“Minecraft builds be like” is a meme spawned from mods on Reddit rejecting a Minecraft meme in the MinecraftMemes subreddit.
The meme is a caption in an architecture meme that references the game’s lack of rules for building structures. If you aren’t familiar, the style of Minecraft exists in blocks. This allows players to build just about anything they want with the right materials as long as each block is connected to another.
Enter feats of architecture you’d think could never exist in the real world, what with our laws of physics and all. And yet, there have been some sightings of Minecraft-esque structures in the wild.
What is the ‘Minecraft builds be like’ meme?
If you’ve existed in the past 13 years, you’ve probably heard of Minecraft. It’s a sandbox game that requires mining for materials so that you can craft objects and structures in order to progress or survive in the game.
In some modes, players have built massive projects like Gondor from Lord of the Rings or Zelda’s Hyrule. Others create imaginative, unrealistic structures:
Meme origins
Considering the game’s popularity, spotting architecture crimes in the real world and comparing them to Minecraft builds was likely only a matter of time. One Reddit user created a meme by posting a photo of just such a sight with the caption, “Minecraft builds be like:”
The original photo shows a lifeguard booth built out from a structure right next to a sandy beach. The small booth is supported only by a flight of stairs leading from the top of the building or what may be a boardwalk, with nothing directly underneath it. It is nearly floating over the edge of the beach, waiting to crash down onto civilians below.
The Redditor and creator of the “Minecraft builds be like” meme is u/Nashtheidiot on the r/MinecraftMemes forum, and the date was August 31, 2024. Moderators deleted the off-topic post, but users had already captured the photo, spreading the meme.
Mojang Studios released Minecraft on November 18, 2011, sparking a global phenomenon and inspiring memes for over a decade. The game’s popularity endures long into the year 2024.
‘Minecraft builds be like’ spreads
It’s unclear why Reddit moderators rejected the Minecraft meme. Given the site’s nature, this likely fueled its spread.
In protest of the deletion, users of the sub posted similar meme entries. Some versions alter the original photo, while others use different images, drawings, or Minecraft builds.
A spinoff meme eventually emerged. Users imitated the lifeguard booth’s design in other video games that allow players to build structures, such as Fortnite and The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom.
Soon, the meme spread to Twitter and began to diversify beyond the original joke and subsequent protest. One account dedicated to reposting Minecraft memes from the sub fueled the trend until Twitter users were sick of it.
Examples
Related memes:
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