Editing Steve (Minecraft) (section)

===Cultural impact===

Critics noted that Steve has achieved a level of cultural impact and viral recognition outside of the character's original purpose as a baseline or default skin for new players of ''Minecraft''. As the face of the franchise in [[Promotional material|promotional]] and [[advertising]] materials,<ref name=":0" /> some commentators consider Steve to be the closest character ''Minecraft'' has to a protagonist or [[main character]].{{sfn|Goldberg|Larsson|2013}}<ref name=":2" /> This is in spite of the fact that his existence is not asserted by way of an official backstory or in-game dialogue unlike most other video game characters.<ref name="Greatest">{{cite book |editor=Jaime Banks |editor2=Robert Mejia |editor3=Aubrie Adams |title=100 Greatest Video Game Characters |date=June 23, 2017 |publisher=Rowman & Littlefield, 2017 |pages=184–186 |isbn=978-1-59582-768-5}}</ref> In 2016, ''[[Glixel]]'' staff ranked Steve as the 4th most iconic video game character of the 21st century.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.glixel.com/news/lists/50-most-iconic-video-game-characters-of-the-21st-century-w449203/steve-w449259 |title=50 Most Iconic Video Game Characters of the 21st Century |date=November 23, 2016 |website=Glixel |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161123084532/http://www.glixel.com/news/lists/50-most-iconic-video-game-characters-of-the-21st-century-w449203/steve-w449259 |archive-date=November 23, 2016 |url-status=dead}}</ref> In a 2021 list published by ''[[GamesRadar]]'' which rank 50 iconic video game characters, Rachel Weber considered Steve to be the "enduring symbol" of ''Minecraft'', and his character model to be one of the most instantly recognizable silhouettes in video game culture.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.gamesradar.com/best-game-characters/ |title=50 iconic video game characters |first=Rachel |last=Weber |date=November 8, 2021 |website=gamesradar}}</ref>

Steve has been the subject of multiple fan theories spread around Internet communities.<ref>{{cite web |last=Rundle |first=Michael |date=January 19, 2015 |title=This Theory Might Change The Way You Think About 'Minecraft' |url=https://www.huffingtonpost.co.uk/2015/01/19/minecraft-backstory-theory_n_6500852.html |access-date=October 11, 2021 |website=HuffPost UK}}</ref> One theory alleged that Steve is based on [[Tommy Vercetti]], the protagonist of ''[[Grand Theft Auto: Vice City]]'', due to the alleged physical resemblance between both characters. It relied on a 2009 [[Tumblr]] post by Persson which documented his progress working on ''Minecraft'', where he confirmed that he used designs inspired by ''Grand Theft Auto'' video games as a foundation for his work.<ref name="SVG" /> In 2020, Persson publicly responded on social media and denied any tangible connections between both characters.<ref name="SVG" />