Ian (July 20, 2020). "Smash Player Effs Up Opponent". Kotaku. Archived from the original on April 17, 2022. Retrieved April 14, 2022.
  44. ^ Notis, Ari (October 14, 2020). "Minecraft's Steve Is Super Weird In Super Smash Bros. Ultimate". Kotaku. Archived from the original on April 17, 2022. Retrieved April 14, 2022.
  45. ^ a b Varnson, Fletcher (July 6, 2022). "Smash Bros. Ultimate: Pros & Cons Of Banning Steve". ScreenRant. Archived from the original on October 14, 2022. Retrieved October 14, 2022.
  46. ^ a b Plant, Logan (March 7, 2023). "Why Minecraft Steve Is Causing Drama in the Super Smash Bros. Community". IGN. Archived from the original on February 8, 2024. Retrieved February 8, 2024.
  47. ^ a b Pabriga, Cedric (February 28, 2023). "Minecraft Steve is on the verge of becoming Smash Ultimate's first character ban". Dot Esports. Archived from the original on March 2, 2024. Retrieved March 2, 2024.
  48. ^ Williamson, Riley (July 11, 2022). "Why Competitive Smash Ultimate Players Want to Ban Minecraft's Steve". CBR. Archived from the original on October 14, 2022. Retrieved October 14, 2022.
  49. ^ Gwilliam, Michael (June 20, 2022). "Smash Ultimate pros demand Steve ban after 15-year-old Acola wins major". Dexerto. Archived from the original on October 14, 2022. Retrieved October 14, 2022.
  50. ^ Winslow, Levi (August 15, 2022). "Super Smash Bros. Ultimate Competitive Community Really Hates Steve From Minecraft". Kotaku. Archived from the original on October 14, 2022. Retrieved October 14, 2022.
  51. ^ Carter, Chris (August 15, 2022). "Steve from Minecraft was the big winner at Super Smash Con 2022". Destructoid. Archived from the original on October 13, 2022. Retrieved October 14, 2022.
  52. ^ Shepard, Kenneth (March 3, 2023). "Long-Hated Steve From Minecraft Is Being Banned In Competitive Smash Bros". Kotaku. G/O Media. Archived from the original on March 5, 2023. Retrieved March 14, 2023.

Further reading

Retrieved from "https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Steve_(Minecraft)&oldid=1262029750"