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Dream SMP

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Dream SMP characters; each skin is used by a different prominent Minecraft personality

The Dream SMP (sometimes abbreviated as the DSMP)[1] is an invite-only survival multiplayer (SMP) Minecraft server. Created by YouTubers Dream and GeorgeNotFound, it stars them and fellow Minecraft content creators who roleplay as fictionalized versions of themselves within a loose overarching storyline. Streamed live to Twitch and YouTube, it is the subject of one of the most popular Minecraft web series.[2][3]

History and plot

The Dream SMP was created by Dream and GeorgeNotFound in April[3][4] or May 2020[5][6] as a small server for a few friends.[3] It quickly gained popularity, in part due to the COVID-19 pandemic and collaborations across various YouTube channels.[1] It stars fellow Minecraft YouTubers such as Sapnap and TommyInnit,[1][7] who roleplay as characters loosely based on themselves. They engage in lengthy conflicts over political power and rare artifacts.[8]

Most content is improvised, apart from major plot points, which are loosely scripted in advance.[3][8] Wilbur Soot, who planned many of the early story arcs, said in an interview for Insider, "I write up a series of plot hooks and points that should tie together, however we improv dialogue and comedy throughout to take us from point to point."[5][9] The server has over 20 "eras" in its plotline and over 30 characters as of August 2021.[10] The server's early storyline was inspired by Hamilton, and the musical has been referenced many times by the server members.[9][7]

Within the plot, characters can die up to three times before being permanently dead. Some members play multiple characters, including ghost versions of themselves.[5][3]

The Disc Saga, the server's longest-running story arc, was a series of events centered around two rare music discs belonging to TommyInnit. Throughout the saga, Dream and other characters would fight over ownership of the discs,[1][11] and use them as leverage against each other. The Disc Saga concluded in January 2021, with Dream being imprisoned.[5][11][12][13] TommyInnit's Twitch broadcast of the events peaked at over 650,000 viewers, making it the third-highest all-time concurrent viewer livestream on the platform.[12][13]

Another conflict broke out as Wilbur Soot founded L'Manberg, an in-game breakaway state for non-American players. It seceded from the Greater Dream SMP nation and won a war for independence against it.[3][7][5][14] L'Manberg would later hold a presidential election, which involved heated roleplay debates between the fictional political parties SWAG2020 and POG2020.[9][6] When SWAG2020 running mate GeorgeNotFound failed to show up, Quackity, the presidential candidate for the party, formed an impromptu coalition party with Jschlatt, SchWAG2020. This coalition party went on to win the election with 46 percent of the vote.[7] In January 2021, L'Manberg would go on to be invaded, destroyed, and permanently disbanded.[3][7][5][14] According to Rich Stanton of PC Gamer, "L'Manburg [sic] was taken very seriously by its players, to the extent the nation has not only a flag but a national anthem."[14]

The plot was likened to live theater by Cecilia D'Anastasio of Wired, describing it as a "Machiavellian political drama".[7] Ryan Broderick of Polygon describes the server's plot as being played out like "a silly Game of Thrones with anime pacing", and describes the story's characters as being "not unlike how the wrestler John Cena plays the wrestler John Cena inside the narrative of WWE".[10] The Disc Saga was described by Julia Alexander of The Verge as a "dramatic tale of good versus evil" as Dream and TommyInnit fought over dominance in the server.[8]

The server has been visited by several guest stars, including KSI,[10] Vikkstar123, LazarBeam,[15] Ninja, Lil Nas X, Pokimane, Corpse Husband, and MrBeast,[3] the latter having staged a game on the server by hiding gift cards worth $100,000 for Dream SMP members to find.[16]

Cultural impact

The Dream SMP has attracted a large following,[8] with hundreds of thousands of viewers turning up for live events.[2] Its storylines are analyzed in documentary-style videos, such as those of MatPat, who describes the series as "narrative storytelling through the lens of gaming".[17] An article for Polygon attributes the Dream SMP's unprecedented success to how its story is showcased, describing it as being "a profound idea [that] essentially turns viewers into their own directors, hopping through streams to see which version of the story they want to focus on".[10] In September 2021, Benjamin Herold of The Hechinger Report said that the Dream SMP "helped millions of kids stay connected to the social world" during the COVID-19 pandemic.[9]

The server's storylines have spawned fan art, fan fiction, and online musicals.[3][8] Although unusual for an online creator, Dream has encouraged fan fiction to be written about him, stating that it ultimately helps his career.[18] One notable fan creator is SAD-ist, an animator from the Philippines who illustrates events from the server's story set to music and dialogue clips.[9]

An offhand joke post on Tumblr made at the expense of the Dream SMP fandom led to the creation of a fan-made server with its own plot and lore, known as "Penis SMP".[10]

On July 24, 2021, the flag of L'Manberg was spotted at an anti-vaccine protest in London, next to a Donald Trump flag.[14][19]

In popular culture

The Verge has described the Dream SMP as a "worldwide phenomenon", with Dream SMP fans writing fan fiction, creating fan art and composing fan songs. The popularity of Heat Waves, a Dream SMP-related fan fiction series hosted on Archive of Our Own, helped "Heat Waves" by Glass Animals to reach the 2020 Hottest 100 tracks in Australia.[8][20]

"Dream SMP" was listed as a genre in Spotify Wrapped in late 2021. The genre encompasses fan-created music about the events of the server, music made by Dream SMP members, and music used in Dream SMP streams. The artists that are part of the genre include Glass Animals, Wilbur Soot, Toby Fox, and Alec Benjamin.[21][22][23]

References

  1. ^ a b c d Asarch, Steven (January 25, 2021). "Minecraft's top streamers are taking over the internet with their exclusive roleplaying server called Dream SMP". Insider. Retrieved May 28, 2021.
  2. ^ a b Fairfax, Zackerie (March 4, 2021). "Which Minecraft SMP Video Series Is Right For You?". Screen Rant. Retrieved May 28, 2021.
  3. ^ a b c d e f g h i Finley, Brittni (May 7, 2021). "The Dream SMP Minecraft Server Explained". Game Rant. Retrieved May 28, 2021.
  4. ^ Espinosa, Michael (June 24, 2021). "A new list of the most talked about gaming creators shows the power of Minecraft's 'Dream SMP'". Business Insider. Archived from the original on August 4, 2021. Retrieved August 4, 2021.
  5. ^ a b c d e f Asarch, Steven (February 16, 2021). "Inside YouTube's Minecraft boom: how an exclusive roleplay server helped a group of streamers dominate the platform's charts". Insider. Retrieved May 28, 2021.
  6. ^ a b Çakır, Gökhan (December 31, 2020). "What is the Dream SMP?". Dot Esports. GAMURS Group. Retrieved May 28, 2021.
  7. ^ a b c d e f D'Anastasio, Cecilia (January 12, 2021). "In Minecraft's Dream SMP, All the Server's a Stage". WIRED. ISSN 1059-1028. Retrieved May 28, 2021.
  8. ^ a b c d e f Alexander, Julia (March 19, 2021). "Living the Dream SMP". The Verge. Retrieved May 28, 2021.
  9. ^ a b c d e Herold, Benjamin (September 8, 2021). "How Minecraft YouTubers made me a better parent during the pandemic". The Hechinger Report. Teachers College, Columbia University. Retrieved September 18, 2021.
  10. ^ a b c d e Broderick, Ryan (August 9, 2021). "The bizarre Minecraft meme Penis SMP has spawned a world of its own". Polygon. Retrieved August 9, 2021.
  11. ^ a b Lerner, Jamie (March 1, 2021). "This Major Character Just Died on the Dream SMP, and Fans Are Not Happy About It (SPOILERS)". Distractify. Retrieved October 2, 2021.
  12. ^ a b Michael, Cale (January 20, 2021). "Tommyinnit peaks at over 650,000 viewers in Dream SMP finale". Dot Esports. GAMURS Group. Retrieved September 28, 2021.
  13. ^ a b 3lissy (January 20, 2021). "Dream SMP Finale: 600K viewers tune in to watch TommyInnit take down Dream". GINX Esports TV. Retrieved September 28, 2021.
  14. ^ a b c d Stanton, Rich (July 26, 2021). "Why a 'freedom flag' from Dream's Minecraft server waved over a London anti-vax rally". PC Gamer. Future plc. Retrieved July 27, 2021.
  15. ^ Çakır, Gökhan (December 31, 2020). "Who is a part of the Dream SMP Minecraft Server?". Dot Esports. GAMURS Group. Retrieved October 2, 2021.
  16. ^ Belcher, Sara (February 11, 2021). "MrBeast Just Gave Away $100,000 on the Dream SMP — Here's Who Won". Distractify. Retrieved May 28, 2021.
  17. ^ Alexander, Julia (March 19, 2021). "MatPat looks at YouTube's biggest changes over the last decade — and what lies ahead". The Verge. Retrieved May 28, 2021.
  18. ^ Castello, Jay (March 1, 2021). "Fanfiction about real people is flourishing". Polygon. Retrieved May 28, 2021.
  19. ^ Zwiezen, Zack (July 24, 2021). "Someone Brought A Dream SMP Minecraft Flag To An Anti-Vax Rally". Kotaku. Retrieved July 25, 2021.
  20. ^ Newstead, Al (January 23, 2021). "Glass Animals' Hottest 100 win: 'Heat Waves' and the power of online fandom". triple j. Retrieved May 18, 2021.
  21. ^ Amos, Andrew (December 2, 2021). "Dream SMP is apparently a Spotify Wrapped music genre and fans are totally confused". Dexerto. Retrieved December 5, 2021.
  22. ^ Priyadarshini, Manisha (December 2, 2021). "What Is Dream SMP Music Genre On Spotify Wrapped?". DualShockers. Retrieved December 5, 2021.
  23. ^ Beaumont, Mark (December 6, 2021). "The WTF genre from this year's Spotify Wrapped, Dream SMP, reveals the service's real motives". NME Asia. Retrieved December 9, 2021.

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