I've always been an advocate for gatekeeping, and many others on this server have shown to feel the same. On imageboards and forums the world over, there is a "Keep the normies out" sentiment. Protecting your subculture from the masses is a good thing, but you also need a steady trickle of new blood to keep from becoming stale. Gatekeeping then is not only the art of keeping people out, but also the art of allowing the right people in. I think that no place on the internet I've seen exemplifies this better than Minecraft's 2B2T.
2B2T is the oldest anarchy server on Minecraft. The premise is that there are no rules, and by that I mean NO RULES. People use hacked clients, post racial slurs in chat, grief, use exploits to track players, and have even hacked into the server itself to gain access to admin commands and NO ONE has been banned. Despite all the chaos, the community represents a macrocosm of human civilization. With the rise and fall of civilizations, political struggles, wars, and great works the history of this server is shockingly captivating for a block game. But that's a story best left told by the people who were there. I'm here to talk about how they treat outsiders, and how it not only protects them from normies, but how it filters in those who are best fit for the server. For that, we need look no further than the first thing a new player would see, spawn.
Spawn on 2B2T is to put it bluntly, a wasteland. There are lava casts everywhere. There is no dirt, let alone trees. The chances of finding food are practically zero. Nether portals lead to traps where geared players wait to kill without mercy. A new player has to perform difficult platforming just to navigate. There are trenches leading to bedrock, and lava walls reaching to build limit. Just finding a way to move without falling to your death is half the struggle. If that wasn't enough, veteran players patrol the area looking for easy kills. This naturally sets up the greatest gatekeeping system I've ever seen.
In order for a new player to escape spawn, they first have to navigate near impassible terrain with zero blocks, or tools. After that they must get past a trench leading to bedrock, a lava wall, and an obsidian wall. Keep in mind that these obstacles are a hike and a half away and the player probably hasn't found any food. The player must then find a highway and walk for thousands of blocks with little chance of finding any food. All this time, someone can spot them, and kill them and it's back to square one (Or block one). If they manage to make the journey without getting killed, or starving to death, then they can branch off and make a base and hope it doesn't get found and griefed. They can now start grinding for gear. Once high level gear is obtained, they can then start trying to make friends and hope they don't kill them. Then, they can probably become part of the wider community, and they would deserve it at that point. Anyone who goes through all that, is a good fit for the server and would probably do well and be liked by the other players. So how does an obscure subculture, or website filter in the right people who can make the community fun and engaging without such extreme and unique circumstances? Well it's simple; obscurity.
Obscurity is by far, the easiest way to filter people. If people flood in from some article, >reddit
post, or YouTube video; most won't be a proper fit for the community. Through no fault of their own, they will erode what made it special in the first place. If people seek out obscurity for whatever reason, they will usually be a better fit; being naturally of the same breed of person who seeked out the community in the first place. These people are who you really want to come in. They will breathe new life into the culture by adding their new perspectives and talents. This is important because talent and perspective are rare. This is what makes it special. We join forums like Agora Roads to get away from the decay and monotony of the rest of the internet. People from the rest of the internet coming here would change it more resemble the rest of the internet. Luckily, we have very natural ways of keeping the masses out besides obscurity.
The very design of a forum stands in stark contrast to contemporary websites. Modern websites are designed to provide as much dopamine as possible in the least amount of time possible. A forum on the other hand, requires the user to work for their pleasure. In order to get anything out of this site, you must learn the community, go out of your way to make friends, spend long hours reading threads, and have interesting things to post yourself. This is more demanding of the end user, but the benefit is a much greater sense of satisfaction for those who put in the effort. Most people, even if they flood in from >reddit, will not be able to put in the effort and get bored. And that's the key to all of this: Effort.
The reason 2B2T's gatekeeping works so well is that it requires a lot of effort. Players have to take the time to become part of the community. They must put long hours in before they see a reward. But for those who dare, the reward is worth it. Everyone involved benefits from this too. The community gets cool and interesting people. The new players get a community that they can fit in. Those who get turned away are kept from wasting their time in a place where they don't belong. It's not a wall to keep people out, but a filter to allow the people who will be liked and respected in. To new friends I say cheers, to passers by I say adieu.
2B2T is the oldest anarchy server on Minecraft. The premise is that there are no rules, and by that I mean NO RULES. People use hacked clients, post racial slurs in chat, grief, use exploits to track players, and have even hacked into the server itself to gain access to admin commands and NO ONE has been banned. Despite all the chaos, the community represents a macrocosm of human civilization. With the rise and fall of civilizations, political struggles, wars, and great works the history of this server is shockingly captivating for a block game. But that's a story best left told by the people who were there. I'm here to talk about how they treat outsiders, and how it not only protects them from normies, but how it filters in those who are best fit for the server. For that, we need look no further than the first thing a new player would see, spawn.
Spawn on 2B2T is to put it bluntly, a wasteland. There are lava casts everywhere. There is no dirt, let alone trees. The chances of finding food are practically zero. Nether portals lead to traps where geared players wait to kill without mercy. A new player has to perform difficult platforming just to navigate. There are trenches leading to bedrock, and lava walls reaching to build limit. Just finding a way to move without falling to your death is half the struggle. If that wasn't enough, veteran players patrol the area looking for easy kills. This naturally sets up the greatest gatekeeping system I've ever seen.
In order for a new player to escape spawn, they first have to navigate near impassible terrain with zero blocks, or tools. After that they must get past a trench leading to bedrock, a lava wall, and an obsidian wall. Keep in mind that these obstacles are a hike and a half away and the player probably hasn't found any food. The player must then find a highway and walk for thousands of blocks with little chance of finding any food. All this time, someone can spot them, and kill them and it's back to square one (Or block one). If they manage to make the journey without getting killed, or starving to death, then they can branch off and make a base and hope it doesn't get found and griefed. They can now start grinding for gear. Once high level gear is obtained, they can then start trying to make friends and hope they don't kill them. Then, they can probably become part of the wider community, and they would deserve it at that point. Anyone who goes through all that, is a good fit for the server and would probably do well and be liked by the other players. So how does an obscure subculture, or website filter in the right people who can make the community fun and engaging without such extreme and unique circumstances? Well it's simple; obscurity.
Obscurity is by far, the easiest way to filter people. If people flood in from some article, >reddit
post, or YouTube video; most won't be a proper fit for the community. Through no fault of their own, they will erode what made it special in the first place. If people seek out obscurity for whatever reason, they will usually be a better fit; being naturally of the same breed of person who seeked out the community in the first place. These people are who you really want to come in. They will breathe new life into the culture by adding their new perspectives and talents. This is important because talent and perspective are rare. This is what makes it special. We join forums like Agora Roads to get away from the decay and monotony of the rest of the internet. People from the rest of the internet coming here would change it more resemble the rest of the internet. Luckily, we have very natural ways of keeping the masses out besides obscurity.The very design of a forum stands in stark contrast to contemporary websites. Modern websites are designed to provide as much dopamine as possible in the least amount of time possible. A forum on the other hand, requires the user to work for their pleasure. In order to get anything out of this site, you must learn the community, go out of your way to make friends, spend long hours reading threads, and have interesting things to post yourself. This is more demanding of the end user, but the benefit is a much greater sense of satisfaction for those who put in the effort. Most people, even if they flood in from >reddit
, will not be able to put in the effort and get bored. And that's the key to all of this: Effort.The reason 2B2T's gatekeeping works so well is that it requires a lot of effort. Players have to take the time to become part of the community. They must put long hours in before they see a reward. But for those who dare, the reward is worth it. Everyone involved benefits from this too. The community gets cool and interesting people. The new players get a community that they can fit in. Those who get turned away are kept from wasting their time in a place where they don't belong. It's not a wall to keep people out, but a filter to allow the people who will be liked and respected in. To new friends I say cheers, to passers by I say adieu.
