Hacker News new | ask | show | jobs
by SirWart 5628 days ago
To me, the more interesting part about minecraft's success is that it gets a lot of people doing things that look like work to me for fun. Also, it does this with a high learning curve and without using any kind of reward schedule mechanics that are in vogue now. As far as I can tell (and I've only watched others play), the appeal is based on the joy of creation and sharing your creations, and the difficulty of it actually enhances the experience. It just seems so fresh compared to what everyone else is doing.
2 comments
johnswamps 5628 days ago
> Also, it does this with a high learning curve and without using any kind of reward schedule mechanics that are in vogue now.

The game has a reward schedule in the form of hard to find materials (diamond). It's not uncommon to spend half an hour strip mining underground looking for materials. 19/20 times you just find more stone, but every once in a while you find coal, iron, diamond, etc.

link
intended 5628 days ago
Its worth noting that the audience/gamer who plays this game is pretty unique as well.

I heard of the game from the dwarf fortress forums, penny-arcade, and then later on Techcrunch and other blogs. The people talking about the games, who made the most out of it, tended to be the type with gaming experience, willingness to turn a blind eye to its current graphic set, and an imagination large enough to see the potential of the game world.

Basically, outside of the core audience of the game, there will be a sudden drop in the number of people who would be willing to give it a shot.

link
thorax 5628 days ago
Except that many who get into it, gets their friends into it and their families into it (since it's such a great family game). I think you underestimate the appeal of a sandbox game like this. It's got all the casual gaming characteristics and enough depth for hard-core gamers. It's really quite impressive that way.
link
Someone 5627 days ago
As opposed to, for example, God of War mentioned above?

I'm sure that will first sell to teenage boys, then by word of mouth to their sisters, and from there to their mothers and grandmothers.

Not even all boys like noisy games that require fast reactions and a zillion different key combinations (which I guess applies to GoW)

link