The success of the Minecraft project on CUUSOO has angered some people... It is, in fact, the only project to reach 10.000 supporters in less time than it takes to write this. The rest of the community has viewed this well-executed and supported initiative with suspicion and envy, thanks to its presence on all the websites, blogs, and forums worldwide dedicated to Minecraft.
Today, AFOLs (Adult Fans of LEGO) are trying to restore balance with a coordinated initiative from major English-language forums to try and boost marshal_banana 's western project and help it reach 10.000 supporters. Eurobricks, Brickset, and The Brothers Brick are encouraging their members to vote en masse for this project, which I still believe is difficult to achieve. Some suggest the modular nature of the project, with the possibility of separate sets, each featuring a building. Why not... But this would require the return of the western theme to the LEGO range, and I'm not very optimistic about that. Even if 10.000 AFOLs, spurred on by their respective community leaders, were to support this project, I think LEGO has other priorities and other licenses to market right now.
I think this is mostly a matter of pride. The AFOL community (English-speaking) is openly annoyed by the Minecraft wave, with its thousands of enthusiastic supporters, its motivation, and the endorsement given by LEGO to the project in partnership with Mojang, the game's publisher. current sprinkled with a spirit of revenge is nothing more than a burst of pride which aims to restore balance. Leading sites and forums want to reaffirm their supremacy and show that they are capable of mobilizing thousands of people just on a post on their home page.
Let's be clear, marshal_banana 's MOC is nice, no doubt about it. The concept and theme are interesting, and the execution is impeccable. But the sudden rise of this project is clearly artificial and motivated by a need to reassert a certain legitimacy with LEGO and the CUUSOO concept . Some don't hesitate to use this argument, loudly proclaiming that if Minecraft did it, AFOLs should also take THEIR project to the point where LEGO will consider it for potential commercialization...
If you'd like to support this initiative, head over to the project page and vote for this MOC. Alternatively, you can always wait and see if the community is responsive enough to gather 10.000 votes and get a reaction from LEGO on this concept. That reaction will undoubtedly be interesting: I wonder what LEGO might say to the 10.000 AFOLs who want to see the Western theme revived in the form of modular buildings...
