Contributor Style Guide

Contributing to the Minecraft Bedrock documentation is a great way to support the Minecraft creator community and showcase some amazing concepts. One of the most important things to remember when contributing to the documentation is to make sure that all of the Minecraft Bedrock documentation follows a single style and voice.

This doesn't just make the docs nicer to read, it helps readers engage with and understand the content more effectively. Consistency in vocabulary, tone, style, and usage across all docs will make the docs an effective tool, no matter who authored, edited, or updated an article most recently.

Tone of Voice

We strive to maintain our unique tone of voice, which is simple, inclusive, and offbeat. Overall, when you contribute to the Bedrock docs, the Minecraft team can help adjust any small style conflicts in your contributions. The most important things to remember are how to write inclusively and how to use humor.

Inclusivity

Everyone who interacts with Minecraft and the Bedrock docs should feel welcome, respected, and represented. This means that we need to strive to help everyone feel like they were considered in the creation of our content and that they can identify with its message.

To be clear, we are not asking you to play it safe. We cannot share creative and inspiring content without taking some creative risks. Being inclusive means being mindful that our docs can affect other people and that we can all bring our own personal experiences into the shared experience that is the Minecraft creator journey.

As you contribute to the Bedrock docs, keep the following guidelines in mind:

• Speak in the first person
• Mob pronouns: mobs in Minecraft use gender-neutral pronouns unless they have a specified gender
• Use gender-neutral language: instead of "king" or "queen", we use words like "ruler"
• Don't use profanity: Minecraft is a family-friendly brand and even masked profanity (such as using symbols like *&$# to conceal profanity) is not allowed in any Minecraft docs
• Don't reference inappropriate topics: references to drinking, drugs, gambling, and explicit content is prohibited in all Minecraft docs
• Avoid stereotypes: stereotypes can be hurtful and should be avoided whenever possible
• Avoid referencing current events: we want our docs to be timeless and many real-world events can affect many people in different ways so avoid referencing these events whenever you can to minimize the impact on other readers
• Avoid violent language: while conflict exists in Minecraft, excessively violent language (such as "slaughter" or esports terms like "frag" and "slay") should be avoided

Humor

We like to include humor in our docs. After all, Minecraft should be a fun experience! Please feel free to add a little humor to your contributions, but when you do, ask yourself the following questions:

• Is it referring to a meme?
• Is it a joke at someone else's expense?
• Is it referring to violent or explicit themes?
• Is it referring to a serious or sensitive issue?
• Is it based on racial, gender, or other harmful stereotypes?

If the answer to any of these questions is "yes", please reconsider how you add humor to your contributions. We want the Bedrock docs to be a place to have fun, and that means that everyone needs to be able to engage with the docs without feeling like they are being targeted.

Game Titles

So now that you are ready to write about Minecraft, how should you refer to the game and its many editions, updates, and versions?

Minecraft

To start simply, Minecraft is just "Minecraft". There is no need to add any trademark, italics, additional capitalization, spaces, or bold letters. Whenever you want to talk about Minecraft, just call it:

Minecraft

Editions

Minecraft has many various editions, such as Bedrock Edition or Java Edition. To make this as easy as possible, refer to the various editions of Minecraft like this:

Minecraft: Bedrock Edition

To break that down, use "Minecraft" as previously discussed. After Minecraft, use a colon to name the edition. Make sure you capitalize both the name of the edition (Bedrock, Java, etc.) and the word "Edition". The exception to this rule is "Minecraft Education," which as of January 2023 has no colon or 'Edition' suffix.

After you have introduced a Minecraft edition, you can just refer to it by the edition name, like this:

Bedrock Edition

Alternatively, after an edition has been established early on, you can use Minecraft as well.

Updates

When you want to refer to an update to Minecraft, just use the name of the update and don't include the word "Minecraft", at all. For example:

Caves & Cliffs Update

Capitalization

In Minecraft, we usually capitalize only when something is unique. This means that there is only one of that object in the game world. You can use this rule to determine whether you should capitalize the name of a game object.

Mobs

In Minecraft, there are many different types of mobs, but most will not need to be capitalized. For example, we don't capitalize the names of mob species, like:

• cow
• zombie
• cave spider

because there are many of these mobs all over the game world. We do capitalize the names of specific mobs, such as:

• Ender Dragon
• Redstone Monstrosity
• Corrupted Cauldron

because there is only one of these mobs in each game world.

Note: One notable exception is the "Enderman". Even though Enderman is not unique, we do capitalize this mob name.

Biomes and Dimensions

In the same way, we don't capitalize the names of biomes or dimensions unless they are unique, such as:

• the Void
• the Nether
• the End
• the Overworld

Blocks

We don't typically capitalize the names of blocks. Just like in the real world, you wouldn't capitalize materials such as dirt, bricks, or even gold. Blocks are not capitalized in Minecraft, no matter how rare. The only exception to this rule is when a block contains the name of a dimension such as:

• End stone
• Nether brick slab
• Ender chest

Even then, note that only the dimension name is capitalized, and not the name of the block itself.

Note: Blocks like "netherite" and "netherrack" are not capitalized because they do not contain "Nether" as a separate word.

Items

Items are only capitalized when they contain the name of a dimension. Keep in mind that items made from any material are not capitalized, such as:

• netherite axe
• heart of the sea
• knowledge book

Some examples of unique items that are capitalized are:

• Aqua Affinity
• Luck of the Sea
• Infinity

Objects that are always capitalized

The following game objects are always considered unique and should always be capitalized:

• Status effects (Nausea, Fire Resistance, Haste, etc.)
• Potions
• Enchantments
• Achievements and advancements ("Time to Mine!", "Acquire Hardware", "Diamonds to You!")