Legend tells of a cave in which the Secrets of Minecraft lie and only those worthy enough to venture into its depths may enter to learn the wonders of the video game that persists a decade later. Inside are riches of ideas abound for every Crafter to create and share for all the world to enjoy.

Someone let me know if you find it because I am still looking.

While we wait, how about another Blog that is totally going to be read in its entirety. Surely nobody is going to skim this, randomly diamond / favorite it and leave a copy and past comment such as "Great Blog!" My imagination sure likes to run wild, especially when we're all locked up like caged animals. Quarantine has not been kind to me, hopefully the rest of you are faring better.

So, what is today's topic about and why does it concern us, the Citizens of this Planet? I will tell you right now that it has to do with the Second Coming of Minecrafters, the ones who I will be calling the True Second Generation. Not the generation that kicked up the dust only to quickly die off. It did get the ball rolling, but it's the Newcomers who are pushing through to a new Era of Minecraft that may be for the better or for the worst. Depending on your stance on Competitive Gaming, you may agree or disagree with the points I make here so feel free to comment below.

Before we get into that, a quick history lesson --

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A long time ago, in a Java Edition far away, the game was but a humble Beta enjoying the prime of its life with Cakes and Beds and Colored Wools. Pistons, and even a Creeper in a Birch Tree. Alongside it came the addition of selecting your World's Seed which brought along such iconic sights like Gargamel and 404, spawning a unique challenge that had the player go down into the depths and survive as long as possible.

Ask almost anyone that has been playing since the early years and they will all objectively state that Beta was the best the game has ever been with how the terrain generated. Search through videos both old and new and you will see the differences that would later cause a massive tear between the Alpha Wunners and the 125ers (which is when there came a massive influx of new players).

Ever since the Adventure Update, many have wanted a return to those old days of floating islands, mountains that climbed to the heavens, oceans that were only a few hundred blocks and not thousands of blocks wide. For the purposes of explaining my later point, let us call everyone before this point the First Generation. This will include everyone who played from Survival Game all the way up to Early Full Release, about 1.2 or so.

The gap will begin there and end at the start of when the World of COLOR update of 1.12 snapshots and teasers began. For the sake of argument, We are going to skip over the controversial Combat Update as that was a split of a split and has no real bearing on the uprising we are seeing today. Neither will be be going over the importance of Microsoft's buyout of the game from Notch as that is a footnote to the larger picture being painted.

So, what was important about this First Generation and why were they so great? Apart from the above, YouTubers and Streamers were known for setting the stage of the game's popularity alongside those who contributed to its success. Adventure Maps, mods, and Texture Packs. Spotlights, collaborations, and Scripted Narratives. The scene exploded to create names like Captain Sparklez, Simon and Lewis, The Diamond Minecart, and our favorite Sky Does Minecraft.

These people were known for nurturing a Community of Creative minds that gave us things like The Aether and Surviving the First Night. They gave us maps like Deep Space Turtle Chase and Survival Islands which have fallen to the wayside.

While some of them continue to play to this day, their time in the sun is forgotten like the Dungeons in the base game. Forever being piled on top of with new structures like Woodland Mansions or shipwrecks.

Now that we know where the line is, talking about the surge of popularity for the game now will become incredibly easier. Let us venture forth into League of Fort Minecraft, OverStrike Edition!

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I am not going to hide my bias here in that I will snicker if you say you're a pro gamer simply due to my own belief that it would be the same as being a Professional Movie Watcher or Professional Book Reader, activities that are better enjoyed rather than made into a career. However, it cannot be denied the impact Competitive gaming is having on the industry as a whole with developers trying to cash in on the eSports craze sweeping across the country.

While it has been a thing in Europe and Asia, here in North America there is still a stigma that video games are nothing more than a child's toy. That idea is slowly aging out, being replaced by a younger group that is more than accepting to the idea of turning video games into a life style. Here is where the First Generation is both to credit and to blame since this has come with many drawbacks.

Toxicity, cheating, death threats. All of this is familiar to any Moderator or XBox online player, the mentality is becoming far more prevalent in its chants of Kill Yourself if you are not a God at the game, a behavior that I hope will die out within the next few years. My pessimism tells me otherwise given my casual searching of forums around the net.

Anywho, let us welcome those are are dragging the game out of the dirt to give it another chance, to bring it into the Modern Age of Ninja and Shroud in an attempt to be crowned the King of Minecraftia. These are the people setting new records, showing us the various ways you can beat the game and proving to others why they are Number One, running circles to those of us still struggling to do a parkour ladder strafe jump.

Names like Skeppy and Dream, the Hardcore players who play randomized loottables. Maniacs like Fundy that are pushing the edges of challenge to foster this steroid-induced society of becoming Number One. All the while those of a time long gone continue to hang on to an audience quickly growing old. They run circles to what SethBling could do on his bed day and that is saying something.

We can probably place the First Member of this Second Generation in the one who actually got me back into the game when I had burned out the first time, [​url=www.youtube.com/user/PopularMMOs]Pat PopularMMOs]/url]. His videos of Mob Battles and Challenges laid the cement that would later be the foundation for today's Crafters. Or should I call them Competitors? The mantra of the game has changed from being a co-operative survival journey into a player vs player environment, testing every skill you have at your disposal.

They may have been around for quite some time yet there is no denying how they are now taking the banner to hoist it high in their name. Currently the juggernauts, they have even pushed out someone like RTGame who is the current contender to be the Best Minecraft YouTuber despite him actually being more akin to a variety Streamer. His videos have definitely kept the game out of obscurity in a way PrestonPlayz or ibxtoycat ever could.

The slow paced is quickly getting trampled just as the speed of Information becomes quicker and easier. Will they give the game another Decade of Life or will that flare be put out as quickly as a Speedrun of the game is? Only time will tell and history tells us the lessons to learn from this new Generation that have come from the Darkness of a MrBeast better kept asleep...

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You may be asking whether there is any proof to my claims of this new group that is slowly edging its way into Minecraft. To that, I would like to point to the last two updates, significant in their changes to mechanics with the prospect of a brand new Combat Update. Bees are all well and dandy, but what I'm point to are the Breathing and Healing nerfs and buffs respectively. Add to that Villagers and Pillagers that completely overhauled those poor Testificates whose only purpose was to be a scamming annoyance.

Given a new set of trades through professions alongside the brand new Travelling Merchant, these are great strides for Survivalists and Competitive players alike. Let us not forget the sweeping collection of Map making tools, though Map Makers in general are an extinct breed. The only one I can recall having any life these days are Noxcrew who brought us the wonderful Terra Swoop Force. There are others who I cannot name off-hand yet they don't quite stick out like they did when you saw something from Hypixel.

Include to the above the new Nether Update bringing with it several new biomes, Piglins, Striders, and a host of other new toys that make going to the Nether less painful, possibly even giving players the ability to live a somewhat comfortable life deep underground. MicroMojang is hard at work to capitalize on this new fad before it disappears like a Bronze Player's LP in League of Legends. It may be a long time, if ever, that there will be a Cave Update for us Casual Players whom are now a long lost society. Nothing more than pages of a dusty Book & Quill left in the hopper as entitled people that can't accept change.

Be that as it may, whether we like it or not, the new Second Generation is here to get to the End as Fast as Possible while doing it upside down on Infinity difficulty. Gone are the days of the Let's Players and Mod Spotlights, the Grizwolds and Herobrines forever haunting our Worlds. Say goodbye to the Old Guard that stood tall venturing into the unknown wrestling with the concept of technology where many inevitably stopped.

Welcome our Monster-loving overlords who are block jumping their way into the Future!