C02 – Section A: Video Games & Minecraft
Explain what it is, give an outline of the game’s history and explain why it has been a commercial and critical success
Minecraft is a sandbox computer game (one with an open structure where the player is free to play without specific objectives) created and designed by Swedish programmer Marcus "Notch" Persson in 2009 and fully developed and published by Mojang on May 17th. Players in sandbox games are free to explore an environment, to choose which tasks they do, and often they have the ability to express themselves creatively within the game. In Minecraft, players build structures out of textured cubes in a 3D world. The key activities are mining (gathering resources) and crafting (making things with these resources) include exploration and combat - the game is only limited by their imagination.
Minecraft has several different modes of play, and the two most popular are known as creative mode and survival mode. In survival mode the players start with nothing and have to explore, create and build in order to survive and progress in the game: they must collect and create all your tools, weapons, Armour etc.
Creation mode however is completely different, as players have access to all the items in the game (it is unlimited). They are able to roam the map and create their own games and build and wear whatever they want when they want - its completely under the players control. The player also gains the ability to fly and mobs are passive towards them, which would be appealing to people who want to build and produce. A key to Minecraft's success and popularity is this ability to create and customize, which is really only limited by the players imagination. Minecraft also doesn't need to advertise a lot because the creations that players make in the game are used to advertise.
Minecraft’s initial reception wasn’t commercially viable, seen more as a niche product for players with expert knowledge of computers and programming. The game wasn’t really publicly advertised and mostly got around through word of mouth and small magazines. However by January 2011, the beta-version of the game had passed over one million purchases in just only a month, and by April 2011 Persson estimated that US $33 million of revenue had been made. In November 2011, prior to the game’s official release, Minecraft had over 16 million registered users and 4 million purchases. Because it was released across multiple platforms (Xbox, Playstation, Nintendo Switch, IOS, Android, Windows and PC) interactivity was increased and many people enjoyed the fact that they could interact with friends despite not having the same devices. Therefore, Minecraft has been a huge commercial success with over 121 million copies of the game sold (as of February 2017). An estimated 55 million people play every month and Minecraft is the 2nd best selling game of all time (behind Tetris.) Spin-off games have also been published including Minecraft: Story Mode, created by Telltale Games and Minecraft: Education Edition, created by Microsoft to be used in education facilities globally.
Minecraft has influenced popular culture through social media. Minecraft video channels on Youtube and Twitch have huge followings - It allowed players to create walk-throughs and videos showing them playing Minecraft which created a community of people who share the love of Minecraft. A search for Minecraft on YouTube brings up 10 million different results. On top of this the game has received millions of dollars in merchandise revenue from T-Shirts to toys, and spawned its own convention, Minecon, which began in 2011. The convention has taken place in Las Vegas, Disneyland Paris, California, London and Orlando. In 2017, Minecon will take place via live-stream rather than a convention floor. A study at the University Pennsylvania found that 1/3 of people found out about Minecraft via social media. Most videos that are created or broadcasted on social media are mainly of players creations which helps to advertise the game. Videos also involve various mini games being played, explorations and survival modes. Social networks, such as Twitch, also promoted Minecraft, which continued the development of fan made media across social media platforms and dedicated fan sites and blogs, allowing Minecraft’s influence to widely spread.
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