Minecraft Production

Minecraft Production

Game Development 
Game development is dominated by high budget productions from mainstream producers in order to reduce the risk of financial losses. 

Game developers are successful because...
- They stick to safe genres and game play
- They focus on developing their popular franchises. 
- They aim to appeal to young men (the primary demographic for gamers).

Games are developed by huge teams alongside expensive marketing campaigns.

The Influence of Technology 
Game development relies on advances in technology such as faster CPU's, 3D graphics and sound cards, however often these advances are a response to developer and gamer needs. VR is a good example of this.

Console development was crucial in developing the industry, however the internet has been the driver behind maintaining such a successful industry because...
- It allows for downloadable games which saves on distribution costs.
- Online gaming has enabled user to create and contribute to the development of games using open source software.
- It has enables global multi player game play.
- It has created other ways of creating revenue (micro transactions etc).
- It has supported the growth of gaming culture (through forums, YouTube etc).

Open Source Software - Software whose underlying code is published so it is available to be used and modified by others, promoting free exchange and participation.

The development of game design technology has allowed the indie sector of the games industry to grow, producing low budget games with smaller teams which allows them to take more risk.

Convergence, particularly the move to mobile and tablet gaming has been crucial helping the indie game market to develop.

Convergence - The merging together of previously separate entities (i.e. smartphones can do a wide range of tasks that would have previously needed different products).

Production Facts 

- Developed by Mojang in 2009.

- Mojang is a Swedish Indie company set up by Markus ‘Notch’ Persson.

- Sandbox game created using Java technology (also known as open world or a free roaming game).

- Notch was inspired by similar construction and management games like Dwarf Fortress.

- Small team of people put together to in the first year of Minecraft to help Persson develop the game.

- User feedback was crucial in the development of the game.

- Wasn't seen as commercially viable as it was considered a niche product for gamers who understood programming.

- Original game modes included single player creative and survival modes but since Microsoft have taken over there are now other modes: Story Mode, Spectator and Multi-player which has enabled the game to become more of a mass than a niche product.

- VR headsets and narrative led versions are also examples of how Minecraft has become a mass product that follows the conventions of the mainstream video game industry.

- The game still retains its blocky low budget feel which is appealing to audiences.

Used new convergent technologies to:

   - Enable testing of the game by players in the beta phase.

   - Encourage mods using Open Source Software and selling available mods on Minecraft Marketplace.

   - Set up servers called Minecraft Realms so that players could play in a convenient by safe environment controlled by Mojang (which was their response to piracy threats).

Minecraft Merchandise

Minecraft Merchandise 

Conglomerate - a company that owns numerous companies involved in mass media enterprises.

Subsidiary - a company that is owned or controlled by another company.

PEGI rating - a European video game content rating system established to help European consumers make informed decisions when buying video games or apps through the use of age recommendations and content descriptors.

Sandbox - an independent Australian media buying agency. 

Merchandise - goods to be bought and sold to promote or advertise.

Java Script - a scripting language designed to add interactivity to HTML pages.

The Minecraft brand is very distinctive. Consumerism has led to the development of Minecraft merchandise. 
Research and find examples of the best-selling Minecraft merchandise and explain the benefits of merchandise.

Minecraft's best-selling merchandise comes in different forms:
- clothing: hoodies, costumes, t shirts 
- accessories: backpacks, hats, pins
- toys: plush, action figures, building sets
- home: bedding, books, posters 
- Minecraft has also teamed with Lego to make 'Lego Minecraft' sets which are very popular as fans of Minecraft and Lego will purchase these sets.

Benefits of merchandising
Companies benefit from merchandising as it allows for increased brand loyalty. The fans of Minecraft will enjoy collecting new products and become more engaged with the company by wanting to play the game even more. Also, the company will have increased brand recognition due to the merchandise being sold in a variety of places, meaning mass audiences will see these products and get to know the company. Additionally, merchandising will result in higher profits for Minecraft as a mass audience is going to want to purchase these products as Minecraft is already such a popular game, meaning there is already a lot of fans that will buy these items, increasing the profits for Minecraft. If a company teams with another company to produce merchandise, such as Minecraft and Lego then both companies are going to see an increase in sales as it will be fans of both that will purchase the products, which is also a benefit. As Lego is such a well known brand, it allows for more people to see the Minecraft products and maybe encourage more people to play the game. Therefore, there is a benefit of merchandising when well known companies collaborate. 

Minecraft History

Minecraft History

Who created Minecraft and when?
Swedish programmer Markus ‘Notch’ Persson created Minecraft in 2009 with a company called Mojang.

Name some YouTube influencers/gamers who are famous for playing Minecraft. 
What can you find out about them?

Ali A – Started YouTube in 2009. He has over 5 million subscribers.

AshleyMarieeGaming – She started to play Minecraft as she liked the variety of possibilities the game offered. She started to make YouTube videos as she felt that it was an escape from reality and wanted to entertain audiences.

The Diamond Minecart – Has over 5 million subscribers. Has received over 1 billion views.

YouTubers have become very popular over the past few years and are becoming ‘celebrities’ in a way as they are gaining millions of fans and gaining lots of money. For example, PewDiePie is the most watched person on YouTube, making over $4 million a year and has over 30 million subscribers.

In 2014, Microsoft purchased Minecraft for $2.5 billion.  
Why would this be a good investment for Microsoft and why did the founder of Minecraft agree to this?  

This would be a good investment for Microsoft as for purchasing Mojang and Minecraft for $2.5 billion, Microsoft will be gaining a $2.5 billion asset. Also, in its first year, it was expected to make as much in profits as it would have made in interest payments. For buying Minecraft, Microsoft is getting a product and an audience that completes what Microsoft wanted to have, meaning that this purchase was a benefit to them as they wanted to have a younger, more engaged audience.

Markus Persson agreed to this because he was not working on Minecraft anymore but was still responsible for it when a problem with EULA lead to Markus Persson getting some hate online which he did not want to put up with anymore and he wanted to work on prototypes for new games that made him happy. He wanted to sell the game to another company as he lost interest in the game and didn't want to feel responsible for it anymore. Markus sold the game to Microsoft as they were the fastest and most realistic offer and he had a prior working relationship with Microsoft.

How can Minecraft be used as an educational tool?

Minecraft allows kids to be able to be creative rather than being destructive. Stephen Reid, co funder of Immersive Minds, uses Minecraft as an educational tool. He visits schools all over the world promoting Minecraft as a viable tool to educate children. His way of educating is by getting the children to understand the term robot; that it means slave, and allowing the children to use Minecraft as a way to create robots for new objectives and start conversations about the history of robots and the future of robots. Also, there are projects happening. For example Mojang, who are going to places such as Kenya where they are creating their communities in Minecraft and then making them a reality. Additionally, Minecraft can be used to teach someone how to programme. Overall, Minecraft is limitless on the possibilities available to be able to be used as an educational tool. 

How does Minecraft build a community?

Minecraft is a game for all ages so a variety of people come together to play Minecraft and go to conventions to learn new things about the game and meet other people who play the game. Also, Minecraft has allowed people to start being creative and to entertain audiences through YouTube channels. Some people such as AshleyMarieeGaming have created videos of herself playing Minecraft. This has created a community as she is gaining fans and viewers who all come together to watch her videos and Ashley Mariee gets to meet new people who also create YouTube videos. Therefore, Minecraft helps build a huge community.

What platforms is Minecraft available on?

Minecraft is available on all gaming platforms:

Xbox, iPhone, PlayStation, PC.

   

      Ownership and Funding facts

-          Originally owned by Mojang which is a company developed as a result of the game.

-          Markus ‘Notch’ Persson has a direct influence on the game as he wanted to create a game that would instantly gratify audiences and reward them for their hard work.

-          Audience ownership of the game has been crucial - in that the players have become the prosumers by helping to develop the game.

-          Minecraft is not a ‘top-down’ game in terms of ownership as it has not been developed by just one person/company. Instead, the code has been used as a resource that can be used in a myriad of ways.

-          The company was acquired by Microsoft in 2014 (due to the success of Minecraft) as Microsoft wanted to gain access to this large and successful audience of gamers.

-          Generates money from:

-          the sale of the game (£17.95 for Java edition on Mac and PC).

-          Subscription to Minecraft Realms.

-          Tie-Ins with Lego

-          Mods on Marketplace

-          Online merchandise shop

-          Deals with children’s books & magazines.

-          Minecraft film in production which will bring in more revenue.

-          One month after its release in 2011, the beta version has over 1 million purchases.

-          By April 2011, Persson estimated that it has made $33 million in revenue.

-          It is now considered the 2nd most successful game of all time (behind Tetris) with over 144 million copies sold across all platforms as of 2018.