The way the players form their form of the Minecraft Lore is fundamentally the same way humanity uses to explain the real world. We look at the evidence given by the real world and try to come up with "Laws of Physics" to be able to explain the world around us, but we can never see the actual laws of physics to see if ours are correct. We can only see if our rules align with what actually happens.
the difference is, when players make up a story, the only reality is its own imagination, while in real life, there is objective reality. this is a very important distinction to help you not fall into kantian philosophy. as for religion, while it is similar, i think the concept of divine revelation would be like the developers telling us what the meaning of the lore is, and how to properly play the game. one could even view christian moral theology this way. not as an arbitrary set of do's and do nots, but as something deeply linked with the reality of nature and of the human soul.
@@RetroGamingNowhello rgn can u plz make a nother one of those vids where u cover old obscure yt channels like tht lauscherhans channel but could u cover a channel named "alantutorial" in a future vid
@@RetroGamingNow invoke the anthropic principle! like really, you resort to the anthropic princicple? Its not that bad, but it still isnt that satisfying.
@@nickwillard4471 I know, I know, but the only thoughts I have are: "Lots of weed shops in Prague. I guess the city tour guides say to their clients: "If we smoke enough weed, the historical buildings will fly to us themselves, we won't have to walk to them.""
Hey anyone else realize Retro does his own music? It's pretty dang good for what I'm guessing is just some free MIDI on a personal DAW and stuff. As a percussionist I appreciate all those nice features from vibes marimba and triangle and a musician in general it sounds nice.
I think the vagueness of the stuff within Minecraft is one of the many factors that made it popular to begin with. Why tell a story with a middle and end when you can just plop the player in an empty world with a few mobs and landscapes and have them make up a story?
You know, I've always wondered who the player actually is, how he spawned, his story, his lore and canon, everything! Thank you for explaining this topic so good RGN! ❤
@@templarhelmet3844 can you really ever explain anything? hell, from my point of view, your entire consciousness is just a cluster of bright pixels on a screen
After waiting patiently for this video, which we've known was coming for probably at least 2 years, I can tell you it did not disappoint. It's a shame that RUclips in 2023 is filled with so much 'content'. Some like to blame a specific individual for that, to which I have no comment, however your videos, this one in particular, is not just content. The time, care and dedication put into this project can be clearly seen through what has been made. This is what RUclips was created for. I hope this video achieves the success you deserve. Additionally, I found some things quite profound. The dream - human - interface - reality model you used is very close to an idea from the philosophy of mind called the 'veil of perception', which states that we do not and cannot experience the objective world directly. We experience qualia, AKA 'the immediate objects of perception. The clearest example to demonstrate this is colour; there's nothing colourful about different wavelengths of light, colour is a qualium. I had a strange experience during the video thinking about this, a moment of hyperbolic doubt where I wondered how different the objective world may actually be. Anyway, this video I truly felt was impactful as I hoped it would be, so I have added £20 to the fundraiser which I hope will go to good use. That's about all I wanted to formally say. Thank You.
I thought before about how different objective reality may in fact be from our subjective perceptions. I recognized, however, that I am comforted by the fact that we, as observers, exist as products of evolution, and that if our minds didn't at least sufficiently correlate to objective reality, then the simulation of reality in our mind's world would fail, and we would not be here to wonder if what we see is real. So to me, at least, it's real enough.
I'm someone with an extremely high mastery of my dreams. I can practically lucid dream on command, to the point that I can stop nightmares from happening, from inside the nightmare. Having such a deep understanding of literal dreams really helped the dream metaphor click, and for the first time the individualistic nature of the game's lore finally makes sense to me. There is one singular right answer, but by design there are also no wrong answers. I don't have to wrack my brain in a logistical way, trying to make the puzzle pieces fit together to form a full picture. It's impossible. It's a 1000 piece puzzle we have 100 pieces of. Instead, we're meant to use our minds in a creative way. Filling the empty spaces in with what we think makes a good, cohesive picture. Turning the seeds of what small hints we have into a flourishing story in our own imaginations. I think one could even say there is no lore. By choosing not to participate in the story, you remove the perceived world, thus there is no "dream."
after spending a week+ clearing an ancient city, hearing the sculk sensor sfx in the bgm made me jump each time for the first 5 mins of the video. Never been more engaged
Amazing video, I loved the inclusion of the End Poem. All these things you mentioned combined, made me realize why Minecraft feels so unique. Kudos to you!
What an amazing video, meaningfull, cohesive and with incredible graphics too, you have outdone yourself Retro, this video truly feels like a culmination of your channel. At this point I'll watch whatever content you have for us, your method to disect evidence is what really gets me coming back to this channel. Excelent work
When the trails and tales update came out I got to work and created a foundation on the server I play on for finding, excavating, preserving AND coming up with lore behind all minecrafts ruins, structures and other mysteries. I've even written a minecraft book about the protocols and requirements for each of the ruins and structures. Some of what inspired me to do that are your videos! Absolutely love the way your ideas tie a lot of things together.
I've only watched the first few minutes, and this already seems like a really interesting topic! Your videos are always really high-quality, keep it up! And thanks for including my screenshot, it's around 2:56 :D (I know that there's a 100 other screenshots in that second too)
I am going to rephrase what I said from the previous version of this video because I rarely saw any comments about it, but Retro, thank you for reading out that message from that anonymous discord user. at the end I give my condolences to them. I am lucky enough to still have my parents, but I know that losing them is an eventuality. Cherish the moments you have with them right now, so you don't regret when they're gone forever. You all need to keep in touch with your parents! Thank you.
Now that I’m in College, that message at the end really hits me where it matters. Especially since my relationship with my parents has finally improved after a few years of mistrust.
@@magma_fire_bagwan true, its just that I'm getting a bit tired of the other ARG Minecraft stuff, and I really wanted a return to the classic deep dive series, regardless of the wait
It always feels like I’m in a liminal space when watching these videos, like I’m going back to like 2008 and I’m in some dark corner of the internet. The visuals and music just give off this uneasy, nostalgic feeling that is very hard to fully explain.
This is hands down the best video ive ever watched on this platform the dream concept is incredible the editing on this was phenomenal amazing job man.
When I was a kid, I imagined that Steve was already there before I started playing, since his clothes are old and dirty, and from the moment I created the world, I just started to control him, in search of answers and behind infinite horizons
I actually really like this theory, same with all your other ones! Although I like this one a lot because of how mysterious this topic is in general. I've realized that this could be applied to other sandbox games such as Terraria, because of how similar it is to Minecraft in the way that you also spawn in a random ass world with no context. I feel like a lot of good theories like this could be made in Terraria too! I only see this mystery getting clearer and clearer and I'm hoping that we will eventually get to uncover the full story of Minecraft. Great video! :)
This is a great video for my game development career. It taught me a lot about how to make good video game lore, how to get them wondering about the universe their character exists in. You earned my subscription thanks!
Please do make an analysis of the End Poem! PS: Also I've always seen the End Poem as somewhat detached from Minecraft itself. I interpret the two entities as not only seperate from the Minecraft universe, but from outside our reality as well. It's more about our (humans) place in the world than anything specific within Minecraft. I love the End poem, it's incredibly poetic, inspiring, beautiful, even comforting if you read it that way. If you know "The Egg", it has kinda similar vibes to it.
I've always imagined the end like The Void in the Amazing World of Gumball. It's a game and The End is outside the game. It's interesting that there are so many weird player movements within the end. Gravity is reversed, you can move from one spot to another in an instant. Potions last longer out in the open than normal. Building are reversed as if gravity doesn't exist. It's all outside the game, and doesn't have to follow logic.
I remember when me and my sister beat the dragon in our duo world we had back in Bedrock 1.16, I read the poem and made it most the way through the credits aloud before she got up and forced me to skip the rest of it lmao
The end poem I see as what created the watcher idea. Two gods blue and green always watching. Tho it can get pretty out of bounds when it comes to the fanfics side of Minecraft but it’s interesting how some see them as two gods who watch and others that never connected to it
@@Yuki-qq3tnI have no evidence and literally just thought of it now but imagine if the player is the red watcher/God reborn to slay the ender dragon? I don't believe myself but it's an interesting idea
Your videos are pure gold, they boggle your brain but explain things clearly, you keeps things hidden but also reveal them you explain in depth but it feels like a story, but you still keep A sense of mystery all through and out. Even this comment doesn't make full sense but you make up a world to explain it, that is the mystery of the mind.
I've always assumed that the player is the child of a nature goddess who was destined to right the wrongs of the builders, bring piece to the world and restore the builders.
That message at the end hit hard, only litterally a few hours ago, my closest friend told me he lost his mum last night. Really hit me in the face how i didnt properly appreciate my perents thankyou for spreading the message, my condolences go out to the person on your server
I actually experienced a dream after I read the poem for the first time, I was freaked out afterwords not only because I had a specific dream after a strange poem I just read about dreams but also because in the dream I was the player
This is, without a doubt, the best RetroGamingNow video that has existed. It's truly amazing as an analysis not only of the game, but of analysis itself. It's exactly the type of thematic and conceptual analysis that I adore, it's so good. I might also steal an analysis of the End Poem. Time to race!
i gave my character a back story. Since my skin is a ender dragon onesie i always had the idea that my parents were 2 players who were trying to defeat the ender dragon and failed and died and as a small child i went to find them and ended up in the end and was raised by enderman and the ender dragon. Kinda like the jungle book. So he dresses like a ender dragon and sees himself as one. the end is my favorite place in minecraft and i love ender dragons.
How does the player come to the world? The backstory of the player may also be left to us for interpretation. Also, I really love your videos (deep dives). Keep up the good work!
After having just recently finally put Undertale/Deltarune down until chapters 3-5 come out (and maybe longer, I dunno...), this video hit somewhere immeasurably different, and the End Poem genuinely brings a tear to my eye like never before after such an immeasurably subjectively immersive experience. It's incredible to think that, even if not presented identically, Minecraft as well as other works of fiction are ultimately just Dark Worlds: fictional realities made subjectively from the minds of human players that mean something to each, and nothing to others. A dream, a vision, and a work of art all constructed within one's own mind. It's understandable why so many people get so attached to these realities, regardless of fact or fiction, and I thank you for making this concept so digestible with this incredibly informative video on the nature of the very universe in which we reside...
I've had some of these thoughts before, when saying that an artwork is interpreted differently by every person that experiences it. Words, colors, and images can mean different things to different people because of our experience in life. I tried writing a video essay script about video games as an art medium, but I never ended up making anything with it, for now. It's only been a few months since then, but my thoughts are more solidified now, I feel. There is more to say. We can never run out of things to say. We can assign a meaning to anything realistic. These words I say have meaning because that's how the English language was made. Artwork is anything that shows our human interpretation of the world, maybe it's all meaningless, but it feels like it has meaning. We can't explain everything we see. It's our humanity that lets us think about the meaning of anything. We exist in this world, but for what? And why? We'll never truly know, but we can try to understand what we cannot understand, even if it may be fruitless.
my personal idea is that the way the player exists is because the universe needed them to. a little bit more detail-- if you played or know of off by mortis ghost, its kind of like how the batter exists. he exists because he needs to. i feel like in minecraft its the same case. the universe needed a person to come and inhabit it, to solve its puzzles, to learn its history, to defeat evil, to do everything the preexisting mobs cant, so it took a piece of itself and it created you. it molded you into shape and released you into the world to do whatever you liked like a parent letting their child onto a playground. the way i came to this conclusion was through the end poem. i take the end poem literally. the universe speaking to itself and to you, as an actual part of the lore. the way it talks is because you're a part of it. does it know that we love it? that the universe is kind? the universe is kind to you because you are the universe. you are not separate from every other thing. you are the universe talking to itself and tasting itself and reading its own code. the universe loves you because you are love.
honestly, that last quote hit pretty hard. i spend so much time alone or on my computer that i don't interact with my family enough. my mother has pancreatic cancer and i know i should talk with her and spend time with her more, but i don't. i don't usually see value in sentimental things, but that simple quote changed my view of how my life is going and what i'm doing with myself. i didn't expect something like that from an RGN video, but i'm glad i did stick around to see that.
I believe that the two voices from the End poem are gods that created life and the Minecraft world. Maybe these two gods created the Player and the Ancient Builders + all of the mobs we see. After all, it makes a lot of sense. Why else would the player spawn into the world without any explanation. How else would any mob spawn into the world out of thin air. But you might be asking yourselves this question, if these two gods are important to the lore, then why don't we see them that much? Why do we see them only one time? Its because they don't want to interfere with life going on in all dimensions of Minecraft including the player. Think about it, if they did try to interfere with what's going on, then everyone would be aware of their presents and would try to make the gods happy. Which is something these two gods don't want to happened. They want life to go on without any interference from them directly. I think for my theory, these two gods are a lot more important then ever before. Yes we don't see them that much in game, but I feel like they serve more of a important role in the making of life in the Minecraft world. Lets also think about this further. If the gods created life, dose that means that they create the mushroom that would cause the Zombie virus for the Ancient Builders? Well yes. Mushrooms are fungus, and fungus is apart of life.
The poem is cannon, you don't fully see it. When your reach the top of that mountain you may see all below. Every flaw, every triumph, but you have not ascended yet. Finding the end will bring you the greatest form of peace, and understanding. Your soo close
So what you're telling me... is that the player is actually in a coma and the world and the friends we made along the way is all apart of our coma dream?
absolutely outstanding production, the music choices were perfect, the visuals were a fantastic complement to the concepts, and the concepts were creative and thought provoking!
DUDE YOU ARE BACK FINALLY! It was kinda expected anyways because this is your gap between uploads. I have been here for almost 2 years so when you started making Minecraft lore videos, I have watched almost all of your videos lol. Anyways I am going to watch this one now.
The thing for me with the devs just saying that Steve is just a placeholder, is that there are a decent amount of things in game that contradict that. Zombies look like Steve, the Illager mansion has rooms of Steve colored wool I think there might be a few more I'm not sure but the point is there, To just say oh yeah Steve is just a placeholder for you the player just really doesn't sit right with me in this regard.
I realized after watching full metal alchemist of all things that I think Minecraft is in some ways a spiritual allegory for the journey of the soul. It is I think about Ego and accomplishing the great work, in western magick traditions there’s a concept known as crossing the void, which means you’ve essentially achieved dismantling your ego so dissolution of the self but not where you no longer exist necessarily, that is what enlightenment or awakening is, it’s ego death, the killing of the illusion that you are you and not the entire universe, seeing beyond the curtain. This is why the end poem talks about us being the universe and leveling up and why we can only hear them after we kill the dragon. The void is said to be guarded by the ouroboros, the dragon, the thing that for whatever reason prevents you from accomplishing your goal, this is why Steve has to kill the ender dragon. And I do wonder if the ender men are all the people who are lost and your the only one who is really awake. The end poem is essentially a very beautiful encapsulation of what spirituality truly is all about and I think by putting it in the game they did a very amazing thing they showed us that this existence is sort of like a game, the end poem doesn’t make sense to those who don’t understand spirituality that’s understandable but the game itself is essentially alchemy. In alchemy the idea is that you as a part of the universe are also destined to be a co creator to mold reality and the elements to change history to take a blank canvas and turn your existence into art because to be is to live and the point of all this is just that, to live, to be alive to be here. We aren’t meant to really know the lore of Minecraft because the whole point is there are things we can’t understand and this thing we call life is about making it our own and is also about how in the end it is just a dream. As Allan watts said “you dream every night a different dream, and one night you end up right where you are now” the end poem reminds me of him, and I wish he was still here. He was a lovely human and very wise. Every Minecraft theory is sort of like different religions and peoples personal experiences and beliefs borrowed from the things about the world that seem to point to a greater truth. Minecraft is the best because the entire way it’s written is an allegory for our existence as human beings.
You deserve more subs. I bet these are difficult to make. I am obsessed with these lore videos, they cant come out fast enough! Makes so much sense, too!
Herobrine seems to be a completely normal creepy pasta as there are many. However, there is something unusual, namely his name. How and by whom was this weird name invented? It could be that someone just wrote down the first random crap that came to his mind but it is also possible that the name has an origin that goes deeper. Who knows if we will ever find out?
With this analysis it occurs to me that herobrine exists in game, sure he isn't coded or even properly hinted but we perceive it as an entity, whether it's for shits and giggles or genuine fear we see him as a part of our world and for that reason he is canon and hinted in the game art and custom maps compared to other similar creepy pastas like 303 or null who unlike herobrine fail to capture it's eeriness
I heard the poem the first time, in full, with your companion video that's the reading of the whole thing. I cried. I know, stupid of me. But... I just... Sometimes I forget that I *am* human, and as a human I am made of human stuff, but most importantly, that I'm loved. That the sun keeps spinning because of the intrinsic rules of the universe and because if there wasn't it's "love" (heat??) I wouldn't be alive today, and there wouldn't be an Earth and no internet etc. I forget that countless little signs of love brought me to finally be in a healthy physical space, living with my boyfriend. I forget that without human love and dream there would be no human species (and as many people would find that positive, I just see it as a different reality). That poem kinda reminded me of all of the little things that we overlook. As for contacting my parents... well... I wish I could contact my father, but I'm terribly scared of even second hand contact with my mother. I hate that woman with all my being. I'm sorry. Which makes the whole fucking thing even worse cuz, he has had cancer already one time (he's been cancer free for a long time, but the fear is still lingering). The fear of any possible contact with my mother basically puts me in a no contact state with both my parents. I hate this, but at the same time, I want to live my life, and I don't want to remember or get close again to what and who I was before (which I still feel very much similar to). I want to do more and do things better, but I always seem to fuck up, and I'm scared that being in contact with my parents will just make things worse. (I'm writing this at 6:30 am after a whole night awake. I wanted to go to bed earlier, tonight).
I wish people would realize talking about “talking to your parents” can have some serious inherent issues with people whos parents were abusive, manipulative, and controlling. Having cut off my parents from my life, and knowing it was the right decision, I still manage to feel guilty every time people bring it up. It’s not fun :/ And yeah I know it’s not anyone else’s job to control the triggers of others, but still.
No, you're not seeing things - this is a reupload because the last video had an issue. For those watching again, welcome back!
Egg.
But who are we, really?
LYSM!!!
Thank you 😂 been waiting for dis
lol
The way the players form their form of the Minecraft Lore is fundamentally the same way humanity uses to explain the real world. We look at the evidence given by the real world and try to come up with "Laws of Physics" to be able to explain the world around us, but we can never see the actual laws of physics to see if ours are correct. We can only see if our rules align with what actually happens.
What's interesting is that if you read the End Poem, they actually use this as an example of a dream!
and also in a way religion too. weve always tried to find an an explanation, from philosophies, religious stories, myths etc.
the difference is, when players make up a story, the only reality is its own imagination, while in real life, there is objective reality. this is a very important distinction to help you not fall into kantian philosophy. as for religion, while it is similar, i think the concept of divine revelation would be like the developers telling us what the meaning of the lore is, and how to properly play the game. one could even view christian moral theology this way. not as an arbitrary set of do's and do nots, but as something deeply linked with the reality of nature and of the human soul.
@@RetroGamingNowhello rgn can u plz make a nother one of those vids where u cover old obscure yt channels like tht lauscherhans channel but could u cover a channel named "alantutorial" in a future vid
@@RetroGamingNow invoke the anthropic principle!
like really, you resort to the anthropic princicple? Its not that bad, but it still isnt that satisfying.
This channel makes me feel the same excitement i felt watching vsauce or game theory as a 10 year old
Didn't expect a pvp yt here
Yo
Hey its Capade
youre channel doesnt because you dont god damn upload
Capade which article did you read in wikipedia today
I still watch vsauce
RetroGamingNow back with another Minecraft existential crisis, and i loved it!
I play games to escape my existential crises, not have to wrangle with new ones. Thanks Minecraft!
@@danem2215 Lmfao
When I watched this, I started thinking: "How much weed do you have to smoke in order to think of all this?"
@@averagegamer6912a lot of people have profound thoughts without drugs
@@nickwillard4471 I know, I know, but the only thoughts I have are: "Lots of weed shops in Prague. I guess the city tour guides say to their clients: "If we smoke enough weed, the historical buildings will fly to us themselves, we won't have to walk to them.""
Hey anyone else realize Retro does his own music? It's pretty dang good for what I'm guessing is just some free MIDI on a personal DAW and stuff.
As a percussionist I appreciate all those nice features from vibes marimba and triangle and a musician in general it sounds nice.
Yeah its amazing
For real, that personal touch really solidifies the effort and passion that goes into these videos. Huge respect.
yess I know I love it!!
He deserves so much credit for that, didn't even notice it until I read the credits of this video, those songs and tracks are all his!!!
what is the song at 20:30?
I think the vagueness of the stuff within Minecraft is one of the many factors that made it popular to begin with. Why tell a story with a middle and end when you can just plop the player in an empty world with a few mobs and landscapes and have them make up a story?
Yeah no shit
The end poem was deeply special for me when I read it for the first time.
You know, I've always wondered who the player actually is, how he spawned, his story, his lore and canon, everything!
Thank you for explaining this topic so good RGN! ❤
I think that the player is like a 50% gost and 50% Alien and that the 50%alien part lets him die and the 50% gost part makes him respawn
But this is just my opinion after all 😂
but... he didn't explain it...
Game theory Minecraft.
@@templarhelmet3844 can you really ever explain anything? hell, from my point of view, your entire consciousness is just a cluster of bright pixels on a screen
After waiting patiently for this video, which we've known was coming for probably at least 2 years, I can tell you it did not disappoint. It's a shame that RUclips in 2023 is filled with so much 'content'. Some like to blame a specific individual for that, to which I have no comment, however your videos, this one in particular, is not just content. The time, care and dedication put into this project can be clearly seen through what has been made. This is what RUclips was created for. I hope this video achieves the success you deserve.
Additionally, I found some things quite profound. The dream - human - interface - reality model you used is very close to an idea from the philosophy of mind called the 'veil of perception', which states that we do not and cannot experience the objective world directly. We experience qualia, AKA 'the immediate objects of perception. The clearest example to demonstrate this is colour; there's nothing colourful about different wavelengths of light, colour is a qualium. I had a strange experience during the video thinking about this, a moment of hyperbolic doubt where I wondered how different the objective world may actually be.
Anyway, this video I truly felt was impactful as I hoped it would be, so I have added £20 to the fundraiser which I hope will go to good use.
That's about all I wanted to formally say.
Thank You.
I thought before about how different objective reality may in fact be from our subjective perceptions. I recognized, however, that I am comforted by the fact that we, as observers, exist as products of evolution, and that if our minds didn't at least sufficiently correlate to objective reality, then the simulation of reality in our mind's world would fail, and we would not be here to wonder if what we see is real. So to me, at least, it's real enough.
I'm someone with an extremely high mastery of my dreams. I can practically lucid dream on command, to the point that I can stop nightmares from happening, from inside the nightmare. Having such a deep understanding of literal dreams really helped the dream metaphor click, and for the first time the individualistic nature of the game's lore finally makes sense to me. There is one singular right answer, but by design there are also no wrong answers. I don't have to wrack my brain in a logistical way, trying to make the puzzle pieces fit together to form a full picture. It's impossible. It's a 1000 piece puzzle we have 100 pieces of. Instead, we're meant to use our minds in a creative way. Filling the empty spaces in with what we think makes a good, cohesive picture. Turning the seeds of what small hints we have into a flourishing story in our own imaginations. I think one could even say there is no lore. By choosing not to participate in the story, you remove the perceived world, thus there is no "dream."
I know this is a huge text wall but talking about these sorts of things gets me excited, and excited me doesn't know when to stop talking lmao
god, being able to lucid dream on command... I'm jealous
Same, I've just started getting into it but, it's pretty fun (from what I've heard and seen)😊
Inception be like:
I have the same ability. I return to the same “world” every night, and just explore, basically. Not quite like Minecraft, but close enough.
after spending a week+ clearing an ancient city, hearing the sculk sensor sfx in the bgm made me jump each time for the first 5 mins of the video. Never been more engaged
Bro is past the 4th wall bro escaped to the 5th wall 💀
Amazing video, I loved the inclusion of the End Poem. All these things you mentioned combined, made me realize why Minecraft feels so unique. Kudos to you!
HALLELUJAH WE'VE BEEN BLESSED BY RETROGAMINGNOW HIMSELF
HAIL THE KING
@@nicknamedd_ AGREED 🫡🫡
@@angelos9800 ALL HAIL RETRO
Yes
RGN DOES US ALL A GREAT SERVICE, AND WE’VE DONE SO MUCH TO DESERVE IT
What an amazing video, meaningfull, cohesive and with incredible graphics too, you have outdone yourself Retro, this video truly feels like a culmination of your channel. At this point I'll watch whatever content you have for us, your method to disect evidence is what really gets me coming back to this channel. Excelent work
When the trails and tales update came out I got to work and created a foundation on the server I play on for finding, excavating, preserving AND coming up with lore behind all minecrafts ruins, structures and other mysteries. I've even written a minecraft book about the protocols and requirements for each of the ruins and structures. Some of what inspired me to do that are your videos! Absolutely love the way your ideas tie a lot of things together.
I call this foundation: The Lorekeepers
I've only watched the first few minutes, and this already seems like a really interesting topic! Your videos are always really high-quality, keep it up! And thanks for including my screenshot, it's around 2:56 :D
(I know that there's a 100 other screenshots in that second too)
I am going to rephrase what I said from the previous version of this video because I rarely saw any comments about it, but Retro, thank you for reading out that message from that anonymous discord user. at the end I give my condolences to them. I am lucky enough to still have my parents, but I know that losing them is an eventuality. Cherish the moments you have with them right now, so you don't regret when they're gone forever. You all need to keep in touch with your parents! Thank you.
Huh?
Huh?
Huh?
Why is everybody saying huh? And also these are very wise words thank you.
Why is everybody saying huh? And also these are very wise words thank you.
Now that I’m in College, that message at the end really hits me where it matters. Especially since my relationship with my parents has finally improved after a few years of mistrust.
You are a wonderful person, Retro. Thank you for making my day better.
*A beautifully worded description of the sea aimed at painting a scene for the viewer*
My aphantasia: “I like your funny words magic man”
masterpiece of a video.. you've outdone yourself yet again!
Ahh yes, finally, a classic RGN Deep Dive, the whole reason I love his channel. PLEASE do more of these, PLEASE 🙏!!!!!!
Tbf they do take awhile, and from the graphics in the video alone he's definitely been cooking this one up for awhile.
@@magma_fire_bagwanThis is the most time I've ever put into the production of a video!
@@RetroGamingNow Oh wow! Doesn't surprise me. Great job man, the time was worth it
@@RetroGamingNow Oh really! Time well spent tho, this video was really good
@@magma_fire_bagwan true, its just that I'm getting a bit tired of the other ARG Minecraft stuff, and I really wanted a return to the classic deep dive series, regardless of the wait
The last bit hit hard a family' friend's dad just died last week and I totally agree cherish the time you have with your parents.
To be fair nothing exists outside of your mind, everything you perceive is just various electromagnetic waves.
The sound design really elevates the experience of your videos, keep them coming
A beautiful end of the video to be fair, I haven't been emotional for already quiet a while but it almost got me a tear.
One minute in and I'm already rethinking what's life
It always feels like I’m in a liminal space when watching these videos, like I’m going back to like 2008 and I’m in some dark corner of the internet. The visuals and music just give off this uneasy, nostalgic feeling that is very hard to fully explain.
This is hands down the best video ive ever watched on this platform the dream concept is incredible the editing on this was phenomenal amazing job man.
This was one of the best minecraft analysis video i've seen in a long time, great video Retro!
Minecraft Then: lol funny blocks
Minecraft Now: Existentialism, the meaning of life, and also funny blocks.
When I was a kid, I imagined that Steve was already there before I started playing, since his clothes are old and dirty, and from the moment I created the world, I just started to control him, in search of answers and behind infinite horizons
Finally another amazing video!! You won’t believe how long I have been waiting for one of these
I love your videos man. They are always so atmospheric.
I actually really like this theory, same with all your other ones! Although I like this one a lot because of how mysterious this topic is in general. I've realized that this could be applied to other sandbox games such as Terraria, because of how similar it is to Minecraft in the way that you also spawn in a random ass world with no context. I feel like a lot of good theories like this could be made in Terraria too! I only see this mystery getting clearer and clearer and I'm hoping that we will eventually get to uncover the full story of Minecraft.
Great video! :)
This is a great video for my game development career. It taught me a lot about how to make good video game lore, how to get them wondering about the universe their character exists in. You earned my subscription thanks!
This is the most meta Minecraft theory I have ever seen.
This is an so well made video, it's incredible. I love the way you explained your theories.
Please do make an analysis of the End Poem!
PS: Also I've always seen the End Poem as somewhat detached from Minecraft itself. I interpret the two entities as not only seperate from the Minecraft universe, but from outside our reality as well. It's more about our (humans) place in the world than anything specific within Minecraft. I love the End poem, it's incredibly poetic, inspiring, beautiful, even comforting if you read it that way. If you know "The Egg", it has kinda similar vibes to it.
I thought that too. it feels so much like the poem is about real life and The Egg fits with with it too
I've always imagined the end like The Void in the Amazing World of Gumball. It's a game and The End is outside the game. It's interesting that there are so many weird player movements within the end. Gravity is reversed, you can move from one spot to another in an instant. Potions last longer out in the open than normal. Building are reversed as if gravity doesn't exist. It's all outside the game, and doesn't have to follow logic.
I've read the end poem many times, I love it and it has made me cry
I remember when me and my sister beat the dragon in our duo world we had back in Bedrock 1.16, I read the poem and made it most the way through the credits aloud before she got up and forced me to skip the rest of it lmao
The end poem I see as what created the watcher idea. Two gods blue and green always watching. Tho it can get pretty out of bounds when it comes to the fanfics side of Minecraft but it’s interesting how some see them as two gods who watch and others that never connected to it
one is higher than the other.
If there's a blue and a green is there a red? (because RGB?)
@@Yuki-qq3tnI have no evidence and literally just thought of it now but imagine if the player is the red watcher/God reborn to slay the ender dragon? I don't believe myself but it's an interesting idea
@@UltraNP maybe, it might be like a world hopping deity, saving world's here and there.
okay but who is pegging who
great work; i love ur videos, im so hyped for the next one even if idk what it will be.
I love this video, I have probably rewatched it 5 times, the quote "and the universe said I love you because you are love." Always gets me
Me questioning my existence with this one 🔥🔥🔥🗣🗣🗣
Thank you retro, from the deepest depth on my heart, thank you for these marvellous minecraft deepdives.
Your videos are pure gold, they boggle your brain but explain things clearly, you keeps things hidden but also reveal them you explain in depth but it feels like a story, but you still keep A sense of mystery all through and out. Even this comment doesn't make full sense but you make up a world to explain it, that is the mystery of the mind.
You're the only youtuber I can watch without fastfowarding the videos, thank you for your great content
Dropped a like for the very last part... Surprisingly touching and genuinely important
I've always assumed that the player is the child of a nature goddess who was destined to right the wrongs of the builders, bring piece to the world and restore the builders.
dude this is an amazing video, keep up the good work!
Beautiful video. Absolutely wonderful.
That message at the end hit hard, only litterally a few hours ago, my closest friend told me he lost his mum last night. Really hit me in the face how i didnt properly appreciate my perents thankyou for spreading the message, my condolences go out to the person on your server
I actually experienced a dream after I read the poem for the first time, I was freaked out afterwords not only because I had a specific dream after a strange poem I just read about dreams but also because in the dream I was the player
This is one of the most intriguing and interesting videos I’ve ever watched
0:18 did anyone else think he said “and the f*cking mist”
brodda, yes.
Insanely good video. I definitely didn't expect this much depth
RetroGamingNow dropping yet another philosophical Minecraft video in the middle of the night is just what I needed!
This is, without a doubt, the best RetroGamingNow video that has existed. It's truly amazing as an analysis not only of the game, but of analysis itself. It's exactly the type of thematic and conceptual analysis that I adore, it's so good.
I might also steal an analysis of the End Poem. Time to race!
i gave my character a back story. Since my skin is a ender dragon onesie i always had the idea that my parents were 2 players who were trying to defeat the ender dragon and failed and died and as a small child i went to find them and ended up in the end and was raised by enderman and the ender dragon. Kinda like the jungle book. So he dresses like a ender dragon and sees himself as one. the end is my favorite place in minecraft and i love ender dragons.
Are you gay?
Awww that's cute
mines a lazy banana skin that I made in .3 seconds and i like to just think he somehow gained sentience and is now doing whatever
Interesting concept! I like it
End is also my fav dimension! :D
my skin is manoel gomes a.k.a blue pen, a very important singer here in brazil
Hope reupload won’t lose much views, good luck, love this channel!
How does the player come to the world? The backstory of the player may also be left to us for interpretation.
Also, I really love your videos (deep dives). Keep up the good work!
After having just recently finally put Undertale/Deltarune down until chapters 3-5 come out (and maybe longer, I dunno...), this video hit somewhere immeasurably different, and the End Poem genuinely brings a tear to my eye like never before after such an immeasurably subjectively immersive experience. It's incredible to think that, even if not presented identically, Minecraft as well as other works of fiction are ultimately just Dark Worlds: fictional realities made subjectively from the minds of human players that mean something to each, and nothing to others. A dream, a vision, and a work of art all constructed within one's own mind. It's understandable why so many people get so attached to these realities, regardless of fact or fiction, and I thank you for making this concept so digestible with this incredibly informative video on the nature of the very universe in which we reside...
Right, can't wait for 'but who are we, really?' Perfect For Minecrafters Kids And Adults, Guide Book, Graphic Novels
LOL
great video RGN!
I've had some of these thoughts before, when saying that an artwork is interpreted differently by every person that experiences it. Words, colors, and images can mean different things to different people because of our experience in life. I tried writing a video essay script about video games as an art medium, but I never ended up making anything with it, for now. It's only been a few months since then, but my thoughts are more solidified now, I feel. There is more to say. We can never run out of things to say. We can assign a meaning to anything realistic. These words I say have meaning because that's how the English language was made. Artwork is anything that shows our human interpretation of the world, maybe it's all meaningless, but it feels like it has meaning. We can't explain everything we see. It's our humanity that lets us think about the meaning of anything. We exist in this world, but for what? And why? We'll never truly know, but we can try to understand what we cannot understand, even if it may be fruitless.
Wow, what a beautiful video. How poetic indeed that the lore of the game reflect the style of gameplay. No wonder they compliment each other so well!
this is def gonna be a great watch
my personal idea is that the way the player exists is because the universe needed them to.
a little bit more detail-- if you played or know of off by mortis ghost, its kind of like how the batter exists. he exists because he needs to. i feel like in minecraft its the same case. the universe needed a person to come and inhabit it, to solve its puzzles, to learn its history, to defeat evil, to do everything the preexisting mobs cant, so it took a piece of itself and it created you. it molded you into shape and released you into the world to do whatever you liked like a parent letting their child onto a playground. the way i came to this conclusion was through the end poem. i take the end poem literally. the universe speaking to itself and to you, as an actual part of the lore. the way it talks is because you're a part of it.
does it know that we love it? that the universe is kind? the universe is kind to you because you are the universe. you are not separate from every other thing. you are the universe talking to itself and tasting itself and reading its own code. the universe loves you because you are love.
honestly, that last quote hit pretty hard. i spend so much time alone or on my computer that i don't interact with my family enough. my mother has pancreatic cancer and i know i should talk with her and spend time with her more, but i don't. i don't usually see value in sentimental things, but that simple quote changed my view of how my life is going and what i'm doing with myself. i didn't expect something like that from an RGN video, but i'm glad i did stick around to see that.
Minecraft is a game that not only breaks the 4th wall with the End Poem, but that very poem breaks even the 5th wall of our very reality
I believe that the two voices from the End poem are gods that created life and the Minecraft world. Maybe these two gods created the Player and the Ancient Builders + all of the mobs we see. After all, it makes a lot of sense. Why else would the player spawn into the world without any explanation. How else would any mob spawn into the world out of thin air.
But you might be asking yourselves this question, if these two gods are important to the lore, then why don't we see them that much? Why do we see them only one time?
Its because they don't want to interfere with life going on in all dimensions of Minecraft including the player. Think about it, if they did try to interfere with what's going on, then everyone would be aware of their presents and would try to make the gods happy. Which is something these two gods don't want to happened. They want life to go on without any interference from them directly. I think for my theory, these two gods are a lot more important then ever before. Yes we don't see them that much in game, but I feel like they serve more of a important role in the making of life in the Minecraft world.
Lets also think about this further. If the gods created life, dose that means that they create the mushroom that would cause the Zombie virus for the Ancient Builders? Well yes. Mushrooms are fungus, and fungus is apart of life.
The poem is cannon, you don't fully see it. When your reach the top of that mountain you may see all below. Every flaw, every triumph, but you have not ascended yet. Finding the end will bring you the greatest form of peace, and understanding. Your soo close
So what you're telling me... is that the player is actually in a coma and the world and the friends we made along the way is all apart of our coma dream?
I think you could be getting very close to the truth
What if, hear me out, steve was just a normal guy walking around the world to one day get possessed by us and we continue from there
god the end poem never fals to make me cry. its such a well written piece of poetry
Been waiting for this for a long time; want to get some popcorn but I literally cannot wait another moment.
mojang has a minecraft lore bible
absolutely outstanding production, the music choices were perfect, the visuals were a fantastic complement to the concepts, and the concepts were creative and thought provoking!
Thanks for the free existential crisis 👌😊👍
More of these types of vids, they are amazing
The ending hit deep man
this video was insanely high quality
great job on it!
i see RTG notification. Me: time to watch this video 💪
DUDE YOU ARE BACK FINALLY! It was kinda expected anyways because this is your gap between uploads. I have been here for almost 2 years so when you started making Minecraft lore videos, I have watched almost all of your videos lol. Anyways I am going to watch this one now.
While watching this video I was questioning life
18:12 bro really said wink wink 😭
The thing for me with the devs just saying that Steve is just a placeholder, is that there are a decent amount of things in game that contradict that. Zombies look like Steve, the Illager mansion has rooms of Steve colored wool I think there might be a few more I'm not sure but the point is there, To just say oh yeah Steve is just a placeholder for you the player just really doesn't sit right with me in this regard.
I realized after watching full metal alchemist of all things that I think Minecraft is in some ways a spiritual allegory for the journey of the soul. It is I think about Ego and accomplishing the great work, in western magick traditions there’s a concept known as crossing the void, which means you’ve essentially achieved dismantling your ego so dissolution of the self but not where you no longer exist necessarily, that is what enlightenment or awakening is, it’s ego death, the killing of the illusion that you are you and not the entire universe, seeing beyond the curtain. This is why the end poem talks about us being the universe and leveling up and why we can only hear them after we kill the dragon. The void is said to be guarded by the ouroboros, the dragon, the thing that for whatever reason prevents you from accomplishing your goal, this is why Steve has to kill the ender dragon. And I do wonder if the ender men are all the people who are lost and your the only one who is really awake. The end poem is essentially a very beautiful encapsulation of what spirituality truly is all about and I think by putting it in the game they did a very amazing thing they showed us that this existence is sort of like a game, the end poem doesn’t make sense to those who don’t understand spirituality that’s understandable but the game itself is essentially alchemy. In alchemy the idea is that you as a part of the universe are also destined to be a co creator to mold reality and the elements to change history to take a blank canvas and turn your existence into art because to be is to live and the point of all this is just that, to live, to be alive to be here. We aren’t meant to really know the lore of Minecraft because the whole point is there are things we can’t understand and this thing we call life is about making it our own and is also about how in the end it is just a dream. As Allan watts said “you dream every night a different dream, and one night you end up right where you are now” the end poem reminds me of him, and I wish he was still here. He was a lovely human and very wise. Every Minecraft theory is sort of like different religions and peoples personal experiences and beliefs borrowed from the things about the world that seem to point to a greater truth. Minecraft is the best because the entire way it’s written is an allegory for our existence as human beings.
This felt very much like "Looking too much into it" video. Loved it, the dream framework was also an interesting philosofical tool.
You deserve more subs. I bet these are difficult to make. I am obsessed with these lore videos, they cant come out fast enough! Makes so much sense, too!
"but who are we, really?"
the answer is: nerds
Retro gaming is Philosophy at its finest
Herobrine seems to be a completely normal creepy pasta as there are many. However, there is something unusual, namely his name. How and by whom was this weird name invented? It could be that someone just wrote down the first random crap that came to his mind but it is also possible that the name has an origin that goes deeper. Who knows if we will ever find out?
With this analysis it occurs to me that herobrine exists in game, sure he isn't coded or even properly hinted but we perceive it as an entity, whether it's for shits and giggles or genuine fear we see him as a part of our world and for that reason he is canon and hinted in the game art and custom maps compared to other similar creepy pastas like 303 or null who unlike herobrine fail to capture it's eeriness
I'm so glad you're around making stuff man, keep up the amazing work!
Hoping for a theory about the illagers and why they split up with the Villagers
Me to !!
I imagine that the Illagers aren’t a different race, they just paint themselves gray as a form of war-paint to show their allegiance to their cult
I'm fairly sure Retro has made this video already!
@@jakedixonmusicsame
I think game theory did@@jakedixonmusic
I heard the poem the first time, in full, with your companion video that's the reading of the whole thing. I cried. I know, stupid of me. But... I just... Sometimes I forget that I *am* human, and as a human I am made of human stuff, but most importantly, that I'm loved. That the sun keeps spinning because of the intrinsic rules of the universe and because if there wasn't it's "love" (heat??) I wouldn't be alive today, and there wouldn't be an Earth and no internet etc. I forget that countless little signs of love brought me to finally be in a healthy physical space, living with my boyfriend. I forget that without human love and dream there would be no human species (and as many people would find that positive, I just see it as a different reality).
That poem kinda reminded me of all of the little things that we overlook.
As for contacting my parents... well... I wish I could contact my father, but I'm terribly scared of even second hand contact with my mother. I hate that woman with all my being. I'm sorry. Which makes the whole fucking thing even worse cuz, he has had cancer already one time (he's been cancer free for a long time, but the fear is still lingering). The fear of any possible contact with my mother basically puts me in a no contact state with both my parents. I hate this, but at the same time, I want to live my life, and I don't want to remember or get close again to what and who I was before (which I still feel very much similar to). I want to do more and do things better, but I always seem to fuck up, and I'm scared that being in contact with my parents will just make things worse. (I'm writing this at 6:30 am after a whole night awake. I wanted to go to bed earlier, tonight).
I wish people would realize talking about “talking to your parents” can have some serious inherent issues with people whos parents were abusive, manipulative, and controlling. Having cut off my parents from my life, and knowing it was the right decision, I still manage to feel guilty every time people bring it up. It’s not fun :/ And yeah I know it’s not anyone else’s job to control the triggers of others, but still.
Love the Deep Dive Series hope more comes soon🎉