Shawn Crahan, better known as “Clown,” has devoted most of his life to Slipknot, one of the most successful metal bands of all time. Three decades after their debut, Slipknot continues to make music that captivates millions of people around the world, with Crahan remaining the only co-founder and original member.
But over the course of our hour-long conversation, it became clear that he too had been a passionate gamer from the beginning. While his friends were buying Ataris, he requested an Intellivision so the group could enjoy a wider variety of games. Crahan eventually fell in love with this generation of video games, calling them “art” and always wanted to play the next generation.
Modern games are too sophisticated
Although the charm remains, Crahan admits he feels disconnected from much of the modern industry. “I’m stuck somewhere in the ’80s,” Crahan explains. “I don't play many other video games these days because I love them so much. Like my brain, I grew up with a very special way of looking for secrets and secret passages.
“Everyone who makes video games wants to make money. 'How can I get people to spend money?' Faster, that's what's going on, right? What I miss is coincidence. Quake is released and the company opens it to the community in OpenGL. 'Hello. This is OpenGL. If you don't know what it is, knock yourself out. we love you you love us Let's have fun.' That happened in the past. It’s gone.”
Crahan goes on to enthusiastically tell us many anecdotes about Quake 2, its uniquely designed levels, and secrets carefully crafted by the developers and other players. He also loves World of Warcraft and can “talk about it for months.” Crahan doesn't like today's “realism” searches, so he opened his own Minecraft server, Vernearth, and wants you to join his community.
I miss the old Minecraft
A lot has changed.
“When Minecraft came out, my eldest child wanted it. I still have the original copy. I probably bought it several times. So I've been doing it since day one. My oldest is basically 34 and my youngest is 22.
All four of my kids played Minecraft, and they all played it differently. My older son loved building aircraft carriers and anything large-scale. The details take several weeks. My older daughter loves messing around with colors. She is a famous artist and she will use glass to create trees. And the other two also went on a trip.”
How Crahan's family ties strengthen his Minecraft world
These strong family ties and his disappointment with the industry's current practices led Crahan to imagine his own virtual world in Minecraft. Influenced by his love of heavy metal music, Vernearth exudes Slipknot's iconic aesthetic. Darkness, fire, outrageous creatures, and even lore can make it a very unique place in the Minecraft ecosystem.
Crahan started with a very small team, creating biomes with their own blocks and alphabets. He had players write on the mountain and communicate with each other. Then came unique locations like Oblivion and the Nether, and even the Factions system. Crahan has provided the tools to the community and created everything you see in Vernearth today without ever telling them. The idea behind the server is to create an “old-school” gaming experience where players can be rewarded for their curiosity and gain more “spiritual rewards” than finding items.
Crahan is very proud of all the work he and his team have done and the community they have built, but he talks about some of the challenges Vernearth faces. The most important thing is money. The community is free to join, but it costs money to create and maintain, so the team is adding an auction house and exploring other ways to generate revenue.
“At some point you have to monetize Vernerth because you can’t make it free,” Crahan explains. “I don't think people would believe me if I told them how much I spent in four and a half years. We had to design our own economy, so we spent two and a half years designing an auction house – a place where people can literally sell, trade and give things away.”
“If you win real money, there are taxes involved. And if you have in-game money, that gets turned into money or rewards for the community, like t-shirts, signed items, etc. I mean, all of this has to be accounted for.”
Welcome to Vernearth: Serving you family style
Going back to the creation of Vernearth, Crahan says that much of the Vernearth universe actually came from his late mother, Mary V Crahan. She loved science fiction and would read Dune and other books to Crahan's son. Decades later, Crahan asked her if she had ever written a book, and she said she had always wanted to write one.
“I told her she needed to write, and she did,” Crahan says. “I have it, and it's broken down like a video game. It's a story, but she goes into great depth. For example, she writes about plants, so she has pages about plants like, 'This plant has this name and does this. When combined with another plant, it can read minds.' She even got little pictures.
“I didn't ask her to make a video game, but it's kind of written that way. In the future, I'll take everything and release it. It'll be the setting, the story, and how Vernearth was created. It's a metaphor of sorts: I was born to my mother, gave her my respect and love of science fiction, and brought it back, made it forever, made her forever, and made her contribution even greater than before.”
Crahan has his final goal with Vernearth, but he's still a long way off. His team has a plan that will take years, but they are getting there. For now, he's already happy with the community he's created and invites you to give it a try, regardless of your familiarity with Minecraft. There's a good chance he's waiting, listening to metal music.
- released
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November 18, 2011
- ESRB
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E10+ for everyone 10+ due to fantasy violence
