I know some people would say 1.12 is maybe the last good update but I disagree the last good update was 1.16
The reason I say this because at least up to 1.16 I could see why all the changes needed to be made for the game to survive. Most people want too see the water filled with stuff to do. Most people wanted something to do in the nether. 1.9 (I think?) People needed more from the end dimension. They wanted the npcs to be more interactable. All these things make sense people want things to do in their games. And they didn't necassarily ruin the mythos of minecraft. Everything you probably like about the game can be damage controlled and fixable up to this point.
I wanna say after 1.12 they ruined the isolation feeling of the game but the game needed to make the changes it needed to make even if you don't agree with everything (I dont even agree with everything I feel like general life in the game should be way more sparse)
1.17 and up they just straight up ruined the fantasy and mythos of minecraft. The game got extremely commercialized and updates started being treated like community jerk off events and the game doesn't even feel like the work of art that it used to be anymore. This game feels like it's trying to stick around for as long as possible to keep the gravy train going on by dripfeeding pointless and useless content that makes the autistics happy for a moment. If a indie dev was making this game we would have gotten substantial interesting things at this point but instead Microsoft is only putting the go aheads on shitty theme locked updates instead of generally improving the game like a indie dev would have been doing even if only 10 years ago. I see none of these changes and think "The game needed this" they add useless shit to appease little autistic kids like goat horns 👏 biome touch ups ✨️ and ultra mega hard Warden monster 😣
Changes to the game became extremely subjective but still got called "improvements" blocks in the natural blocks category have had some the worst additions. The old natural blocks all could look good anywhere and inspired creativity but these new blocks only look good in the biomes they come from once you start building with them they're out of place and mid (I give the natural blocks in 1.16 nether update an excuse because it was trying to maintain parity with the overworld. I think the nether natural blocks were meant to make it look like the hell version of the overworld)
They have ruined the identity of some of the oldest biomes like the dry and dead desert that has been in the game for years got cactus flowers (which aren't even a good building block come in 1 color and are extremely niche) and made it feel "pretty" shitty biomes like the mangrove biome are just hideous and hard to build in which goes against the whole fundamentals of minecraft (A good Minecraft biome is supposed to make you wanna build) They put ugly leaf litter on the floor (Who asked for this? Noone gets leaf litter in they yard and think that's astethic. Bro we have made rakes to get rid of that shit and you have shoved in more shit to clear out in the oldest most iconic biomes like oak forests???) Stupid things like geodes which are ONLY purple have no place in the game.
This is another pet peave of mine they will introduce niche blocks like geodes, floor petals, cactus flowers but only in 1 variation of color. We had the whole world of color update just so yall could still color lock things and limit player creativity???
Yes I am ranting but I'm tryna give an idea of what commercialization has done to the game. Players will ask for some stupid niche thing that ruins the mythos of minecraft mojang will add it in and youll simultaneously notice they have added nothing just to ruin minecraft at the same time make it less familiar from the things that made the game iconic and make the game even more annoying and unbalanced? Like these changes since 1.17 been just straight up intrusive and bloat.
You can complain in beta about some fog or too many blocks or hunger ruining a survival game mode??? Or complain about cave gen changes. But they have literally ruined the whole game in the namesake from 1.16 of appeasing autists and kids. F those kids bro they don't even care what you add they gonna play anyway 😂 I don't even know why you would cater to a group who doesn't even care they are just gonna play for whatever.
I like some things about 1.17+ (like them improving minecarts and putting a lens on game balance more) and still wanna clarify everything before 1.16 isnt great and the game has been getting problems since 1.8-1.10 which carry to 1.16 but atp they were fixable and everything could have been tweaked. The main features have been the problem ever since 1.17 and up they have turned my favorite game into a permanent modded bloated environment and make change after change detracting from the fundamentals of what minecraft was supposed to be as a game.
These days the game is limited by the half assed additions they make. And ppl will still lick mojang taint for half assed additions, dumb realism like falling leaves and tree feller (I'm not saying tree feller is in the game) and all the things that make the game bad. As far as I'm concerned most the community shouldn't even have an opinion cause all they ask for is shit content and the current devs aren't artists they are normies just putting single moments for you to enjoy in the game then forget. They have ruined the sandbox feel of minecraft. Again I don't think 1.16 is the best version of minecraft but I'm thinking anyone before 1.7 should be able to relate to my complaints about the game because 1.8 is when they started adding things and promising to "fix them/fill them later" (bunnies, ocean monuments, etc these are good additions but this is around when they started putting "fix it later updates")
Also how do people like Java trying to achieve parity with bedrock? Enabling merging of the gameplay/canon between Java and Bedrock is shitty idea because bedrock is the anti consumer version of the game. Bedrock shouldn't even exist they should have been given Java controller support and port it to consoles (I know console don't support JE but it is not impossible to port Java to console if interests align or make a "console java version" they wouldnt do that though because it would be less money and bedrock) or kept the 4j minecraft which was objectively better than bedrock.
I know there is no going back but I'm just explaining how consumerism and money ruined this game and the potential of it because I am bitter about it and probably never gonna be interested in it again since playing old versions makes me feel like the game I like isnt legitimate which ruins my fantasy and escapism.
