Minecraft doesn’t really have characters, per se, but the default human is Steve. Steve is definitely guy-like. So Minecraft is adding Alex, a slightly remodeled human who also happens to be a woman. Mojang’s Owen reported this good news yesterday, stating that Steve—despite his fantastic stubble—doesn’t really represent the diversity of Minecraft’s massive playerbase.
Alex comes with red hair, a ponytail, and thinner arms. She supposedly looks a bit like one of Minecraft’s developers. This is a very cool move for the game. Tons of kids love Minecraft, including thousands of girls who will now get to see themselves represented in the world. We’re excited to see who else Mojang will add to the normal lineup!
This announcement comes right after develpers of another wildly popular game, Call of Duty, also announced that they will have a playable female character in their next Black Ops title. Call of Duty is rated M for Mature.
The Alex skin (the term for the graphic appearance of a model) will be available for free for Xbox, PlayStation and PC Minecraft players on Wednesday. Later this summer Alex will be available for mobile.
