[slmt]

It just goes to show that social proof is extremely powerful. 1. Create a really crap game that's not really a game. 2. Create a site with a bullshit stats page showing how many geeks are supposedly buying it and how fast. 3. Spam about it on geeky sites. 4. Watch all the geeks throw money at you as they try to prove that they are geeky enough by buying a sandbox game that they "totally get." Mojang, I salute you.

[hagios]

I don't think it's too hard to "get" Minecraft. The way it was originally explained to me (I purchased it in the beta) was "it's Lego." I played for a few weeks and it was good fun.

What pulled me back into Minecraft was logic circuits. I found Minecraft to be an incredible teaching tool to help impart the absolute basics of circuit design to others. From the first step of turning on a bulb (or, in Minecraft terms, opening a door) with a circuit, to building memory and discovering new ways of state persistence, all the way to building entire machines for the express purpose of computation, Minecraft manages to turn the learning process into enough of a game to leave people associating "logic" with "fun."

I think it's probably only half a decade before we start seeing people in universities who were inspired to be electrical engineers by Minecraft.

[gradys]

I think this is an overly cynical view. Minecraft is actually fun, particularly with friends. The multiplayer experience is in a niche essentially on its own. This great multiplayer experience encourages people to get enlist their friends to buy the game and play with them.

While I think a $1 billion valuation is probably presumes far too much about the repeatability of Minecraft-like success, I think it's obvious that Mojang's success with Minecraft is attributable to more than just effective marketing. I also don't think it's unreasonable to think that Mojang's highly innovative game design will bring them more success in the future.

[jiggy2011]

crap game is fairly subjective here, it seems to have burnt enough man hours to suggest that it does have lasting appeal.

[webwanderings]

You have to understand how cartoon characters work through the TV for the children, in order to understand the popularity of Minecraft (which didn't become popular through TV).

When kids grow up, they watch TV and they take the liking of characters like Barney, Thomas the Tank Engine, Spongebob etc and the companies behind those characters become ultimately huge!. The same is the case with Minecraft.

If Minecraft is crap than TV is crap and all these characters who are on it. Tell that to the growing kids on their face, just don't gossip about the degrading culture, the morality of capitalism etc.

[kayoone]

you just have no idea what you are talking about.

[criley]

Wow, you could not have misread Mojang any worse. You must be intentionally obtuse here -- I refuse to believe that you're this ignorant.

You feel like some washed up older guy pissed off that his idea didn't make it, content to sit and pooh-pooh anything else that comes by. "My idea was so great, but no, stupid little blocks is what idiots around the world want" is the vibe I get from you.

"Crappy game" "bullshit stats" "spam it"

You're jealous and content to sit there and throw your sour grapes at anyone who dares actually like Minecraft.

Honestly, you're an insult to the spirit of this site and the people who come here. To shit all over a start up that is wildly successful for no other reason than you dislike it -- Shame on you.

[Harkins]

He can be wrong without being a personal failure driven by spite. Your comment is not so nice.