Introduction to Minecraft- Why and how has Minecraft been a commercial and critical success?

Minecraft has become hugely commercially and critically successful as a multi-platform game, known as an ‘open game’. The aim and key focuses of the game are specifically building, strategy and the idea of a survival game where you have unlimited lives and can respawn all around the map. Although Minecraft falls under the genre of a sandbox indie game which typically doesn’t attract a wide audience, however, Minecraft has been majorly popular because during in 2009 (when it was released) there was nothing similar currently around.

A lot of the company’s success is due to the unique style and blocky look that the game creates which allows a range of textures and patterns which are classically known and people will associate with Minecraft.

Minecraft has not been created in an attempt to compete with cinematic graphics and instead uses a grid based format which makes the concept of building much simpler and therefore attracts a larger range of audiences from the age 8+. This also gives the game to have educational element as it allows children to create and develop their own world where they can learn both practical skills and social skills. The game teaches the player how to build axes, hoes, and other tools, as well as giving them a chance to farm crops and animals and make food. Similarly, a player can connect with friends and join their own worlds or open severs then within the game the players can chat and write messages which send to all of the other players in the server. This helps to build social skills and can help people work within a group to build something or to play a game.

The creator Markus ‘Notch’ Persson reduced the cost by making the game initially based off of a simple idea (the pixel look format). Additionally, by Persson developing the game on his own it allowed him to keep the cost lower rather than having to employ multiple creators to begin with, which he can now afford and he currently has 15-20 developers working for him. Without any commercial backing of a mainstream publish, Persson relied on word of mouth alone which lucky quickly spread.

Minecraft (Mojang) has worked alongside of multiple clothing and toy companies, such as; Lego where mini figures have been created, for example: Steve, creepers, cows, sheep, chickens, along with many other characters and figures within the game. Smaller companies also make Minecraft merchandise like cardboard cut outs, plastic figurines, similar figurines but in surprise packaging where you only find out what character you have got once you have brought the product. Companies like these also sell hand books, manuals and annuals for example the Egmont group. Mojang collaborated with the company “J!NX” to release a clothing line which featured tops, pyjamas, hats and other clothing items. This helps to increase the success of Minecraft and again is another effective way of getting the name around and gaining interest in the game.

The game allows the player to do multiple things such as buy new skins where they can dress up as different characters within the game, some skins are free and you can download apps where you can create your own skin then download it onto Minecraft, this helps to keep the gamers interested as by adding extra apps which can link onto the one main server it stops the game from getting boring. Also, the larger/ more well know players can create their own servers with games on which you can find, for example: Lifeboat, InPvP, and Mineplex where players from all around the world can connect.

The game has frequent updates which change with the generations, adding new ideas and concepts this also helps to keep people hocked and to attract newer audiences.

Minecraft can be played on multiple devices such as: PCs, IPhones, tablets, play station, Xbox and androids allowing everyone to join in. Nowadays everyone has a smart phone meaning there is no limits to someone’s imagination and creativity because Minecraft allows you to almost escape from your world and become someone else for the time you are playing it which can become very addictive making players want to enter back onto their virtual world.

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