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I get the impression that this game was built because he wanted to build something he himself would enjoy, not something he could become rich off. Maybe there'

I get the impression that this game was built because he wanted to build something he himself would enjoy, not something he could become rich off. Maybe there's something to that philosophy ;)

jokermatt999 16y ago
I agree, and I think that's a lot of it. Minecraft isn't a very typical game, nor a game that you would ever see out of a blockbuster publisher. It seems like its success is because of this, not despite it. Rather than be a formulaic FPS, RTS, RPG, etc, it's something (fairly) new that leaves it up to the player to have fun with. I've heard the comparison to Lego frequently, and I think it's an apt one. Most videogames today play more like movies, but sometimes it's nice to have a game that you can play with how you like. (This post started out about being about being willing to ignore conventions, but drifted somewhat into the nature of gameplay, sorry.)
houseabsolute 16y ago
Maybe. On the other hand, people do things every day for the love of it that get little traction in the market place. It seems more likely this confluence is just a coincidence.
- Groxx 16y ago
  I wonder if it might be a requirement (or nearly) for run-away successes though, while obviously not sufficient for it.
  - mahmud 16y ago
    If software done under these requirements, the world will see more compilers and far fewer ERP systems.
  - kranner 16y ago
    Careful, you never know if Malcolm Gladwell is lurking here.
    - Groxx 16y ago
      I'm not aware of that reference... care to enlighten me? The wikipedia entry didn't really answer it for me.
      - scrame 16y ago
        Malcolm Gladwell writes books about "success" where he uses many anecdotal (albeit fascinating) stories to come to a very vague conclusion of how people can be "successful". GP was referring to "qualities of success" (passion, writing something for yourself), which don't necessarily cause success. It was tongue-in-cheek.
        kranner 16y ago
        Thanks, well put, just what I meant.
- aerique 16y ago
  Not just coincidence. I've bought quite a lot of indie games the last few years but Minecraft is one of the few I recommend, no, urge my friends to buy. It's genuine fun, different and has QWAN.
mwerty 16y ago
Survivorship bias.
- enjo 16y ago
  Yep... after all, I can (anecdotally) point to a number of successful businesses in which the founders were simply trying to get rich.
Goladus 16y ago
He's also really awesome at coding. I had a similar idea several years ago after seeing how horrible all the MMORPG crafting engines were. In fact I may have even posted something to that effect on HN. I would have loved playing it, and even started sketching some designs. But I gave up pretty quickly, distracted by other things, and even if I had stuck with it, it probably wouldn't have ever been much more than a proof of concept to anyone but me.
ianbishop 16y ago
It was actually created for a (for fun/ego) contest. People had such a positive reaction to the early version that he just continued to build onto it. He also is responsible for Left 4k Dead (another contest entry) if you remember that from a year or so ago.
watty 16y ago
I used to think that as well until I read about "Infiminer", the open sourced XNA Minecraft predecessor. Now I think he just saw an opportunity. http://minecraftwiki.net/wiki/Infiniminer http://minecraftwiki.net/wiki/Infiniminer
- simonsarris 16y ago
  Oh my god, I used to play Starcraft with Zach back in college. This is the first time I've seen him referenced "in the wild"

I get the impression that this game was built because he wanted to build something he himself would enjoy, not something he could become rich off. Maybe there's something to that philosophy ;)

jokermatt999 16y ago

I agree, and I think that's a lot of it. Minecraft isn't a very typical game, nor a game that you would ever see out of a blockbuster publisher. It seems like its success is because of this, not despite it. Rather than be a formulaic FPS, RTS, RPG, etc, it's something (fairly) new that leaves it up to the player to have fun with. I've heard the comparison to Lego frequently, and I think it's an apt one. Most videogames today play more like movies, but sometimes it's nice to have a game that you can play with how you like. (This post started out about being about being willing to ignore conventions, but drifted somewhat into the nature of gameplay, sorry.)

houseabsolute 16y ago

Maybe. On the other hand, people do things every day for the love of it that get little traction in the market place. It seems more likely this confluence is just a coincidence.

Groxx 16y ago
I wonder if it might be a requirement (or nearly) for run-away successes though, while obviously not sufficient for it.
- mahmud 16y ago
  If software done under these requirements, the world will see more compilers and far fewer ERP systems.
- kranner 16y ago
  Careful, you never know if Malcolm Gladwell is lurking here.
  - Groxx 16y ago
    I'm not aware of that reference... care to enlighten me? The wikipedia entry didn't really answer it for me.
    - scrame 16y ago
      Malcolm Gladwell writes books about "success" where he uses many anecdotal (albeit fascinating) stories to come to a very vague conclusion of how people can be "successful". GP was referring to "qualities of success" (passion, writing something for yourself), which don't necessarily cause success. It was tongue-in-cheek.
      - kranner 16y ago
        Thanks, well put, just what I meant.
aerique 16y ago
Not just coincidence. I've bought quite a lot of indie games the last few years but Minecraft is one of the few I recommend, no, urge my friends to buy. It's genuine fun, different and has QWAN.

mwerty 16y ago

Survivorship bias.

enjo 16y ago
Yep... after all, I can (anecdotally) point to a number of successful businesses in which the founders were simply trying to get rich.

Goladus 16y ago

He's also really awesome at coding. I had a similar idea several years ago after seeing how horrible all the MMORPG crafting engines were. In fact I may have even posted something to that effect on HN. I would have loved playing it, and even started sketching some designs. But I gave up pretty quickly, distracted by other things, and even if I had stuck with it, it probably wouldn't have ever been much more than a proof of concept to anyone but me.

ianbishop 16y ago

It was actually created for a (for fun/ego) contest. People had such a positive reaction to the early version that he just continued to build onto it. He also is responsible for Left 4k Dead (another contest entry) if you remember that from a year or so ago.

watty 16y ago

I used to think that as well until I read about "Infiminer", the open sourced XNA Minecraft predecessor. Now I think he just saw an opportunity. http://minecraftwiki.net/wiki/Infiniminer http://minecraftwiki.net/wiki/Infiniminer

simonsarris 16y ago
Oh my god, I used to play Starcraft with Zach back in college. This is the first time I've seen him referenced "in the wild"