Minecraft And Microsoft: What Now?
Minecraft and Microsoft: What now? Mark Ward Technology correspondent at BBC News
Play the game to find out why Mojang, the Minecraft-maker, is being purchased by Microsoft.
The single-player version of the game is about a single person who survives in harsh surroundings with only their ingenuity. Their survival depends on their ability to build a home and fight monsters using only the tools and weapons that they create with their hands.
If computer games were subject to the same analysis applied to novels it would be easy to read this as a metaphor for the life of Markus "Notch" Persson, the game's creator. In the past, he has spoken about his childhood and how he was "relatively poor", his ability to make his own entertainment, as well as whether he will need to overcome the same "demons” that troubled his father.
Notch's success in the harsh world was made possible by his family, friends, and the success of the items he made with his hands. But that success has also led to other challenges. There are also many more difficult challenges.
Just what had changed was evident at Minecon in 2012 where it was impossible for Notch to walk more than a few feet before he was grabbed by yet another fan keen to shake his hand, slap him on the back, take a photo or get him to sign their foam sword.
People are the power
This transformation from humble programmer responsible only for his own code to the leader of a global movement was one he was never happy with. His heartfelt explanation about why he left Mojang - "it’s for my sanity"- is a clear reminder of that.
He is well aware that Minecraft is now more about managing a group than it is maintaining and developing a program.
Microsoft may have a problem here.
With Xbox Live and its other cloud services there is no doubt that it has solid experience of running a massive computer infrastructure that serves millions of paying customers. SERVERS It will be crucial when it starts running the behind the scenes systems that keep Minecraft alive.
Microsoft will alienate that group if it fails to realize how personal the games are, not just for Notch but also for many other people who play them. It's where they get to know their friends and make new connections, where there is a place for them to express themselves, where technical and creative skills are showcased, and where it's all about finding themselves.
I have seen this with my own children. They play it in very diverse ways. One is a big fan of modified versions that involve arena battles or capture-the-flag-type competitions. The other spends hours building intricate homes around swooping tracks of minecarts. Sometimes he builds treehouses that span forests. They often go adventuring with friends to find treasure, avoid creepers, and fight spiders, zombies, and skeletons.
They, and millions like them, can only do this because of the freedom and openness of Minecraft. They can modify the game to suit their moods due to its flexibility. It allows people to have access to the game in a way that Microsoft has never offered. The millions of Minecraft fans are worried about this. These fans don’t want Microsoft to limit their freedom to alter the game as much as they like. They feel a deep sense of ownership over the games they create.
Microsoft has to accomplish this difficult task given how important that community can be.
It will have to work hard to battle those sworn enemies of every online gamer - downtime and lag (aka delay). Microsoft is likely to be responsible for any future problems with the game's availability, regardless of whether it is the company's fault.
If handled poorly, it could lead to a large portion of that community turning against Microsoft by making more drastic changes to the game's running, such as restricting how people can modify it or charging them for things they don't currently have.
This would be a terrible thing, considering that many of its users are children and will one day be gamers. Microsoft wants to impress them with its Minecraft management. If it does not do the right thing, it could end-up being one of the monsters that people would love to take on.