Minecraft Essay

MINECRAFT

Minecraft is what would be described as a ’sandbox game’, which means it involves virtual lands where players have the ability to create their own worlds and open structures. It gives the choice of exploring what’s surrounds you and taking part in tasks. A game that has been described as virtual Lego, involving simple instruction to explore and build is why many people are interested in taking part. Minecraft has two predominant game modes: Creative or Survival, but it has recently added modes such as Adventure, Spectator and Multi-player. Many are captivated towards Minecraft as it has been described as a game with no rules or with a set objective that needs to be achieved-players have the flexibility to express themselves.

Moreover, this game is available on multiple platforms, including computers; phones; tablets; Xbox; or PlayStations, reinforcing why it has become such a popular game amongst people of all ages. Different versions of Minecraft have been released throughout the years in order to entice a range of different audiences.

The idea originated and was created by Swedish programmer Marcus Perrson (nicknamed the “Notch”), and was further developed and published by the company Mojang. Its release in May 2009 has resulted in it becoming one of the most popular games across the world. In less than a year it had passed 100,000 registered users and by January 2011 it surpassed 1 million sales. In addition to this, by September 2012 there were 12 million sales, then 13 come December a few months later. Due to its popular demand and high sales, it was later bought by Microsoft in September 2014 for $2.5 billion.

However, Minecraft’s initial reception was not commercially viable. Originally the game was seen more as a niche product for players with expert knowledge of computers and programming. Without the commercial backing of a mainstream publisher, alongside little money spent on advertising revenue, it provoked the game in having to rely on word of mouth between players. Furthermore, audiences sharing their own modes and game footage and sharing them on social media and YouTube are anyway in which the game itself was advertised by Minecraft’s own players.  Also, it had featured on sites such as the Penny Arcade web comic to generate interest and entice even more gamers.  As the game obtained popularity, Minecraft was released across multiple platforms, which further resulted in it becoming a commercially viable franchise with increased interactivity amongst its players.

In 2019 it is mentioned that Warner Brothers will join together with Mojang to release Minecraft the movie. There is anticipation that the movie will have as much commercial success as The Lego Movie or any other Warner Brothers Movie. There is also mentioning of several spin-offs being produced as a result of this. It emphasizes the growth of Minecraft in 10 years and highlights that it is a game that is still played and remembered, not forgotten unlike other games. Overall the game is a global and commercial success, being praised by many high profile critics as well as gaming institutions.

In addition to Minecraft’s success, a quote reinforcing another reason for their popularity says ‘The way games are designed often encourages critical thinking and reflective learning, commonly desirable attributes in graduates’. This informs us that unlike other games it helps users to think and plan what they are doing and will build, stimulating the brain and allowing people to learn as they go along. It can be seen as an educational game as well as a fun and playful game to enjoy.

To conclude, Minecraft is an indie game which has been developing and captivating its audience from the beginning and has been increasing its popularity as time goes on. The success from the game is made up by many single components which have been brought together to make it a fun, enjoyable and long-lasting success. The elements of independence or multi-player gives players a choice and allows them to feel comfortable and play in the way they want to. The multi-platform feature also allows players to experience the game choosing the form they wish. Minecraft has been a huge success in little under 10 years and is said to still be developing and intriguing new people world-wide!