In 2012, Persson explained that Minecraft 's blocky graphics inadvertently reinforced a default aesthetic for the game which is 'traditionally masculine'. In spite of his masculine name and features, Persson claimed that Steve's gender was never intended to be fixed. Side by side comparison of the 2014 character skins for Alex (left) and Steve (right) He wears a light blue top, a pair of blue trousers, and shoes. Steve's face consists of an eight-by-eight pixel image, usually adorned with a goatee. His name originated as an in-joke by Persson, and was confirmed as his official name in the Bedrock Edition of Minecraft. Steve is presented as a human character with a blocky appearance, which is consistent with the aesthetic and art style of Minecraft.

The character has also inspired a number of unofficial media and urban legends, most notably the ' Herobrine' creepypasta which became widely shared around internet communities as a meme during the 2010s. Considered by some critics as a mascot for the Minecraft intellectual property, his likeness has appeared extensively in advertising and merchandise, including wearable apparel and collectible items. Steve became a widely recognized character in the video game industry following the critical and commercial success of the Minecraft franchise. Depending on the version of Minecraft, players have a chance of spawning as either Steve or Alex when starting a new game.

His feminine counterpart, Alex, was first introduced in August 2014 for PC versions of Minecraft, with the other seven first debuting in the Java edition of the game in October 2022.

Steve lacks an official backstory by the developers of Minecraft as he is intended to be a customizable player avatar as opposed to being a predefined character. Created by Swedish video game developer Markus 'Notch' Persson and introduced in the initial Java-based version of Minecraft which was publicly released on May 17, 2009, Steve is one of nine default player character skins available for players of contemporary versions of Minecraft. Steve is a fictional character from the Minecraft video game.

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