
My cultural awakening: Minecraft taught me how to navigate life as a transgender person – one block at a time
But when you play this game for a decade you start to learn this incredible lesson about patience. It's essentially a game where you build your world one block at a time. In the moment it's this lovely dopamine-drip exercise, but recently it's started to change my perspective on the world. You look back at what you've created and begin to appreciate all the work you've put in. I know that might sound silly. It's just a game about blocks. But until you zoom out with time and perspective you don't appreciate it for what it is.
Since January, I've changed my approach to the game. We'd just shot my sitcom, Transaction, in the winter and it was a wonderful experience. But then Trump's inauguration happened halfway through and all this terrible messaging for transgender people came with it. It all got too much. Everything became about patching over that pain with personal achievement. And that's what Minecraft is on one level. You build and you build and you don't think about anything. But that's not a sustainable way to live. To stop and take a break and celebrate the things you have achieved – rather than trying to escape your worry by achieving more – is something I started to adopt.
So I've basically been playing Minecraft but not really building anything for the last six months. I just walk around and look at the water and the fish and the trees in these beautiful worlds that I've built. It's got this strange sense of hygge about it. It's a game where you can go hell for leather, or you can relax and turn relaxation into a craft. It's a cosy game and I didn't notice that until I needed a cosy place to escape to. The little journeys you take can be amazing. You can walk past a tree and even though it essentially stays the same over the years, you remember how that tree felt five years ago. There was a wolf here back then. It's a living memory palace that also happens to be beautifully rendered.
Sign up to Inside Saturday
The only way to get a look behind the scenes of the Saturday magazine. Sign up to get the inside story from our top writers as well as all the must-read articles and columns, delivered to your inbox every weekend.
after newsletter promotion
The other day, I was sitting by a lake in Minecraft. There's no opacity. No light bouncing off the water. You can just see through it and you know it's water and you get that same refreshing feeling. There's also a night and day cycle but it's expedited. So every five minutes the moon comes up, the sun comes down. And at night-time things get quite scary in the game. You have to go inside or the monsters will get you. There's a primeval connection – like a rewilding in a virtual world. I don't know if it's the healthiest way to live but it works for now.
When the world feels like it is moving incredibly fast, it's so helpful to think that it's all just a conglomeration of thousands and thousands of steps, thousands of tiny blocks being placed or moved. It's easy to forget that and think we've hit some sort of singularity where things have changed incredibly fast. That's not the case. It's just a series of tiny steps that are still happening. Minecraft constantly reminds me that we're in a state of movement. There's no big decision to be made now. We can go back and change things. We can take it down. Put it back together again. Take those components and change it into something new.
Jordan's show, Is That a C*ck in Your Pocket, or Are You Just Here to Kill Me?, is at Assembly Square George Garden, Edinburgh, to 24 August.
You can tell us how a cultural moment has prompted you to make a major life change by filling in the form below or emailing us on cultural.awakening@theguardian.com.
Please include as much detail as possible
Please note, the maximum file size is 5.7 MB.
Your contact details are helpful so we can contact you for more information. They will only be seen by the Guardian.
Your contact details are helpful so we can contact you for more information. They will only be seen by the Guardian.
If you include other people's names please ask them first.

Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles


Daily Mail
a few seconds ago
- Daily Mail
Trump tears apart 'racist sleazebag' Charlamagne Tha God after he criticized the president in front of his daughter-in-law
Donald Trump lashed out at Charlamagne Tha God, calling him a 'racist sleazebag' after he openly criticized the president in front of his daughter-in-law. 'The Breakfast Club' radio host sat down with Lara Trump, who is married to the president's son Eric Trump, on Saturday night as she asked him to rate her father-in-law's performance in office over the past six months. 'I wouldn't give it a good rating - simply because the least of us are still being impacted the worst,' Charlamagne, whose real name is Lenard Larry McKelvey, replied. 'Like when you look at something like the 'Big, Beautiful Bill'. That's something that I'm going to benefit from because of the tax bracket that I'm in. But there's going to be so many people that's hurt by that bill,' he added. Trump signed the 'Big, Beautiful Bill', a landmark piece of tax cuts and spending legislation, into law in early July. 'And you know, anything that, you know, takes away Medicaid from people and puts them in a worse financial situation then they were previously in - I'm not for,' Charlamagne, 47, added. Trump was not happy with the comments the media personality made - prompting him to make a scathing post on his Truth Social platform at 1.49am on Sunday. 'The very wonderful and talented Lara Trump, whose show is a big ratings success, put racist sleazebag Charlamagne 'The God' (Why is he allowed to use the word 'GOD' when describing himself? Can anyone imagine the uproar there would be if I used that nickname?),' Trump wrote. The president then ripped into the radio host, who voted for Kamala, for saying his Democratic presidential opponent is currently looking 'pretty, pretty good.' 'But this dope, Charlamagne, would vote for Sleepy Joe or Kamala? Remember, one year ago our Country was DEAD, now it's the 'HOTTEST' Country anywhere in the World. MAGA!!!,' the commander-in-chief wrote. He went on to call Charlamagne a 'Low IQ individual' who doesn't know what he's saying and does not know about the president. 'He's a Low IQ individual, has no idea what words are coming out of his mouth, and knows nothing about me or what I have done - like just ending 5 Wars, including a 31 year bloodbath between Republic of the Congo and Rwanda, where Seven Million people have died, and there was no end in sight,' Trump added. 'He didn't know that, or India and Pakistan or, wiping out Iran's nuclear capabilities, or closing the horrendous open Border, or creating the greatest economy, where prices and Inflation have come way down, and where STUPID and CORRUPT JOE BIDEN set the record for doing the Worst Job as President, EVER.' During the nearly 30 minute interview with Lara, Charlamagne said Americans are disappointed they are not getting the 'day one change' Trump promised during his campaign. 'Right now people are hurting! He campaigned on immediate change. Day one change,' he told her. Lara then asked: 'And you don't think you've felt any change?' He went on to call Charlamagne a 'Low IQ individual' who doesn't know what he's saying and does not know about the president 'No,' Charlamagne replied bluntly. She then went on to ask him specifically about his feelings on border security and Iran. 'Do you feel safer knowing that Iran will not have the ability to develop a nuclear weapon?,' she asked. 'Sure. If you're telling me that a county won't have the ability to build a nuclear weapon,' Charlamagne responded. When asked if he feels 'better' that American borders are closed, Charlamagne said he does, but he wants to see actual 'criminals and illegal immigrants' being deported, 'Not people who are here trying to go through the process of being in this country legally.' 'When you see people actually getting deported and getting detained and they're actually trying to go through a process of being American citizens, that's not right,' he continued. Although he voted for Harris in the 2024 election, Charlmagne is no stranger to lashing out against Democrats. 'When you look at Democrats' approval rating in this country, when you look at Republicans' approval rating in this county, you see that America's just fed up with it all,' he told the Fox News host. 'Like, Democrats suck. We know that already though. You know what I mean? So it's like…I knew that Trump would probably get in office again and fumble. 'But I also knew that Democrats wouldn't have the team put together properly to recover the ball. So what you're seeing right now from the American people is just a backlash to everything. People want something different.' Lara then asked if he thought the former vice president was the 'best representative' for Democrats in the recent election. 'Yes. If you look right now, she's looking pretty, pretty good because a lot of the things that she said President Trump would do, he actually did,' he answered. 'I did a segment on the Daily Show after he became president, and I was like, "Prove people wrong. Everything that everybody is saying about you, everything that they say you're going to do, all you gotta do is simply not do." But he did it anyway.'


Daily Mail
30 minutes ago
- Daily Mail
Squirrel and rattlesnake caught in brutal life-or-death battle - until clutch move saves the day
A San Diego squirrel proved that it's never a bad idea to root for the underdog after it engaged in a tense brawl with a lethal competitor. The San Diego National Wildlife Refuges shared the tense video depicting a ground squirrel tossing wood chips and asserting its dominance against a southern Pacific rattlesnake. As the rattlesnake hissed and prepared to pounce, the squirrel pushed woodchips in its face and stood strong in the face of danger. The squirrel wasn't rattled, as it flicked its tail at the snake, jumped around to confuse its foe, and kicked up woodchips to throw in its face. The SDNWR snapped the footage and shared it online to their followers, revealing that the bitter duel lasted a whole eight minutes. If you're wondering why a squirrel would taunt a rattlesnake - the experts explained that the snake had likely just eaten one of the squirrel's own. 'Ground squirrels don't just protect themselves, they defend their burrows, warn nearby squirrels, and sometimes even protect their young or close relatives,' the SDNWR shared. Squirrels are more clever than people realize and have even developed numerous tactics to ward off snakes and other predators. Squirrels have figured out how to confuse a snake's heat sensors by heating their tails. The squirrel pictured in the video was seen in an aggressive stance with its tail high in the air. The rattlesnake struck in response to the squirrel's taunts, but missed the critter, likely due to its full stomach from eating another squirrel. The critter pictured in the video was luckier than its friend as it escaped the rattlesnake, whose body was too full to properly attack. 'Just another wild moment on the refuge,' the SDNWR shared. The video went viral and generated thousands of comments, with animal enthusiasts taking the opportunity to share clever jokes about the fight. 'You know that squirrels has huge nuts. And I'm not talking about his stockpile,' one commenter joked. 'POV my boyfriend testing my limits till I snap at him,' another added. 'Lol the squirrel doing what they do best teasing and antagonizing,' a third noted. 'I was seriously yelling at that squirrel through the dang screen,' a fourth joked.


Daily Mail
30 minutes ago
- Daily Mail
People are just realizing hidden detail in Kai Trump's first Instagram post
Kai Trump, the eldest daughter of Donald Trump Jr. and Vanessa Haydon - and the oldest grandchild of former President Trump - was just 14 when she made her Instagram debut. Her very first post? A photo with her grandfather and Tiger Woods, taken on a sunny day at one of Trump's golf courses and shared on February 23, 2021. 'Wishing Tiger luck and a speedy recovery. Also wishing his family all the best in these incredibly trying times. Get well soon! #goat #tigerwoods,' she captioned the shot, referencing Woods' serious car crash in early 2021. Now four years later, people have been noticing the significance of the post after Kai's mother started dating the golfing legend. Vanessa and Trump Jr divorced in 2018 after 12 years of marriage and since Thanksgiving 2024 Vanessa has been dating Woods. Sharp-eyed fans have been commenting on Kai's first post with one writing: 'Ironic this is her first post when he's now dating her mom.' Now 18, Kai has made a name for herself in golf. A senior at The Benjamin School in North Palm Beach, Florida, she committed to the University of Miami last year and is poised to become a star in one of the country's top golf programs. She's also one of the most-followed student-athletes online, with a growing fanbase thanks to her YouTube channel and golf content. Last fall, she played against popular golf creator Garrett Clark and regularly shares behind-the-scenes vlogs. Her popularity has paid off. She recently landed a major NIL deal with Accelerator Active Energy, joining stars like Livvy Dunne and Travis Kelce. Her announcement video - complete with a mock presidential speech - showcased her signature humor: 'My fellow Americans and content creators. After months of reflection, I made a decision. I'll be running - no, stepping - into a new role. 'One with great responsibilities and 100 per cent natural caffeine. I've partnered with Accelerator!' Speaking to Fox, Kai said the 'organic' partnership was a natural fit: 'I love energy drinks… I don't eat a lot of sugar, because I get a little jittery and I crash and with accelerator there is no sugar and I don't crash at all.' She reportedly holds a $1.2 million NIL valuation and is now part of a brand lineup that includes Dunne - who launched her own cotton candy flavor in April - and Super Bowl champ Kelce. Kai is the eldest of Don Jr. and Vanessa's five children. Her younger siblings include Donny, 16, Tristan, 13, Spencer, 12, and Chloe, the youngest. Kai has previously spoken about how her grandfather has pushed her to be a better golfer. 'He taught me to just keep on working at it, and, honestly, I've gotten a lot better in past years with golf, but, he really just [taught me to keep] trying to keep on fighting and keep on practicing and whatnot,' she told 'Fox & Friends' last month. 'And I love playing golf… it's something that we share, a special bond together.' The high school student also spoke about the difficulties in having such famous relatives. 'I mean, it's a lot to handle sometimes with the public eye and also being a high school student and just like a normal kid,' she said. 'But honestly I wouldn't trade it for anything. I'm very lucky and grateful for the opportunity I have to meet all these people and meet world leaders. 'I'm very thankful and just lucky to have this opportunity.'