Minecraft

Minecraft is a sandbox game created and created by Markus Persson (Notch) who started making the game in 2009 using Java who then developed and published it through his company of Mojang with simple instructions on how to play it: explore, mine, build. It was originally thought to be a game that only fellow programmers and nerds would play and used word of mouth to advertise it but has since become the most successful video game of all time; It has sold over 240 million copies since the full version was released in 2011.There were two game modes, that being creative and survival but since its release has added spectator, adventure and education modes.

Statistics

  • 141 million active players
  • in 2021 had 93 million active players in 2021
  • 131 million in 2020
  • 380 million dollars
  • Minecraft Chinese Edition which is free has been downloaded 400 million times

Critical and commercial success

Minecraft isn't just a huge commercial success (made lots of money) but also a huge critical success (highly rated). It has won awards at the BAFTA awards and the Golden Joystick awards

Social contexts

  • YouTube has spawned a big community of Minecraft YouTubers who are so influential to Minecraft that featured them in Minecraft Storymode

Economic contexts

  • bought for 2.5 billion
  • Realms cost 7.99 for a Minecraft world that anyone that's invited can go on when they want

Why was Minecraft so successful?:

  • YouTube was a big part of why Minecraft was so successful
  • constant updates
  • cross platform and on all platforms
  • synergy
  • infinite possibilities
  • multiple audiences
  • addictive

The Big Deal

Microsoft bought Mojang in 2014 for 2.5 billion dollars. Since then, Microsoft has made lots of merch with Minecraft as well as separate games like Minecraft: Story Mode and Minecraft: Dungeons and have a 100-year plan with Minecraft. Examples of Minecraft merch include:
  • Diamond Armour Halloween costume
  • 'Craft all day, mine all night' shirt
  • Minecraft Fox light
  • Minecraft Oliver bag
  • Minecraft torch bottle
Microsoft has since made a 69 million dollar deal to buy Activision/Blizzard.

Minecraft has been referenced in other media too, like The Simpsons and Lady GaGa's music video for G.U.Y.
A Minecraft Movie is in production but has been in development hell with no real news since its announcement in 2014 with the directors of the Lego movie initially being attached to the project. The latest news has cast Jason Mamoa to star in the movie
Minecraft has been given a PEGI 7 rating however Minecraft Story Mode has been given a PEGI 12 for its mild bad language

Wider industry

Gaming came back in a major way during COVID

practice question

Discuss the ways the ownership of a company can influence a computer game and its development. Make reference to Minecraft in your answer.
  • Mojang->Microsoft 2.5 billion deal and how move affected
  • compare to another game
  • merch, story mode, education edition changes
  • however graphics + gameplay the same
The company that owns a computer game has a major impact on what the game looks like, how it changes, and how well it is received by audiences. Minecraft is a perfect example of this moving from independent, small Mojang to the massive financial power of Microsoft. This led to lots of change through the core gameplay did remain the same. Other games like Zelda have an easier time with ownership (Nintendo) whilst other games like FIFA/EAFC have disastrous consequences when ownership changes.
Early in 2009 Minecraft was a blocky interactive game still in progress. In some ways, it still is! The company, Mojang, was effectively Marcus Persson himself (Notch) developing the game in his spare time. So the games basic mode reflects the low budget and production. Survival mode battling with mobs such as zombies and creepers. Whilst none of this changed when Microsoft bought Mojang for 2.5 billion in 2014 the types of gameplay expanded with new story mode and the introduction of Minecraft education packaged worldwide with Microsoft PCs so the huge buying power and links Microsoft have, led to the explosion of new revenue streams like realms and merch and ways of interacting
The development team at Nintendo experienced no such changes in their development of Tears Of Kingdom(2023). The same team made the game has worked on previous games in the franchise for 23 years, and was made with the Nintendo Switch in mind for controls, sharing the advantage of vertical integration and stability of games development
Interactivity is key for Minecraft and in this respect the ownership of the game has seen some key changes. Early on users could see each other's builds and interact. Since the takeover, Realms now allows users full control of their own server, using resources that a smaller company simply could not manage. In other ways too Minecraft interacts more such as Minecraft Live, a well funded evolution Minecon which audiences choose new mobs like this years armadillo.
The company's reputation, rights and status made a huge difference too. Microsoft was not always popular with Minecraft fans, but its products are everywhere and the Xbox has been a success. Some fans stuck with them. Not all games are as lucky-the FIFA series losing their image rights led to the critically-unsuccessful EAFC which may spell the end of the franchise losing millions of players in 2023.
Ultimately ownership dictates graphics, gameplay, interactivity a huge amount of factors for a game but an ownership change doesn't always mean disaster as long as it is done sensibly.

Minecraft live:

  • Talk about update
  • live mob vote
  • reflects on community
  • reflects on community
  • pe show with content creators from around the world
  • talk about other Minecraft games
  • usually hosted by Jens and Agnes
  • 2023 backlash on them not adding all three
  • 2023 vote was in game as opposed to the website it was in previous years

The Sniffer won the mob vote of 2022

The Armadillo won the mob vote of 2023

Minecraft Marketplace

where players are able to buy skins, worlds, realms, texture packs and more to users. Minecoins is the currency used on the marketplace. The profits made are split 50/50 between Microsoft and the creators on the marketplace. 350 million dollars made by Microsoft. Examples of items you can buy include:
  • Meme mask skin pack
  • Vanilla HD texture pack
  • Beach island world
There is a new subscription called the Marketplace Pass where players can get 150+ items on the marketplace with the subscription.

Minecraft Realms

subscription service where you can pay to make your own personal server which people can play on even if you are not online, you can choose who plays and who doesn't. It costs $7.99 USD a month for that and a selection of other skins and worlds and textures.

Minecraft Education

Packaged with Windows for schools to teach kids about topics using Minecraft to engage them better than traditional teaching would while also allowing Minecraft to seem like a better brand to parents and kids.

Minecraft VR and AR

Persson was against the idea of Minecraft VR but after buying the game, Microsoft got work with Oculus to make a VR version of the game. In 2019 the AR game Minecraft Earth was released but flopped due to COVID and people not being allowed to leave the house despite the success of Pokémon Go and was shut down in 2021.

Minecraft Storymode

Made by Telltale games

Minecraft Audience

Minecraft's audience can be anyone as it is so accessible and diverse










practice question

Discuss the ways the ownership of a company can influence a computer game and its development. Make reference to Minecraft in your answer.
  • Mojang->Microsoft 2.5 billion deal and how move affected
  • compare to another game
  • merch, story mode, education edition changes
  • however graphics + gameplay the same
The company that owns a computer game has a major impact on what the game looks like, how it changes, and how well it is received by audiences. Minecraft is a perfect example of this moving from independent, small Mojang to the massive financial power of Microsoft. This led to lots of change through the core gameplay did remain the same. Other games like Zelda have an easier time with ownership (Nintendo) whilst other games like FIFA/EAFC have disastrous consequences when ownership changes.
Early in 2009 Minecraft was a blocky interactive game still in progress. In some ways, it still is! The company, Mojang, was effectively Marcus Persson himself (Notch) developing the game in his spare time. So the games basic mode reflects the low budget and production. Survival mode battling with mobs such as zombies and creepers. Whilst none of this changed when Microsoft bought Mojang for 2.5 billion in 2014 the types of gameplay expanded with new story mode and the introduction of Minecraft education packaged worldwide with Microsoft PCs so the huge buying power and links Microsoft have, led to the explosion of new revenue streams like realms and merch and ways of interacting
The development team at Nintendo experienced no such changes in their development of Tears Of Kingdom(2023). The same team made the game has worked on previous games in the franchise for 23 years, and was made with the Nintendo Switch in mind for controls, sharing the advantage of vertical integration and stability of games development
Interactivity is key for Minecraft and in this respect the ownership of the game has seen some key changes. Early on users could see each other's builds and interact. Since the takeover, Realms now allows users full control of their own server, using resources that a smaller company simply could not manage. In other ways too Minecraft interacts more such as Minecraft Live, a well funded evolution Minecon which audiences choose new mobs like this years armadillo.
The company's reputation, rights and status made a huge difference too. Microsoft was not always popular with Minecraft fans, but its products are everywhere and the Xbox has been a success. Some fans stuck with them. Not all games are as lucky-the FIFA series losing their image rights led to the critically-unsuccessful EAFC which may spell the end of the franchise losing millions of players in 2023.
Ultimately ownership dictates graphics, gameplay, interactivity a huge amount of factors for a game but an ownership change doesn't always mean disaster as long as it is done sensibly.

Audiences will now demand the continual evolution of a text. Minecraft does this extremely well by updating the game regularly with new mobs, biomes and features. For example the Nether update which changed the Nether dimension in the game to add biomes like the soul sand valley, mobs like the piglin and structures like the bastion to completely change a dimension that has been in the game for years. Updates like this keep the game fresh so that players who may have lost interest in the game will go back and play it again to retain a large player base. Other games like Fortnite also evolve by adding new maps, modes and cosmetics it does not engage with its audience for what this new content should be. Minecraft however uses the mob vote to vote in new mobs like the armadillo, sniffler and glow squid. This follows audience's demands for continually evolving media.




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