Zohran Mamdani’s Twitch Debut Took a Surprising Turn When He Admitted He’d Never Heard of Minecraft

New York City mayor Zohran Mamdani has openly admitted that gaming isn’t really his thing. While he’s dabbled in titles like Sim City and FIFA, and even tossed out a Mario Kart reference during a policy discussion, today he took to the popular streaming platform Twitch for a new show called “Talk with the People.” Although he didn’t dive into any gaming, the chat was buzzing with suggestions for him to jump into Minecraft, Fortnite, and Undertale, amidst a flurry of spam and genuine questions from New Yorkers. He even confessed he didn’t know much about Minecraft, aside from a less-than-stellar movie adaptation. Ouch.

Mamdani’s stream was more straightforward than the chaotic chat might suggest. He tackled various city issues, including his plans to address the budget deficit, changes to SNAP eligibility in NYC, and ongoing initiatives to provide free childcare for families. He also updated viewers on his commitment to make buses fast and free, a promise he aims to fulfill by the end of his term in 2030.

During the stream, he fielded questions from viewers, mostly revolving around NYC legislation, sports, and city culture. When one viewer asked if he would play Minecraft, he seemed completely out of the loop, associating the game with something far less appealing.

“I’ve gotta be honest, I have not played Minecraft,” Mamdani admitted. “How do you play Minecraft? Is it a computer game? […] I sound so old, because to me, Minecraft is a movie that I knew was based on a video game.”

Mamdani even pondered if he was too old to grasp what the game is, which is surprising since he’s only a year older than many gamers. Seriously, Mayor, come hang out with us; we’ll get you up to speed.

While he didn’t directly address the chat’s antics, about 28 minutes in, co-host and experienced streamer Moose urged viewers to “try to be a little respectful” and “keep it family friendly.” Unfortunately, the chat didn’t seem to take that advice to heart.