My Story
JoePCool14 began in early 2013 when I chose the name for my new Minecraft account. The name may not be the best or the easiest to remember, but despite that, it has been my primary identity across the web and I've made many memories with it ever since. Here's a brief history of some of the most notable events to take place over the past years.
2013
"JoePCool14" began with the purchase of my original Minecraft account. I began to play the game on single player, creating many simple builds in both Survival and Creative modes. Technically, I began playing in 2012, but it wasn't until 2013 that I had a full copy of the game.
I went on to discover the Creative Fun server, which I spent the majority of the year playing on. Back then, the server still had player ranks, of which I earned the titles of Builder and Pixel Artist (although given my skillset at the time, maybe I shouldn't have!).
Due to changes the server made towards the end of the year, I departed Creative Fun and discovered Treasure Island, a network of several Minecraft servers, each their own gamemode. Treasure Island would become my primary server network for many years to come, specifically focusing my time on Creative Freebuild.
2014
This was one of the most turbulent year's in Minecraft's history with significant points. Between the Microsoft acquisition and the EULA changes affecting servers, the community was weary of just how things would continue going forward.
It was another active year in the Treasure Island community. I enjoyed playing on several different modes including Creative, Survival, Villages, and Sky Grid.
I also discovered my love for Mineplex this year, becoming engrossed with the server's wonderful selection of games. Survival Games, Mixed Arcade, Champions, and the simple fun of Micro Battles. My best memories were the odd victories I'd pick up, the exciting prospect of seeing and admin or owner in your lobby, and just hanging out with my friends on TeamSpeak.
There's so many other great things I got to participate in, too many to sum up here. This was easily the year I simply had the most fun with Minecraft.
(July 30th, 2015)
2015
Another big year of Minecraft server networks!
Early in the year, I continued to manage my own server, CoolCraft. Originally conceived as a Factions server, CoolCraft eventually ended up as a Survival PvP server that saw moderate success and many fun events and TeamSpeak calls, including Spleef and a pony-themed April Fools' event.
Cities: Skylines released in March. I picked up the game day one and have loved it ever since, logging hundreds of hours.
In May, I joined the Mineplex staff team as a Trainee for the first time. I joined my friend Evan, who was already on the team prior to me joining. This experience allowed me to see behind the scenes and help moderate what was one of the biggest server networks at the time. A wonderful experience overall that unfortunately wouldn't last more than a few months.
In October, I joined Discord, thanks to Treasure Island being very early adopters of the platform. Little did I know how big Discord would become in the following years.
2016
Ever hear of getting a second chance? Well, that's exactly what I got on Mineplex, re-joining the staff team and this time, achieving full Moderator status. Similarily to 2015, I had a great time and got to meet some great people as well. Sadly, my time on the team did not end as I would've hoped, but considering what would come in the future, it was for the better.
This year, I took part in the Never Stop Gaming SMP server, hosted by Gamethedayaway, which I published several episodes of on my YouTube channel. This was a great experience that I definitely wish I could've gotten more involved in.
2017
A slightly more subdued year in terms of my online presence.
After my staff stints at Mineplex and my server ownership, I made the jump to a moderation position back on Treasure Island. I was very happy to be given the opportunity, as the network was the one I'd been a part of for the longest. They also offered a unique gamemode called WaterWorld, similar to Skyblock with islands, except you're stuck underwater in a bubble.
Another important milestone would be the introduction of Bed Wars to Hypixel in January. I played a decent amount of the game in the beginning, before it got crazy optimized like it is now.
2018
I continued my journey on Never Stop Gaming, taking part in what became a really active season for a lot of us there. We had some great Discord calls together and created some impressive builds. Definitely the peak of NSG, at least from my perspective.
Outside of NSG, it was more of the same: Treasure Island, Mineplex, and Hypixel. I also continued to play single player too, but I never got very far in my worlds.
2019
This year was one where my interest for the game honestly just waned. Compared to previous years, I spent significantly less time playing. There was just so much going on in the real world at the time, and I also got hooked on collecting and playing retro games instead of Minecraft.
I participated in another season of NSG, which would ultimately be my final season in which I posted videos for. Otherwise, it was again mostly single player alongside a few servers.
2020
A very tumultuous year for a variety of reasons. This year represented several monumental changes in my life which I struggled to cope with, especially then and in some ways, I still struggle with today. As a result, I don't have a lot archived.
The major event was a massive hiatus in my YouTube channel, which I ended up with the upload of a new season of Joe Plays Minecraft while away at university. I was, however, fortunate enough to get a private SMP going with my friends at college.
2021
My quietest year online since I "joined" the Internet. Posting only three videos to my channel, only one of which was Minecraft sums it up. Similar to 2020, my focus was on the real world—both the good, and the bad.
This was the year I began avidly watching Formula 1. If you know anything F1, you'll know how incredible of a year this was, and I was glad to have followed along while it happened. And if you don't know anything about it, check it out! It was a story that even Hollywood couldn't write.
I also deleted my Twitter account this year. I did it before it was "cool"!
2022
Coming back from the dead! Slightly, anyways. I posted several videos to YouTube again, including a brand-new series acting as a soft-reboot of the channel focused on the Legacy Console Edition of Minecraft. I also experimented with the Formula 1 game for a couple videos, ultimately deciding it was best to keep my main channel to sandbox games.
Meanwhile, after a decade of memories, Treasure Island closed its doors for good in May, marking the end of an unforgettable era.
I graduated from college this year, and began my first full-time job.
2023
The year is off to a decent start, with the premiere of my semi-popular video discussing Armor Trim in Minecraft. More content to come? We'll see.
Enjin announced it will be shutting down their community hosting services in April. An emotional moment for me, as I joined Enjin over a decade ago. Numerous server communities I engaged in used Enjin for their websites including T.I., Mineplex, and even CoolCraft. While Enjin became an unmaintained and outdated mess by the end, it's still sad to see it go. Another hallmark of the 2010s era, gone.
The story is still yet to be fully written. Let's make this year a great one!