Summary
- Minecraft players will be voting on whether to introduce a crab, armadillo, or penguin as a new mob, with crabs as the likely winner due to their ability to increase the build distance limit.
- In the next mob vote, Raccoons would be fun to see, as they would be a cute addition to Minecraft. Their love for food could be incorporated into entertaining gameplay mechanics, such as feeding them to receive loot and make an even more adorable fat raccoon.
- Raccoons could also be unique pets in the game, as they could annoy owners by rushing towards shiny items or dropped food. They could potentially dig up items once tamed, though, adding an upside. They could be a challenging pet to take care of, but could also offer players a different gameplay experience.
Alongside iconic enemy types like Creepers and Endermen, Minecraft is full of adorable animals based on real life creatures. Minecraft's foxes will pick items up off the ground, cats will scare off certain hostile mobs, and dogs will protect their owner. Polar bears roam the icy chunks of a world, while bats make their homes in caves. The list goes on and on, and thanks to an upcoming mob vote, it will soon grow larger. However, one cute creature is not in the lineup of potential mobs, but it certainly should be.
Soon, Minecraft players will be voting to decide whether a crab, armadillo, or penguin will come to the game. Crabs have a high chance of winning since they will increase the block placement limit, though armadillos presenting an opportunity for a new armor set make them an attractive choice. Penguins unfortunately feel like the odd mob out, as they only boost boat speeds and look cute. Fortunately, if they ever are considered for the game, raccoons are guaranteed to be more mechanically interesting that something like the penguin.
Minecraft's 2023 Mob Vote Explained
Now that all three choices have been revealed for Minecraft's 2023 Mob Vote, players should make sure to learn what each mob offers before voting.
How Raccoons Could Work in Minecraft
Obviously, the biggest draw for raccoons would be their cuteness. Despite its blocky art style, Minecraft has done a fine job of making some mobs extremely cute. Minecraft’s pandas are one example of this, as their rolling around never loses its charm, while frogs are far more adorable than one might expect. Nailing the cuddly factor of Raccoons would be a must, and while a lovable character model would be a first step, capturing the critter’s personality would be important to do. Fortunately, that personality could be turned into some entertaining mechanics.
One trait of raccoons that everyone is aware of is their love for food. Memes and real life sightings alike show raccoons raiding trash cans for scraps of meals, and though Minecraft’s lack of furniture means that trash cans are not a thing, Mojang could get around this by letting players feed raccoons directly. Seeing the raccoon model get fatter as players feed it could prove very entertaining, though the effects of feeding the animal could go beyond a comedic model change.
Perhaps the more players feed the raccoon, the more likely it could be to lead them with a piece of loot. Mojang has considered this idea before, as the Rascal - a losing mob from the 2022 mob vote - had a similar mechanic. If added, the player would have needed to find the Rascal three times while mining to acquire a useful piece of gear. With a raccoon, players could need to feed it three pieces of food in order for it to take them somewhere that it has stashed some goodies. Depending on whether the food was cooked or rare, the raccoon could provide a better piece of loot when "traded" with.
Beyond offering a special gameplay mechanic, letting players treat raccoons as pets could be a great way for fans of the animal to live out the fantasy of owning one. To help them stand out from other animals, they could be a bit tedious to take care of, rushing toward any shiny item or dropped food and consuming it. With the few people that own a raccoon in real life sharing how the animals can be a handful, making them a challenging pet to have in Minecraft could be another way to reflect what makes them unique. A less annoying feature could see the Minecraft animal digging up items once it has been tamed and is accompanying the player, similar to how the Sniffer will dig things up.
Ultimately, there is no telling when or if a raccoon mob will ever make its way to Minecraft, but it certainly seems like it could make for a fun addition. Not only does it have the cute factor going for it, but it also has the potential to provide some entertaining gameplay mechanics. While it has missed the chance to be a part of 2023’s mob vote, it would make for a nice addition in a future Minecraft update.
Minecraft is available now on Mobile, PC, PS4, Switch, and Xbox One.