Minecraft

In creative mode, players have access to all resources and items in the game through the inventory menu, and can place or remove them instantly.[50] Players can toggle the ability to fly freely around the game world at will, and their characters do not take any damage and are not affected by hunger.[51][52] The game mode helps players focus on building and creating projects of any size without disturbance.[50]

Adventure mode

Adventure mode was designed specifically so that players could experience user-crafted custom maps and adventures.[53][54][55] Gameplay is similar to survival mode but with various restrictions, which can be applied to the game world by the creator of the map. This forces players to obtain the required items and experience adventures in the way that the map maker intended.[55] Another addition designed for custom maps is the command block; this block allows map makers to expand interactions with players through scripted server commands.[56]

Spectator mode

Spectator mode allows players to fly through blocks and watch gameplay without directly interacting. Players do not have an inventory, but can teleport to other players and view from the perspective of another player or creature.[57] This game mode can only be accessed within the Java or PC edition.

Multiplayer

Multiplayer in Minecraft is available through direct game-to-game multiplayer, LAN play, local split screen, and servers (player-hosted and business-hosted). It enables multiple players to interact and communicate with each other on a single world.[58] Players can run their own servers, use a hosting provider, or connect directly to another player's game via Xbox Live. Single-player worlds have local area network support, allowing players to join a world on locally interconnected computers without a server setup.[59] Minecraft multiplayer servers are guided by server operators (op for short), who have access to server commands such as setting the time of day and teleporting players. Operators can also set up restrictions concerning which usernames or IP addresses are allowed or disallowed to enter the server.[58] Multiplayer servers have a wide range of activities, with some servers having their own unique rules and customs. One of the largest and most popular servers is Hypixel, which has been visited by over 14 million unique players.[60][61] Player versus player combat (PvP) can be enabled to allow fighting between players.[62] Many servers have custom plugins that allow actions that are not normally possible. In 2013, Mojang announced Minecraft Realms, a server hosting service intended to enable players to run server multiplayer games easily and safely without having to set up their own.[63] Unlike a standard server, only invited players can join Realms servers, and these servers do not use IP addresses. Minecraft: Java Edition Realms server owners can invite up to twenty people to play on their server, with up to ten players online at a time. Minecraft Realms server owners can invite up to 3000 people to play on their server, with up to ten players online at one time.[64] The Minecraft: Java Edition Realms servers do not support user-made plugins, but players can play custom Minecraft maps.[65] Minecraft Realms servers support user-made add-ons, resource packs, behavior packs, and custom Minecraft maps.[64] At Electronic Entertainment Expo 2016, it was announced that Realms would enable Minecraft to support cross-platform play between Windows 10, iOS, and Android platforms starting in June 2016,[66] with Xbox One and Nintendo Switch support to come later in 2017,[67] and support for virtual reality devices. On 31 July 2017, Mojang released the beta version of the update allowing cross-platform play.[68] Nintendo Switch support for Realms was released in July 2018.[69]

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Markus "Notch" Persson began developing the game as a project.[70] He was inspired to create Minecraft by several other games such as Dwarf Fortress, Dungeon Keeper, and later, Infiniminer. At the time, he had visualized an isometric 3D building game that would be a cross between his inspirations and had made some early prototypes.[70] Infiniminer heavily influenced the style of gameplay, including the first-person aspect of the game, the "blocky" visual style and the block-building fundamentals. However, unlike Infiniminer, Persson wanted Minecraft to have RPG elements.[71]

Minecraft was first released to the public on 17 May 2009, as a developmental release on TIGSource forums,[72] later becoming known as the Classic version. Further milestones dubbed as Survival Test, Indev and Infdev were released between September 2009 and February 2010, although the game saw updates in-between. The first major update, dubbed alpha version, was released on 28 June 2010. Although Persson maintained a day job with Jalbum.net at first, he later quit in order to work on Minecraft full-time as sales of the alpha version of the game expanded.[73] Persson continued to update the game with releases distributed to users automatically. These updates included new items, new blocks, new mobs, survival mode, and changes to the game's behavior (e.g. how water flows).[73]

To back the development of Minecraft, Persson set up a video game company, Mojang, with the money earned from the game.[74][75][76] On 11 December 2010, Persson announced that Minecraft was entering its beta testing phase on 20 December 2010. He further stated that bug fixes and all updates leading up to and including the release would still be free.[77] Over the course of the development, Mojang hired several new employees to work on the project.[78]

Mojang moved the game out of beta and released the full version on 18 November 2011.[79] The game has been continuously updated since the release, with changes ranging from new game content to new server hosts.[80] On 1 December 2011, Jens "Jeb" Bergensten took full creative control over Minecraft, replacing Persson as lead designer.[81] On 28 February 2012, Mojang announced that they had hired the developers of the popular server platform "Bukkit"[62] to improve Minecraft's support of server modifications.[82] This acquisition also included Mojang apparently taking full ownership of the CraftBukkit modification,[83] although the validity of this claim was questioned due to its status as an open-source project with many contributors, licensed under the GNU General Public License and Lesser General Public License.[84] On 15 September 2014, Microsoft announced a $2.5 billion deal to buy Mojang, along with the ownership of the Minecraft intellectual property. The deal was suggested by Persson when he posted a tweet asking a corporation to buy his share of the game after receiving criticism for "trying to do the right thing".[85][86] It was arbitrated on 6 November 2014, and led to Persson becoming one of Forbes' "World's Billionaires".[87][88][89][90] The original version of the game was renamed to Minecraft: Java Edition on 18 September 2017 to separate it from Bedrock Edition, which was renamed to just Minecraft by the Better Together Update.[91]

Music