For a long time, I was quite skeptical about purchasing the game Minecraft. Supposedly, it is a game that serves as an portal to an endless world, one in which anyone can create anything, and to be honest, it sounded a little too good to be true.

Hesitantly, I purchased the game, and I've ultimately discovered that it is one of the best games I've ever played, and yes, that is even with the Creepers and the skeletons. However, there are several ways to enhance your Mojang-sponsored experience, so you should take a glance at a few of these online Minecraft communities.

Minecraft Forums

minecraft forums

It's a forum, and it's Minecraft. That's about as simply as the Minecraft Forums can be explained, and here, you will find a vast pool of user-generated knowledge that relates completely to the voxel-fueled game. Seeing that this is an official game resource, one of the cool features about the forums is that Notch himself (the creator) reads up on them.

r/Minecraft

minecraft community

Reddit seems to have a little something for everybody, and yes, that includes Minecraft lovers. Reddit's r/Minecraft serves as a basic place to discuss all things Minecraft and whatever else Mojang has going on. Another Notch-related feature is that readers can be updated on his tweets even if Twitter is blocked at their location (like at work). The moderators of the reddit simply keep people updated on them through text posts.

Planet Minecraft

minecraft community

The world of Minecraft is as large as a planet itself, so the name of Planet Minecraft is incredibly fitting. At this fan site, you will find pretty much the coolest stuff that pertains to the block-building game. From the moment that you hit the landing page, you will be introduced to new textures for your worlds, skins for characters, and even mods for the game itself.

One thing you might like – that is, if you are into MMOs – is the list of servers that Planet Minecraft provides for multiplayer action. Furthermore, the site displays a great deal of Minecraft artwork.

Minecraft Workbench

minecraft community

The Minecraft Workbench is a lot like Planet Minecraft in that it provides an excellent assortment of texture packs, mods, and skins (as stated on the Minecraft website itself). Unlike Planet Minecraft, it focuses more on the elements of playing the game rather than the creations within it, but it does still provide a community aspect and a Minecraft server.

In addition to all of this, the site produces a YouTube channel and also includes a database of all the elements within the game.

CraftHub

minecraft community servers

CraftHub is without a doubt one of the bravest things I've seen in a while – an entire publication devoted to Minecraft? Come on. Well, these guys took the risk and created a blog that highlights everything in the world relating to Minecraft, and they do it incredibly well. Check out the blog for some really cool Minecraft news and creations, and if you can, be sure to visit their own server.

The Shaft

minecraft community servers

Much like CraftHub, I was surprised at how someone could produce a podcast only about Minecraft, but sure enough, it has been done. The Shaft updates weekly every Sunday at 3pm CST with "tips, stories, and the latest news and updates" about the Mojang creation. Besides the podcast, The Shaft is home to a dedicated 45-slot Minecraft server.

Minecraftopia

minecraft community servers

Minecraftopia is a cleanly displayed manual recommended by Notch himself that provides detailed information on every single thing relating to Minecraft. Furthermore, like most of these communities, the site also includes an area to download mods, skins, and textures for the game. Using the provided servers, you will discover many other users to play with, and the site also offers several how-to articles.

World of Minecraft

When I first saw World of Minecraft, I was a little prejudiced. The site didn't have any fancy Creeper-themed artwork, there were no Minecraft logos on the site, and all in all, it looked like just a basic forum that anyone could have made. However, I was very surprised when I saw how active this community was. One of the great things about this community is that anyone can start their own realm (their own designated area) on the WOM-hosted server for free with options to upgrade as time goes on.

The Minecraft Museum

minecraft forums

The Minecraft Museum provides a great deal of similar material to CraftHub in that it provides block artwork provided by users.  The website originally started out as a manually-published blog, but now, everything is run on a automatic system. One of the cool things about the Minecraft Museum is that its early days coordinated with the early days of Minecraft itself, so you will be privileged to see some pictures of what the game used to look like.

As a final note, keep in mind that the Minecraft Museum only accepts images captured on a licensed version of Minecraft.

Conclusion

Hopefully, you'll find at least something with these nine websites to enhance your Minecraft experience. If anything, you'll be able to find other people to play with or some great ideas to try out.

What other Minecraft communities do you use? Have you found anything cool using the ones mentioned?

Image Credit: Minecraft Wiki