Finding a Minecraft Server Niche
Each person finds all the gamemodes fun and/or boring in different ways. Personally, I find gamemodes that offer creative building rewarding. If you're the person who likes to keep things simple and is looking for a place where you can simply kill mobs until your character levels up, then you might be interested in finding a Minecraft server where that's the focus. I hope this article helps you find the perfect Minecraft server for your needs.
Survival is not a Niche
There are many different types of gamemodes; skyblock, prison, factions, survival, towny, and so on. All of them have different features to offer their players. The gamemode that has been around since the beginning, and still is one of the most popular gamemodes, is Survival. Even though it's one of the most played gamemodes, it doesn't describe itself in its name. This is a flaw I see in Minecraft servers frequently. Anybody can host an opportunity to play survival on a server, but what if you wanted something unique? You would need to find a server with more than just survival as an option.
Creative Servers are Common
In my personal experience, I have found that servers which offer creative game modes are the ones that tend to attract me more than other servers. Minecraft is an open world sandbox game, so why not embrace the creativity that can be used by players? Focusing on a creative type of game could provide the flexibility to develop your own creation. Nothing is more satisfying than seeing that thing you've worked hard on come to life. The creative gamemodes offer opportunities where you can develop your own world with friends or other players, and so that's why I think I tend to like these types of servers more.
Build a Mode with PLugins
The most popular servers are ones created by developers who incorporate plugins that have been made specifically for their server. For example, Bukkit has many different plugins available for people who wish to make their server function in a specific way. There are plugins you can download for your server and it can be customized to suit your needs. You'll find that most of the servers have similar plugins installed, but yet still different due to each server owner's personal tweaks. The servers which have plugins will generally require more work but are guaranteed to offer more functionality than those who don't.
Truly Custom = Custom PLugins
Server owners aren't always creating their own plugins, so they need to be selective in what type of gamemode they decide to create. For example, if you like creative games and wish to host a Minecraft server on your own, you might want to try making your own gamemode instead of downloading one already created by somebody else. There are many servers like this, such as Wynncraft!