Top 7 Minecraft features that make no sense

Minecraft is a game that has evolved significantly over the years, but that doesn't mean every inclusion and feature makes perfect sense. Quite the contrary, many of these aspects could be considered at least ambiguous.

While some things about Minecraft are based at least partially on the real world, the fact that the game is virtual allows its player base to suspend their disbelief. However, when examined from a plainly realistic or semantic perspective, several elements of the game don't exactly add up.

Most video games aren't meant to obey the laws of physics. Nonetheless, pointing out some goofier inconsistencies within the world's most popular sandbox game can be fun.

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The most head-scratching facts worth knowing about Minecraft

7) No napping

Players who wish to sleep have to wait until a storm or nightfall (Image via u/Bentroen/Reddit)

When someone is tired, it isn't outside their realm of possibility to sneak off for a few winks in the middle of the day. But the same can't be said in Minecraft, as players can only sleep at night or during a storm. Why exactly is this the case? Is napping outlawed in the Overworld? Are player characters simply too hard of workers and refuse to take a power nap?

The answer is likely tied to the fact that sleep is mostly intended to skip nightfall and avoid the prevalent danger of hostile mobs, but still, laying down in the middle of the day doesn't seem like such a bad thing.

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6) The Ender Dragon's egg doesn't hatch

The Ender Dragon's egg is hard to obtain but for no real use past decoration (Image via Mojang)

One of the rarest items in Minecraft—if not the absolute rarest since it can only spawn one to two times—is the Ender Dragon's egg. But it has no actual use past being a nice trophy or decoration. Considering players have to defeat the Ender Dragon boss to obtain the egg, why it can't at least hatch or serve some other purpose doesn't make much sense. Sure, a baby Ender Dragon might be a dangerous pet, but players have been clamoring for the egg to have some form of in-game utility for years now.

The egg can teleport in certain circumstances, but mostly just to avoid being permanently destroyed.

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5) Holding light sources offers no light

Without mods or add-ons, torches offer no light when held in Minecraft (Image via Mojang)

While this problem has been addressed thanks to mods and shader packs, vanilla Minecraft players have long been confused by in-game light sources. Specifically, these blocks only provide a light level when placed, and players holding torches, lanterns, or glowstone blocks won't benefit from the presence of light while these items/blocks are in-hand. However, once these items are placed on a wall, the ground, or a roof, they suddenly emit light.

Since exploring dark areas would be much easier if light blocks/items illuminate while being held, this is undoubtedly a feature that Mojang may want to address.

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4) Villages let players loot their items

Shouldn't Minecraft villagers be a bit more upset that people keep taking their stuff? (Image via Pyre540/CurseForge)

Finding a village in Minecraft is always a welcome sight because finding a village often means free items to loot from chests within the village. At the moment, players can head straight into a village and take every item, crop, and block without much protest from the villagers. But why is this exactly? Sure, villagers don't seem to be the confrontational type, but they are occasionally protected by iron golems. Couldn't iron golems at least protect villagers from their items getting stolen or their homes being broken into?

Perhaps villagers are selfless by nature and don't mind sharing, but compared to most other mobs, they're incredibly passive about losing their hard-earned items.

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3) Walking through paintings

Painting doors, while popular in Minecraft, make very little sense (Image via Mojang)

Paintings are considered non-solid in Minecraft, so if there's space to be traversed behind a painting, players can walk right through them. Shouldn't the painting block a player from moving through it, or are paintings in this game made of some thinner-than-air material? Real-world paintings typically aren't the sturdiest objects, but someone who attempts to walk through one won't find much success without causing some damage.

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2) Exploding beds

Beds aren't exactly safe to sleep in when it comes to certain Minecraft dimensions (Image via EJtcbPLAYS/YouTube)

While not being able to sleep during the day is one thing, beds are much more dangerous once they leave the Overworld. Even attempting to use one in the Nether and End dimensions causes it to explode, damaging surrounding blocks and entities. But why is this the case? Do creatures in the Nether and the End abide by different laws of nature? Or does the concept of time in these dimensions somehow violently distort any objects used to sleep?

Does that mean organic mobs in the Nether, like piglins, can go on forever without sleep? Frankly, exploding beds raise many more questions than answers in Minecraft.

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1) Gravity

The way gravity affects blocks and entities differently in Minecraft doesn't track logically (Image via Mojang)

While the way that Minecraft's gravity works is incredibly helpful for building projects, it makes no sense when compared to our world. Sure, blocks like gravel and sand will be pulled to the ground by gravity (along with items/blocks dropped by players), but many in-game blocks can sit in the air forever after being placed. Even immensely heavy blocks like obsidian won't fall to Earth. Why is Mojang so particular about which blocks and items are influenced by gravity? The idea seems contradictory to the concept of physics itself.

Of course, this gravity is in a video game, and not everything is intended to be realistic. Still, outside observers can tend to be a bit confused when seeing a block float midair in-game during their initial moments playing.