Spleef: a timeless and rightful classic, or outdated and boring?

Those who have been keeping up with the Minecraft side of Twitter, or X, will probably have seen the topic of Spleef making its way around. People were very opinionated on whether the classic minigame has a place in minigame events, especially when the event is aimed to be more competitive. Of course, Twitter is Twitter, with its character limit and shout-into-the-void kind of communication style, so we at Sphere News decided to venture out and ask some questions about Spleef and its place in competitive minigames.

Do you personally enjoy playing Spleef?

“I personally do not enjoy playing Spleef, but mainly because I am a competitive player and I’m not very good at it. I do, however, think it is a good game as a whole.”
– FatRat, developer and co-owner of Creator Conquest

“It is a really fun minigame that feels like it’s more oriented to having fun rather than trying to be the very best at it. Since there are also multiple ways in which you can play Spleef, you can play aggressively and run around trying to Spleef as many people as you can, or you can play passively and section off an area for yourself. It makes Spleef suitable for all skill ranges and a game where you can always have fun and have a blast with those playing alongside you.”
– Finmin, event player

“If the event focuses on winning then not that much, because everyone tries a bit too hard. But when it’s an event for fun, I love watching it because it makes for funny moments.”
– MatrixMation, developer for Waffle Warriors

“I think Spleef is a fun game! I don’t see why people complain about Spleef being a “social game” when a lot of other games in events are like that too. For example, in Survival Games, two teams can come face to face with each other and they can mutually agree not to attack one another, thus making Survival Games a “social game” as well.”
– DaniMilksops, event player

“I think Spleef is a very respectable game as long as there is a balance between playing for kills and playing for survival, and there’s a twist to it that makes it unique.”
– Stehllar, event player

Do you think Spleef should be included as a game in custom minigame events?

“If it has its own twist – like in Mayhem, Tomeroo, or Block Wars – with a different map every round, then yes. Otherwise it gets very boring, very fast.”
– TheFox580, owner of TheEvents580 and event developer

“I don’t really see a reason why it shouldn’t, especially if it fits the event. Events like Blockwars, Mayhem, Dystopian Games, and MCC have shown that it can be done well.”
– Adwertise, event player

“I think Spleef variations do have a spot in Minecraft events and shouldn’t just be removed from them due to unoriginality. Spleef’s random nature can allow players of any skill level to perform well, which I think is extremely necessary for events to have. It lets all players have a chance of winning, and you never want some players to go out of an event and not have had a fun time playing.”
– MudKryp, event player and part of the Blissful Championship media team

“Although Spleef can be entertaining, it is usually rather simple and doesn’t have the same complexity or variation as other minigames. Many players may find it repetitive over multiple games, especially because it largely relies around dodging and digging.”
– Falcaograve, event graphic designer

“I think it entirely depends on the event and the version of Spleef. If it’s a competitive event like Pandora’s Box or Mayhem, there shouldn’t be just standard Spleef. If it’s a for fun event or if it’s a unique twist on Spleef like Mayhem’s Multi Spleef or MCC’s Rocket Spleef Rush then it’s perfectly fine to be there.”
– Uncertain_Pine, owner of Fruit Wars

Are there any particular versions of Spleef you have played that you prefer to other versions?

“Spleef Wars from Dystopian Games has to be one of the most fun minigames I played, just because it’s so chaotic. It’s basically Spleef, but you can craft blocks, build, and punch people off the map.”
– Adwertise, event player

“I think Spleef is successful when the game features other Spleef types such as Bow Spleef, Ice Spleef etc. Key examples of this are MC Mayhem’s Multi Spleef and Blissful Championships’ Spleef. These give an element of randomness to the game which makes it unpredictable and chaotic. Biome Battle’s Sky Spleef, where the platforms spawn above instead of below, is an incredibly creative concept and the most unique Spleef mini-game in all events.”
– MudKryp, event player and part of the Blissful Championship media team

“I personally prefer the Blissful Championships’ Spleef the most due to the different items we get throughout it and how the biomes change along. For example, when we get fire chargers, the blocks that the players are playing on turn into netherrack.”
– DaniMilksops, event player

“Mayhem’s Multi Spleef blows it out the park for me. I played it during MC Mayhem: Ignite and I still cannot stop thinking about it. I loved that they managed to put a unique spin to it which made it feel like I was playing a completely new game, despite the objective still being the same. The music also really hyped up the experience for me and I remember feeling so energetic after and wanting more.”
– Vera, event player

What do you think could improve Spleef in the Minecraft event scene?

“I believe teaming should be stamped out. But then again, when people say it is a game that can change the results of an event by eliminating the highest ranked teams, I think it is unfairly judged. The same can be achieved in any survival based game where all teams are involved.”
– AJX, player manager for MC Mania and MC Mayhem, and Director of Heart of a Hero

“I think more events including it in their roster will bring innovation to the game; if it’s included in an event, the developers and creators of said event have every opportunity to spice things up with additions to the game mode. For example, something I can think of would be modifiers that give you potion effects or double jump, or something like that.”
– Kyro, community manager for Loony Studios

“I think cross-teaming should be heavily discouraged, especially in events where the goal isn’t to be silly or goofy. Aside from that I don’t think there’s much to be changed about the game.”
– BirdBoiGames, organizer of The Bird’s Island Challenge

“Adding more unique twists to the game (like Multi Spleef) or just removing it from competitive events where teaming is a major issue.”
– Uncertain_Pine, owner of Fruit Wars

“Spleef is a very cut and dry game. You can add power ups and all the fancy things, but at the end of the day events have to be clear on the rules, what the goal is, and what makes their version of the game unique.”
– onyxed_, event player

About The Author

Bluekwyrm

Blue (or Bluek) is very cool, but couldn’t think of what to put in her bio. So here is some text about how cool Bluek is! Wowie!

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Wraithzeon

Wraith is the lead writer and Editor-in-Chief for Sphere News. When she’s not yapping about Minecraft events, you’ll probably find her making them. Seriously, she spends way too much time on Minecraft and needs to go touch some grass.

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