Summary
- The Mob Vote in Minecraft is an exciting annual event that allows the community to participate in the game's development, with over 5 million votes collected this year.
- Despite the Penguin receiving the least number of votes in the 2023 Mob Vote, there are still compelling reasons to add it to the game, such as enhancing travel and adding more ambient mobs.
- While Mojang hasn't implemented many older nominations, they have stated that past Mob Vote nominees will be considered for future events, giving hope for the addition of the Penguin and other mobs in the future.
The Mob Vote in Minecraft has been a staple of the game since 2017 and occurs annually, much to the excitement of its player base. Though this year's event only lasted for a few days, Mojang reported that over 5 million votes were collected. As such, it's clear that the occasion has become an engaging way for the Minecraft community to get involved with the development of the game.
Unfortunately for those who recently voted on the Penguin or Crab in the 2023 Mob Vote, the Armadillo ultimately polled the highest. Despite the Armadillo providing some use to the beloved sandbox game, the Penguin would have been a more compelling addition. After all, some members of the Minecraft community have been campaigning for penguins to be added to the game since it debuted in 2009.
Penguins in Minecraft Would Be Helpful For Multiple Reasons
According to a Twitter post from the official Minecraft account, the Penguin only received 25.2% of the votes whereas the Crab earned 32.5% and the Armadillo secured the remaining 42.3%. This was surprising to some people because several Reddit forums and Twitter threads created before the final results were speculating that the Penguin would be the winner or at the very least a front-runner.
However, the fact that the Penguin came in last in the 2023 Mob Vote doesn't negate the reasons why this mob should be added to the game.
Minecraft Penguins Would Enhance Travel
On October 5, Minecraft published several justifications for the aquatic bird's inauguration, though some have theorized the mob lost because it didn't have as much utility as the Crab's claws and the Armadillo's potential for dog armor. Still, the studio mentioned that Penguin would increase a boat's travel time, which can be especially helpful for those in the early stages of their games. Though it wasn't confirmed, players were also hoping that they'd be able to use the Penguin as a way to improve roads in The Nether since this technique often involves the use of boats.
Minecraft Needs More Ambient Mobs
In addition to appeasing the people who have waited for years to see the bird in-game, Minecraft can benefit from adding more non-hostile creatures. Neutral mobs serve to enhance the atmosphere and fill it with life. They don't attack players and won't drop items if they are killed. Penguins would likely do as well, if not better, than Pandas, Polar Bears, and Bats if they were to be added as an ambient mod.
Their aesthetic appearance combined with the idea that not every mob needs to, or should have, a unique mechanic could very well be its standout feature. To illustrate, one Reddit user by the name u/TheBabyWolfcub in the r/Minecraft community mentioned that they "just want to sit on a pebble beach and watch penguins fall around."
At the time of this article, Mojang hasn't implemented many of the older nominations, but this could change as the Mob Vote ages and requires more ideas. After all, some Minecraft biomes such as the swamp have resurfaced, which means previously introduced mobs themselves could also come back.
Fortunately, the studio has stated it will consider past Mob Vote nominees for future events.
Minecraft is available now for Mobile, PC, PS4, PS5, Switch, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X/S.
Minecraft is a sandbox video game that puts players in procedurally generated worlds and offers them no guidance whatsoever in where to go or what to do, creating a sense of freedom that was unparalleled in 2011.
Minecraft has gone on to become the highest-selling video game of all time.