Minecraft Break Down: Building A Gaming Revolution

Games occasionally inspire other developers to incorporate their ideas into future titles, but it's extremely rare for a game to motivate its player base to create worlds within worlds, limited only by imagination.

Before Minecraft, game designers were slow to give nearly complete control to players, keeping tight reins on how games could be experienced.

Minecraft became a cultural phenomenon that changed the earth one block at a time, fundamentally altering how games handle player creativity and control.

The game's release demonstrated that giving players freedom and creative control could result in one of the most influential entertainment products ever created.

• Marcus Persson (Notch) wanted to develop video games since childhood • Worked with computers from an early age, tinkering with coding on a Commodore 128 • Created his first program by age 8, a text adventure game similar to Zork

When telling a career counselor he wanted to develop games, she dismissed the idea as unlikely. Despite this discouragement, Persson remained passionate.

• Became a developer for the company that later became King.com, creator of Candy Crush • Continued developing his own ideas in free time • Created a prototype called Rubydung inspired by Dwarf Fortress and Dungeon Keeper

Discovered Infiniminer on the TIGSource forums, struck by its voxel-driven visual aesthetic which he felt would be perfect for independent developers and could run on weak systems.

Persson combined ideas from Rubydung, a zombie-inspired prototype, and Infiniminer into an experimental project called Cave Game. King.com's co-founder Lars Mark Grin remembered: 'We felt that we couldn't have someone working for us that at the same time was building his own gaming company.'

• Left King.com in 2009 to pursue Cave Game development • Took a day job at online photo sharing service Jxm to pay his bills • Worked on the project in his spare time

Cave Game evolved into a more realized project called Minecraft, a voxel-driven fantasy-themed sandbox building game where players could create anything using available tools.

The very first version, later known as Minecraft Classic, was released to the public on the TIGSource forums on May 17th, 2009. It was unfinished and Persson didn't even consider it an alpha.

Minecraft had no meaningful tutorial, no directions or instructions. Instead, it offered the driver's seat to players, letting them do what they wanted when they wanted.

• Open-endedness created a community desperate to decipher hidden secrets • Players flocked to online message boards sharing discoveries • New players were instructed by the community on how to make items and equipment

• Players use materials like wood, dirt, and stone to craft items and structures • Create everything from swords and pickaxes to castles and golems • During day there are no limits except imagination • At night monsters roam, forcing preparation and strategic thinking

Every player has their own story about their first night in Minecraft's overworld, and each means as much or perhaps more to them as epics told in big budget AAA titles. The game's greatest strength is that most appeal comes from the player's own mind.

Creative mode gave players virtually unlimited power over the game's tools and overworld, with possibilities of creation that are quite literally endless.

Shortly after launch, Minecraft was selling 400 copies a day for $6 each. Early success caught the eye of many prominent publishers.

• Valve Software invited Persson to their offices for a job interview disguised as a tour • Valve told him he was a gifted programmer and offered him a position • Persson turned them down, reasoning: 'Somehow I felt that Minecraft was maybe my chance to create a Valve rather than work at Valve'

Despite having little to no advertising, Minecraft skyrocketed in popularity due to natural virality, selling tens of thousands of copies and making Persson a millionaire.

Persson realized he couldn't handle the game's demands alone. He called Jacob Porser, his best friend from King.com days, and said: 'Quit your job. We're starting a company.'

• Jacob Porser joined as co-founder • Carl Mana, Persson's former boss at Jxm, was recruited for his business sensibilities • The trio co-founded Mojang

• Jyn's Bergström was hired as programmer and eventually became lead designer when Persson passed him the torch in 2011 • Marcus Junk Boy Toyan reached out offering his services as a pixel artist and became Mojang's art developer • Daniel Rosenfeld (C418) composed serene music and sound effects contributing to the calm, relaxing atmosphere

The burgeoning company grew over time, bringing on more talent as their needs swelled.

One of the biggest differences was that Minecraft was very much unfinished. Mojang didn't release a version they described as even alpha or beta until 2010.

• Players could contribute to the title as it was being made • Players suggested changes or additions they felt would be beneficial • This approach turned players into collaborative partners rather than consumers

The openness and reachability of Persson and other developers at Mojang was crucial. They were active on Twitter and online message boards like Reddit, engaging directly with the community.

• After years in this unusual development cycle, Minecraft version 1.0 was officially released on PC on November 18th, 2011 • Versions for Android and iOS were also released that same year • Minecraft has since found its way onto almost every major platform

• An entire Nether Realm • A pseudo adventure mode • Hardcore survival mode • A final boss-like encounter with a dragon

Minecraft was a hit before it was even released, generating hundreds of millions of dollars in profit for Persson and others at Mojang.

• Cumulatively sold over 100 million copies • Second best-selling game of all time • Only Tetris has sold more, despite being ported to calculators

The numbers represent people and Minecraft's impact on the industry and community is indescribable.

• Countless games have taken elements from Minecraft and incorporated them into their mechanics and aesthetics • Fan mods for the game are literally endless

• Toys on store shelves • Books and merchandise • Spin-offs • A feature film on the way

• Fans of the franchise are now too numerous to count • Fan-made content featuring the game or its iconography are integral to YouTube, Twitch, and Minecraft itself

• Many schools use Minecraft in programs designed to promote creativity, social interaction, and problem solving in children • Mojang developed an entire version of the game around educational purposes • Minecon began in 2010 and became the largest convention for a single video game in the world, attracting 10,000 attendees in 2015

In mid-2014, Mojang began enforcing part of its end-user license agreement, barring players from selling in-game items or effects for real-world currency. Though morally the right decision, the company received significant backlash.

In jest, Persson tweeted: 'Anyone want to buy my share of Mojang so I can move on with my life? Getting hate for trying to do the right thing is not my gig.' Within 30 minutes, a Microsoft executive called Mana asking if Persson was serious.

• Microsoft would acquire Mojang and the Minecraft IP • The three co-founders would depart from the company • No Mojang employees would be laid off • Most employees received significant bonuses

By September 2014, the deal was done. On November 6th, 2014, Microsoft took control and the three departed. Persson wrote: 'It's not about the money, it's about my sanity.' The purchase price was $2.5 billion.

While the three founders departed, Minecraft was passed into capable hands. The game continues to be routinely updated and the core of what made it successful remains.

The freedom that Minecraft provides to its players continues to shine as brightly as the sun.

• No game in the past decade has had more influence or touched as many lives • No game has single-handedly inspired more creativity and community • No game has driven people to create rather than to destroy

Just as the current generation of developers looks to Super Mario and Doom as inspiration, the next generation will look to Minecraft. The way that future designers hand freedom to players will be shaped by Minecraft's example.