I sincerely doubt that long-term maintainability was a factor unless Notch has said that it was. For a game jam you generally want to get something running as f

I sincerely doubt that long-term maintainability was a factor unless Notch has said that it was. For a game jam you generally want to get something running as fast as possible. Of course, Notch has done it often enough that may have been motivated by more whimsical reasons, like trying out a language on a new project.