Behind a soft haze of smoke sits one of the Humbugs’ most intriguing, and reclusive, magical being. This week, we caught up with The Green Wizard, a chill, quiet force who prefers working on his own, meticulously building his castle away from the noise. As our “Getting to Know the Humbugs” series continues, we look past the lore to explore his craft. From his stunning attention to detail to his obsession with fantastical immersion, here is a look inside the quiet world of the crew’s resident architect of magic.
Your gamertag, Alkatar the Green Wizard, carries mystery and old-school fantasy vibes. Where does the name originate, and how long have you been wandering the digital realms as Alkatar?
The origins of Alkatar the Green go back to late 2001, when I made my first trip to the Texas Renaissance Festival. After that, I spent a few weeks brainstorming ideas for a character and then dressed up for the first time in 2002. Over the years, I have also used the character in DnD campaigns, various social media accounts, and video games like Minecraft.
You’ve mentioned you’ve been gaming all the way back since the Atari era on your Threads; What was the first game that hooked you, and how has your perspective on gaming evolved from the Atari days to modern sandbox games like Minecraft?
The first video game I remember playing on the Atari 2600 was Pong Sports. Being able to play games on our television opened a whole new world of entertainment. For me, gaming has always been about having fun and spending time with family and friends. These days those people aren’t just in your own home or neighborhood, they can be all over the world. I still enjoy gaming today, as much as I did back then, whether I’m playing an Atari or NES game, or a more modern game like Fortnite or Minecraft.
You are currently taking on a massive solo project building an immersive castle all on your own. What inspired the vision for the castle, and what is the hardest part about tackling a mega build?
Over the years, I’ve built multiple different wizard towers, and that was my original plan for HumbleCraft. After starting though, I realized just how much space I had on the island, and the idea of a Medieval castle came to mind. I have always loved learning about the Middle Ages, so I watched videos on castles from that era and designed the basic shape. Then the hard part began, reshaping the outer wall and terraforming the land from level 77 down to 65. It was time consuming, but also fun, seeing everything slowly come to life
On the flip side of your grand castle, you also built a super cute hobbit hole in the Homestead area. How do you balance the mindset between designing a massive, towering fortress and crafting a cozy, small-scale build?
I approach most builds the same way and (over)plan everything, no matter the size. I’m awful at building freestyle, and always watch videos, check Pinterest, and sketch out ideas. The Hobbit House was a nice break from Humble Castle. Even though I could see progress, I knew the castle was still far from finished, so building the smaller house, it felt nice completing a project.
As a huge Star Wars fan, if you had to compare the spirit of Star Wars to Minecraft, what do you think they have in common?
I was lucky enough to see the original Star Wars movie in a theater when I was 4. So, I’ve been able to watch it grow from one movie to the massive universe that exists today. There seems to be no limit on how big it can become, just like Minecraft worlds. Star Wars adds people, places, and new stories, while Minecraft adds new biomes, blocks, and animals, so there will always be something new in both worlds.
If you could bring one piece of Star Wars lore or technology into Minecraft, what would it be and why?
I would love to bring The Force from Star Wars into Minecraft, so we could detect creepers sooner and stop having my builds blown up by those annoying pests! I do own Minecraft Star Wars skins, even though I dress as the Wizard 99% of the time. Maybe a Jedi skin would help with the creepers.
What is your absolute favorite block in Minecraft—visually or just to build with?
Since they were introduced, the various Deepslate blocks have been my favorite to build with. The darker colors give builds a more aged look, which fits in perfectly for wizard towers and castles. Thankfully, many fellow Humbugs donated Deepslate during construction of the castle.
Redstone wizardry, interior decorating, or external terraforming—which is your favorite part of a build?
For a wizard, I am bad with Redstone. Terraforming is a necessary evil, like going to the dentist. So, I would go with interior decorating. It helps complete builds and finish the story you are trying to tell. It is always fun exploring a building and seeing somebody’s creative decorations.
As our discord chat wrapped up, it was cool to see how naturally his passions bleed into his craft. Casually dropping references to classic Atari games, Star Wars lore, and the renaissance faire. He might keep to himself off in his own corner of the never ending world, but The Green Wizard is quietly building something unforgettable, one deep slate block at a time.
