Testing the Durability of a Minecraft Dummy

Hello, cube friends! Today, I decided to do something completely crazy. Ever since NPC dummies appeared in Minecraft 1.21, I’ve heard a lot of talk about how «alive» and «realistic» they are. And then I had this thought: «How realistic are they? Could they... replace me?» Thus, the great experiment was born: me versus my plastic twin. Who’s cooler? Let’s find out!

Round 1: Beauty Contest

First, I created my clone. A command, a bit of NBT tag magic, and there he was — standing tall, looking sharp. I dressed him in my best diamond armor (the one with «Protection IV» enchantment that I’d been saving for the dragon fight). I put on the same armor myself. We stood side by side.

Honestly, from the outside, it was hard to tell us apart. The dummy stood in a proud pose I had set for him — hand on hip, head slightly tilted. He looked confident, maybe too confident. I tried to mimic his pose. And you know what? My back started to hurt. Literally within a minute. The dummy, however, stood like a rock. Unmoving, perfect... and a little creepy.

Result: Point to the dummy for endurance and photogenic qualities. As for me, I’m off to stretch my back.

Round 2: Durability Test

The next stage — survival. «What if a creeper attacks us?» I thought. An experiment is an experiment! I spawned a green friend at a safe distance. Naturally, it ran straight at me, completely ignoring my soulless twin. As an experienced player, I ran away and then skillfully dealt with it using my sword.

The dummy? Well, the dummy didn’t even flinch. The creeper could have exploded right at his feet, and he would’ve still stood there in his dramatic pose. It was something else. On one hand — fearlessness. On the other — a complete lack of self-preservation instinct.

Result: Point to me! For knowing how to survive and not standing like a statue when a walking TNT is coming your way.

Round 3: Social Interaction

I decided to test how the villagers would react to us. My plastic «me» and I headed to the nearest village. I approached a villager, traded, and exchanged wheat for emeralds. Business as usual.

Then I pushed the dummy towards another villager. Reaction? None. The villager simply walked around him, as if he were a strangely placed fence. My twin stood alone in the middle of the village square while the villager children ran around him playing tag. He was completely ignored. I even felt a little sorry for him.

Result: Another point for me! The ability to trade and be part of society — not something to take lightly.

Final Conclusions

The score is 2:1 in my favor! Yes, I won. But honestly, this experiment revealed something important. The NPC dummy is the ideal version of me. He always looks great, isn’t afraid of danger (because he doesn’t understand it), and doesn’t need to eat. I, on the other hand, am alive, restless, sometimes clumsy, but capable of interacting with the world.

Dummies are a fantastic tool for creating stories and decorations. They can be heroes, guards, traders — anything in our frozen scenes. But they will never replace a real player. And perhaps that’s their greatest charm. They’re not our competitors but our helpers in creativity.

Now I’m going to take my armor off him. Because, honestly, he looks better in it than I do. See you in the world of blocks.