The Humans in the Machine

Hi, Paul here again, CEO of CreeperHost.

We’ve talked about the hardware, the network, and the systems that make everything run.
But none of that means anything without the people behind it.
This one isn’t about servers or specs. This one’s about the humans that make it all work, and why we keep doing it.

Why I Still Do This

I still do this because, even with the ups and downs, it gives my life a kind of meaning I could never get from a normal nine-to-five. Keeping this whole thing running, for our customers and for the team, gives me purpose. I might not save lives like an emergency worker, but I really believe that what we do matters. Games and entertainment aren’t just distractions, they’re where people find peace, creativity, and community when the rest of the world feels too much. Helping to keep that space alive for others, that’s what keeps me going.

Over the years, there have been people who’ve shared that journey with me in ways I’ll never forget. Some were there at the very start, helping to build the foundation of what CreeperHost became. Others stepped in later when things were rough, reminding me that what we do has value, that it still means something to people out there. They helped me find my footing again when I needed it most.

We didn’t always see the world the same way, and that’s okay. Some wanted to take it further, some were more business minded than I’ll ever be, and in the end we all grew in different directions. It was the right thing for everyone, even if I miss them. They’ll always have my respect for what they helped create and for believing in this when it mattered most.

I’m currently being referred to adult social care because they believe I may have autism, and honestly, that tracks. It’s probably part of why I’ve always seen things differently, why I get lost in the details, why I care too much sometimes. But I think that’s also what’s helped CreeperHost stay what it is: real, focused, and built around people who actually care.

The Team That Keeps It Going

Draylynn keeps the company grounded and me sane. She doesn’t get lost in the technical details and always looks at things from the customer’s point of view. She sees things programmers miss, especially when debugging complex mod interactions. She has a unique way of cutting through the noise and reminding us what actually matters to the player.

Aaron was one of the earliest people to join me, someone who can look at our infrastructure and software and see the whole picture like I do. He doesn’t see roadblocks, he sees problems to engineer around. He’s logical, creative, and one of the few people who can connect every system in his head.

Travis is steadfast. Always there, always willing to help, even when things are rough. He’s experienced, deeply knowledgeable about modded Minecraft, and always learning something new. He’s even working on a game for the company right now.

Laughlan is the community’s champion. He works on mod loaders, maintains critical mods, writes our agents for game stats, and constantly pushes the modding world forward. He does it all because he loves it, not because anyone asked him to.

Ben has been a great addition. He brings a fresh set of eyes, writing wiki articles and spotting places where our systems are too complex. When you’ve done this for as long as we have, you need someone to point out what’s not obvious anymore. He’s learning fast and already makes a big difference.

Brandon is our steady hand on the other side of the world. Reliable, experienced, and consistent. The timezone gap means we don’t talk as much as I’d like, but his work always speaks for itself.

Matthew is a bit of chaos wrapped in reliability. He has ADHD, sure, but he’s been in this community for a long time and brings a lot of perspective and experience. He’s the kind of person who might go off on a tangent but always circles back with something valuable.

Leo brings the energy. She keeps our socials fresh, fun, and full of life. She’s younger than most of us, but she fits right in. Her humor, creativity, and energy keep the whole team feeling connected to the wider world.

The Partners, Projects, and Communities

CreeperHost has always been about more than servers. We’ve been lucky to work with some incredible communities and creators over the years.

We spent years supporting Feed The Beast and ATLauncher, two of the biggest modpack platforms in Minecraft’s history. Those partnerships helped shape what modern modded hosting even looks like.

We hosted MineThon 2015 right in our office, raising money for charity through a live event that mixed gaming, laughter, and good causes. Since then we’ve sponsored countless projects, mod developers, and streamers, helping to keep the modding scene alive.

We continue to sponsor ForgeCraft, the server where many top mod developers test and play together before releasing their work, and NeoForge, the glue that makes modpacks possible today.

We’ve also supported global initiatives like UN-Habitat’s Block by Block, proving that gaming can genuinely make a positive difference in the real world.

And of course, Love Tropics is coming up again soon. Just like every year before, we’ll be providing the infrastructure and support to help them raise money for good causes. It’s one of those events that reminds us why we do what we do, seeing communities come together and do something meaningful through gaming.

It’s easy to sell servers. It’s harder to build something that helps the world. We like to do both.

The Culture That Holds It Together

Most of us are giant nerds. Gamers, modders, anime fans, tinkerers, and people who can lose a whole evening tweaking a system that nobody else even notices.
But that’s exactly why it works.

We build what we actually need, not what a marketing team thinks people want. We’re the same as our users, just on the other side of the console. We’ve broken the same mods, fought the same crashes, and celebrated the same “it finally works” moments. That shared experience is what keeps CreeperHost personal, even as we keep growing.

It also says a lot that so many of our team have been here for years. Aaron has been with us for well over a decade, having first joined back at Insomnia 49. Travis is a good way towards a decade himself. Even Covers and Brandon have been part of CreeperHost for many years now.

People don’t stick around that long unless they care. We’re not a stopover on the way to something else, we’re a group of people who believe in what we’re doing, who want to see it keep growing, and who genuinely enjoy building something that matters together.

The Real Network

The hardware matters. The code matters. But it’s the people that make it real.
CreeperHost isn’t a faceless company, it’s a small team of real people who genuinely care about what we build and who we build it for.

The machines are the easy part.
The humans are the magic.

This post wraps up our deep dive into what makes CreeperHost tick, the hardware, the networks, the systems, and now the people.
But there’s still plenty more to come. You’ll be hearing from other members of the team (and maybe even me again) soon, as we start sharing more stories, updates, and behind-the-scenes posts that show what we're working on next.

- Paul (CEO, Founder, CreeperHost)