Introduction to Minecraft screenshots Genres of video games

Introduction to Minecraft

screenshots

Genres of video games Video game: a game played by electronically manipulating images produced by a computer program on a monitor or other display. • • • • • Action Sandbox - Minecraft Open world - GTA FPS (first person shooter) - COD RPG (role-playing games) Single player Strategy Battle royale games - fortnite Multiplayer War games MMO (massive multiplayer online) E-sports – rocket league Racing game Mobile games – angry bird Augmented reality- Pokémon go Virtual reality Horror – resident evil Platform

Reasons for Minecraft’s succession 1. Minecraft is a literal sandbox with infinite replayablity. The game is only limited by the confines of your imagination 2. A strong community. The players’ creations are Minecraft’s own marketing campaign – internal marketing 3. It’s platform agnostic. First built a PC fan base. Released on everything 4. It has been co-opted by children 5. It’s not limited by genre 6. It fulfils our human instinct to bring order to chaotic wilderness

Key points for succession of Minecraft • Too many apps have suffered from only being able to be played on one or two platforms • Minecraft made sure the game was available on most platforms (e. g. PC, Xbox, mobile) • Enabled them to make a lot of money • Mojang’s revenue was roughly $290 million annually with Minecraft generating more than £ 100 million in profit according to reports

Key points for Minecraft’s succession: Modding and extension • Minecraft is home to a vibrant ‘modding’ community, with thousands of mods available to manipulate or extend your gameplay • Some mods have allowed players to add brand new items and gameplay dynamics to the game while others have allowed multiplayer Minecraft worlds to have their own meaningful economy • By supporting modding, Mojang have provided an almost endless supply of extension strategies for when players get bored of the core gameplay • This is a valuable trait to have in any app, especially when it powers an ability to manipulate what the app offers into something more useful

Key points for Minecraft’s succession: Updates • Even since the game’s official launch in 2011, the game has received six ‘major’ updates amongst other, smaller additions • Most recently, Minecraft was updated with 1. 6 adding new horses with new armour options, coloured clay building blocks and new player affects, along with wealth of smaller additions • The update was provided entirely free to owners of Minecraft, with no need to purchase DLC (downloadable content) or expansion packs • Keeps the game fresh and different and free updates form a relationship between the owner of the game and the brand

Key points for Minecraft’s succession: Community • Minecraft forums: Reddit, Minecraft wikis (showcase work, detailed discussions, tips) • Social media: facebook, instagram, snapchat, twitter (how to…, showcasing work, updates) • You. Tube (tutorials, parodies) • In game messaging (communicating with others) • Communities used for feedback for updates • When Minecraft was first released, original creator Notch, was able to shape the game into something the community wanted

Sandbox games • A game wherein the player has been freed from the traditional video game structure and direction, and instead chooses what, when , and how they want to approach the available content. The term alludes to a child’s sandbox (sandpit) without rules. Sandbox games generally employ an open-world setting, to facilitate the player’s freedom of choice,

Minecraft • Think of Minecraft as virtual Lego • It is a system for fitting pieces together to create something from nothing • It provides endless building blocks and a blank canvas • It is totally up to the player what they create using the tools available. A free-for-all!

Playing the game • Has the most basic unit of measurement - a ‘dirt block’ • The word minecraft comes from a mash up of two verbs: to mine and to craft • The ‘mining’ is the first thing you should do by punching a dirt block and retrieving it • Then the crafting: combining resources you’ve mined to create more complex tools • ‘mining’ for wood (punching a tree) enables you to create basic tools. These enable you to mine more complex resources, which enable you to create more complex items and tools (most basic level)

New games • Every time you start a new world in ‘minecraft’, it’s unique. Levels are based on a set of parameters There are some constants: • Levels always contain same materials (dirt, trees, water, etc) • There is a day/night cycle • At night, enemies appear and will attack you • You can only dig so deep below the world’s surface before hitting bedrock • The world that spawns always has stuff to discover, whether it’s crazy jungles or mountains or underground caves

‘creation mode’ • There’s a ‘creation’ mode that enables you to only create • No enemies • No mining • No day/night cycle

Convergence and synergy • Convergence: the interlinking of computing and other information technologies, media content, media companies and communication networks that have arisen as a result of the evolution and popularisation of the internet. • Synergy: the interaction of two or more forces working together creates a greater effect than the sum of their individual efforts.

Convergence and synergy • • • What is the product? A monthly Minecraft magazine Who has Minecraft converged with? Why? Dennis Publishing to help children develop their game strategy How much does it relate to the actual game? A lot, teaches people how to play the game and gives tips. Dennis Publishing signed a deal with Mojang to use certain trademark images and intellectual property to enhance the magazine How did it happen? Dennis Publishing approached Mojang and asked to do a monthly magazine. It is not an official Minecraft magazine What benefits are there when these products come together? “there was a real gap in the market for a quality print magazine that could help children develop their game strategy” What new experiences do users get? What are the advantages? Enhances the Minecraft community, shows off creations and helps users improve. Helps Dennis Publishing benefits from the collaboration as Minecraft is a popular game with millions of users so they will gain a new audience Has there been an impact on its audience? New audience? Changing number of gamers? Do you think it will last/be successful? Yes, the magazine is targeted at 7 -11 year olds, however, it could be read and be beneficial to readers above or below that age. Anyone who plays Minecraft may be interested in bettering their game knowledge. The fact that it is a monthly magazine entices readers to continue buying it. However, due to Minecraft’s constant updates, users aren’t going to want to wait a month for tips. Instead, they will look to other platforms for help so it may not be as successful as thought

Merchandise

Minecraft: Story Mode (Convergence) • An episodic point-and-click graphic adventure video game developed and published by Telltale Games, based on the sandbox video Minecraft • First five episodes released between October 2015 through March 2016 • It is interactive which is important as it involves the viewer

Minecraft HQ 1. According to the writer, why might autistic children such as his son, be attracted to minecraft? It was teaching basic skills. No story or mission, just an endless world of possibilities. They also respond to its simple visuals, open design and logical, interlocking system 2. Which features are included in the education version of Minecraft and how useful do you think they might be as an educational tool? Where students can build scale versions of their own towns, learn about geography, agriculture, architecture and physics 3. Why, does Bergensten suggest, have copycat versions of minecraft been less successful? “it’s the way that you build in the first person perspective, and you only interact with one block at a time. It’s also very open-ended. It doesn’t tell you what to do”nothing can come close to competing with the simplicity of minecraft 4. What is meant by the “modding” community? People that design and share their own texture maps, items, creatures and even new stories and adventures, making them available and easily downloadable for other players 5. How important is the “sense of ownership” cited by Bergensten, for the audience for minecraft? He says “especially talking with kids, they think it’s their game not ours. They make up our own rules, they make up their own structures and how to interact with others. They have this sense of ownership 6. How has Minecraft extended its brand beyond gaming and into other products? Film,