Welcome to the first installment of our new interview series, "10 Questions With," where we explore the journeys and insights of the talented creators behind some of your favorite mods!

We're kicking things off with YUNG, a well-known modder in the Minecraft modding community. His innovative world generation mods, like YUNG's Better Caves and YUNG's Better Mineshafts, have captivated millions of players, reshaping the way we explore Minecraft. Alongside his team, YUNG has continued to raise the bar for Minecraft mods, focusing on unique content and gameplay-first designs.

In this interview, YUNG shares his journey and favorite fan moments and even teases some exciting upcoming projects. Thank you for talking with us YUNG!

How did you first get into Minecraft modding? Was there a specific moment or idea that made you want to create your own mods?

I’ve been playing modded Minecraft for a long time (since the early beta days), but the first mod I made was actually right after I graduated college. I was looking for fun, quick development projects that I could add to my resume. Since I was playing a lot of modded Minecraft at the time (as unemployed people love to do), I naturally came to the conclusion that I should make a Minecraft mod!

Your mods, especially the world generation ones, have become really popular. What inspired you to focus on world generation, and what do you think makes your mods stand out in the Minecraft community?

My first mod, YUNG’s Better Caves, came about simply because I thought it would be cool if Minecraft had more interesting cave systems. There was a huge lack of cave mods at the time (and underground content in general), so it seemed like an easy area for me to focus on. After Better Caves, underground structures seemed like a natural extension of that idea - and from there, I just kept making more structure mods since I already knew how to do it!

As for what makes my mods stand out, I think it’s primarily my attention to detail as it pertains to gameplay. Most of my structures are designed gameplay-first; that is, I primarily focus on ensuring that traversing the structure is a fun experience for the player. I want to make sure structures can be approached and explored in various ways, and that the player is rewarded for being skillful or creative. Aesthetics and other concerns are of course important as well, but those are secondary to gameplay.

You've been modding full-time for a while now. How has your approach to creating mods evolved since you first started, and what keeps you motivated to keep making new content?

This is a tough question to answer because my process for creating mods has changed in many ways since I first began with Better Caves. I think the biggest change for many projects is that I’ve largely shifted from being a developer to a project manager. The team’s size has grown quite a bit since I began, so I have to spend a lot of time overseeing development, performing code reviews, and ensuring everything is getting done on time. Of course, for my flagship “YUNG’s Better” mods, I’m still usually the only dev :).

Working on mods for YouTubers can be stressful due to high workloads and tight deadlines, but it's always worth it in the end.

When it comes to motivation to continue making content, having supportive fans of my work helps a lot. Also, it’s just fun! Modding was fun when I started five years ago, and it’s still just as fun to me now.

One of the coolest things you’ve done is create private mods for well-known Minecraft YouTubers, like Mr. Beast. What was it like working on custom mods for such high-profile creators?

Oh yeah, we’ve had the privilege of making mods for several large YouTubers including MrBeast, Fundy, and Forge Labs. It’s still kind of surreal to me haha. Working on mods for YouTubers can be stressful due to the high workloads and tight deadlines - especially the MrBeast mod, which included a boss fight and two new dimensions with only a two-month development timeframe! It’s always worth it in the end though, as we get the privilege of making really cool content for millions of people to see.

Minecraft modding has come a long way over the years. What’s been the most exciting development in the Minecraft modding scene for you?

The increase in both quality and quantity of mods. More mods are being made now than ever before, and many of them include literal professional-grade artwork and code. It’s been really cool to see everyone in the community collectively improve their respective skill sets, and to see myself grow as a part of that change as well.

With so many players loving your mods, what’s been your favorite fan reaction or feedback that really stood out to you?

When I first created Better Caves, I made a Reddit post sharing its release with the community. I remember being very nervous about the post, as it was my first time sharing my own creative project with the online masses. The reception was generally positive, but one user stuck out in particular. They were a real-life spelunker (someone who explores caves) who proceeded to spend the next week sending me messages and screenshots about their experience exploring Better Caves and how much fun it had been. They were my first real fan. It really meant a lot to me, and I’ll always appreciate them for their support.

I am a firm believer that modders deserve to be paid for their hard work.

CurseForge has been a major platform for sharing your mods with the community. From your perspective, what features have been the most helpful to you as a creator, and are there any tools or improvements you’d like to see added to make things even better?

The new project page description editor is a massive help. Also a big fan of the statistics page. I’d love to have the ability to see statistics further in the past, as well as some other statistics such as page views and unique downloads.

If you could imagine the future of Minecraft modding, where do you think it’s heading? Are there any trends or new possibilities you’re particularly excited about?

Minecraft modding is only getting bigger, and I’m excited to see where it goes! There aren’t any particular trends I’m watching at the moment, but I’m hopeful that as the modding scene grows, more and more people will be able to create mods for a living. I am a firm believer that modders deserve to be paid for their hard work.

For gamers who are thinking about getting into modding but don’t know where to start, what’s your top piece of advice?

For players, I would just browse the most popular modpacks on CurseForge and pick one that sounds fun! Popular packs aren’t necessarily the best, but they’re popular for a reason, and they’re bound to offer plenty of solid content for new players.

For developers, I definitely recommend spending a few weeks learning the basics of Java if you don’t already know it. Trust me, it will save you a lot of headaches in the future. Once you do that, I highly recommend watching Kaupenjoe’s modding tutorial videos as a starting point! He makes really great community resources for a variety of Minecraft versions and mod loaders.

Lastly, can you give us a sneak peek into any exciting new projects you’re working on? What can the Minecraft community expect from you in the near future?

YUNG’s Cave Biomes, the spiritual successor to the first mod I ever made, will be out very soon. Myself and the rest of the team put a lot of love and effort into it, so I hope you guys like it. After that, I’ll be working on a big redesign to YUNG’s Better Mineshafts. And then - finally - YUNG’s Roads, a mod that will add procedurally generated pathways connecting villages and other structures.

I’ve got one other big project planned, and it will be quite unlike any of my previous mods in both scope and theme.. but that one stays secret for now :)

You can check out more of YUNG's work on CurseForge or follow his updates on X - @YUNGNICKYOUNG.