This article is a part of our series, The Way of Christ in Culture.
A cultural phenomenon has gained traction in the past two months, and, if you spend any time around middle school boys, you have probably heard the resulting phrase “chicken jockey.”
A Minecraft Movie holds the new record for the biggest opening weekend for a video game adaptation, and it is impacting schools across the country.
Don’t worry, schoolteachers, the year is nearing its end.
The deeper we can understand and appreciate these communities, the greater our care will be for them, and the better we will be at articulating the Gospel to them.
Behind the cheesy one-liners and Jack Black’s singing, there is a deeper layer of cultural relevance and understanding that the producers of this movie conveyed in one short scene of the film. In that scene, the movie made a meaningful connection with an audience that initially considered this production a “cash grab.” Instead, the moviemakers communicated deep recognition for the community that the movie represents.
But first, it’s time for a Minecraft-culture history lesson.
The creators of this movie tapped into a video game that has remained relevant since its release date in 2009. Because of this long-time relevance, players of the game range from 6 to 26 years old. Resulting in a unique fan base of both children and adults.
In 2020, there was a resurgence of Minecraft play, as the COVID-19 pandemic resulted in people spending a lot more time online and consuming video game content more frequently.
One streamer, Technoblade, who rose in popularity around 2019, continued to grow in popularity during the pandemic as he started creating content with other popular creators. Technoblade was beloved by the Minecraft community, able to make the simplest things entertaining. In August of 2021, Technoblade disclosed online that he had been diagnosed with cancer. This announcement rocked the online community, though Technoblade continued uploading videos throughout treatment.
On June 30th, 2022, a video was uploaded to Technoblade’s channel titled “so long nerds,” in which his father shares that Technoblade has passed away due to cancer. His departure video currently sits at 117 million views.
The loss of Technoblade’s online presence created a void in the Minecraft community that is still felt today. A person who meant so much to a specific culture is gone, and with him an element of community.
As the Minecraft movie’s release date grew closer, rumors started to circulate that there would be a Technoblade reference in the film. Upon hearing this, Minecraft fans who had previously written off the movie started to warm up to the film, recognizing that the studio might actually understand its audience.
Well, the rumors proved true, and I was among the emotional fans in theaters who got a little misty eyed when a character representing Technoblade’s in-game appearance (a pig with a crown on its head) came onto the screen, and Jack Black declared him a legend.
It was a short cameo, no more than a few seconds long, but it communicated a depth of understanding to the people it mattered most to.
The creators of A Minecraft Movie took seriously the culture and community that the film represents. Is the movie fairly ridiculous, and does it have lines that have created internet memes? Absolutely. It isn’t made to be an intense drama, but rather a lighthearted children’s movie.
But, when there was an opportunity to deeply relate to and understand the demographic that this movie is made for, the producers leaned into it.
There is something deeply personal about watching a movie take a reprieve from silliness and pay homage to something that is truly meaningful to its viewers. I left the theater feeling understood, in a room full of people who felt exactly the same way.
Why is it that Marvel fans cheer when a niche character makes a cameo in a new series, or Red Sox fans have a moment of nostalgia when someone says, “Bloody sock game”?
Because meaning is always being made and communities are always being formed. People were designed to dwell in community. Our relational God created a relational people.
The Minecraft fanbase already had a strong sense of camaraderie around their shared affection for Technoblade, but when the general culture understood and acknowledged this affection, and represented it well, it validated a community that doesn’t often receive recognition.
What would it look like for believers to learn from this example? How could we approach our evangelism and outreach with a heart to understand what truly matters to a culture?
The deeper we can understand and appreciate these communities, the greater our care will be for them, and the better we will be at articulating the Gospel to them. The further we press into connecting with communities that differ from our own and meeting them where they are at, the further we reflect the heart of Christ who understood and loved his creation to the fullest extent.
But, as Christians we don’t stop there. Our evangelism doesn’t end at recognition, but in calling people into something greater—Just as Christ did.
The relational aspect of mankind’s design is lived out in shared love of hobbies, sports, media, and so many different things that people create and enjoy; but it was designed to be fulfilled in a relationship with the Creator of all things.
The most meaningful shared experience a person can have with another is their salvation, and the most meaningful relationship one can have is with Christ. Earthly communities will always leave people seeking more, leaving them with a spiritual need that only the Lord can meet.
Christ sat with people from all walks of life, saw them and loved them, and called them into something greater. He made fishermen into fishers of men and calls us to do the same in our contexts and communities.
May we use these bridges into community to draw people towards Christ and may something as lighthearted as a video game movie be an avenue for us to connect deeper with the lost and signal to an ever better community: the family of God.
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Photo retrieved from Wikipedia Commons
The Master of Arts Ethics, Theology, and Culture is a Seminary program providing specialized academic training that prepares men and women to impact the culture for Christ through prophetic moral witness, training in cultural engagement, and service in a variety of settings.
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