UTD has no shortage of gaming and esports-focused clubs that seem to cover every franchise under the sun. But amid all the competitions and tournaments, one world-famous video game languished, receiving little organized attention for the recreational play style it offers — until nine months ago, when computer science junior Aryaman Tomer founded UTD’s official Minecraft Club.
Instead of competitions, the club’s main purpose is to focus on the game and the community of modding and events that have sprung up around it since its 2011 release. Tomer said UTD rarely has clubs exclusively for one video game, which sets the Minecraft Club apart.
“We’ve had an esports club and although they do have a Minecraft server, it is not what it used to be and it’s very much regulated,” Tomer said. “So you can’t really do whatever you want, and a lot of these clubs have those same rules, and that’s kind of against the whole point of Minecraft where you can do legitimately whatever you want.”
Minecraft is a sandbox video game that places players in its iconically cubical, three-dimensional world continually produced by computer algorithms. In the game’s normal mode, the player learns to survive by creating shelter; hunting, gathering or farming for food; and avoiding death from the elements or hostile in-game creatures. The creative mode removes these life-threatening scenarios and allows players the freedom to build and explore whatever they like. If the normal or creative modes of gameplay are not challenging enough, players can opt into “hardcore” mode, which only allows them one life. This is the mode the Minecraft Club’s attendees played in its most recent meeting.
“The [club members] have input on what to do in hardcore — basically telling me [what to do] as I play the game,” Tomer said.
The club currently has two servers, one of which is hosted by ATEC freshman Lillia Allison. This server is modded, meaning it has modifications installed to tweak the game’s aesthetics or gameplay. Allison said she uses the GregTech New Horizons mod pack in the server because of its reputation for being the best Minecraft mod available, on top of receiving consistent updates with new content despite being over eight years old, including extensive unlockable technologies, magic and quest progressions, diverse biomes and multiplayer support. What GregTech allows that normal Minecraft doesn’t, Allison said, is a sense of accomplishment.
“This server in particular requires a lot more work than normal Minecraft,” Allison said. “Things are a bit more complicated, so it’s a good chance to get to know people and work with people … Doing it as part of a team makes it a lot easier than doing it on your own, so if you’re interested in modded Minecraft but [are] intimidated by the thought of doing everything yourself … you don’t do everything yourself.”
Although recently formed, the club has amassed more than 100 members in its Discord server. Allison said the club’s officers are figuring things out as they go and trying to gauge what their members want from the club.
“So far we want to just keep it maybe to a few player versus player events or some minor competitions,” Tomer said. “The new esports center will be opening in January 2025, and this can be a huge chance for us to basically expand our club.”
The Minecraft Club meets every Friday in SSA 14.425 from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. Anyone is welcome to attend their meetings or join their Discord server via searching “Minecraft Club” in the UTD Student Hub.