Technoblade Never Dies

October 28, 2013, was an ordinary day for most people in the world. However, on that day, a 14-year-old from California posted his first video on YouTube, taking the name Technoblade. His video was the beginning of a journey that would touch millions of people. From the beginning, Techno’s channel focused on Minecraft player-versus-player combat, and he stood out from other creators by putting a bit of his own personality into every video. His technical skill and humor were a perfect combination, and his channel began to grow. As he became a bigger YouTuber, he became more and more of an icon, coining the motto “Technoblade never dies.”

I first discovered Technoblade during the pandemic, when life felt monotonous and dull. To cope, I turned to Minecraft. I’ve been playing since I was eight years old, and the game hooked me from the start. There’s something enchanting about wandering its rugged terrain, alone in a vast wilderness, and creating something from nothing. I began to watch YouTube videos of other people playing with their friends, laughing and joking around. Technoblade was one of those people, and he never failed to put a smile on my face. His videos showed me that Minecraft is a space made for building relationships and having fun.

Then, last summer, as I was on my way home from camp, I started talking to my parents for the first time in two weeks. My father told me that Technoblade had died of cancer.

I felt like the sky was falling. Even though millions of people had seen Techno’s videos, I felt like I knew him personally. I knew that he listened to Hamilton to study for his AP, that he always believed he would reach 10 million subscribers, and that his dog, Floof, tried to escape from him. I knew he hated French, loved ender pearls, and had a habit of using “anyhow” as an all-purpose transition word. It didn’t seem fair that someone so undeniably human should die in such a random, cruel way. I thought back to his trademark phrase, “Technoblade never dies.”

Techno’s death sent ripples throughout the entire Minecraft community. Mojang, the developer of Minecraft, paid tribute to Techno by temporarily adding a crown to the pig on Minecraft’s launching screen, a reference to Techno’s Minecraft skin. Hypixel, one of Minecraft’s biggest multiplayer servers, created a memorial for him. His friends shared their memories with him, and countless people mourned him on their own. Somehow, despite the fact that he spent his life making videos about a block game, he had a massive impact on the world.

For a long time, I assumed that I needed to pursue a “serious” career in order for my life to have meaning. Stuyvesant culture amplified this feeling, and I often made the mistake of overlooking people who didn’t follow this path. However, Technoblade’s death made me realize that you don’t need to be a STEM genius or a powerful politician to make a difference in the world. You can change lives by just being yourself. Techno always followed his dreams, no matter how absurd they seemed. He chose an unconventional direction for his life, and over the course of his years as a YouTuber, he turned many bad days into good ones. He inspired people to do what they wanted. He raised hundreds of thousands of dollars for cancer research.

Especially at Stuyvesant, there’s too much pressure to be a certain kind of person. In reality, there are lots of options in the world, and different paths are right for different people. If you have a dream, go for it. Start a YouTube channel, write a novel, or compose your own music. You might just change someone’s life for the better.