Minecraft is a sandbox video game originally created by the Swedish programmer Markus Persson, known online as Notch, released as a public alpha on May 17, 2009 and reaching its official full release on November 18, 2011; Jens Bergensten took over as lead developer after Persson stepped back from the project in December 2011, and Microsoft acquired the game and its studio, Mojang, for 2.5 billion dollars in November 2014. Players explore a procedurally generated world made of three-dimensional blocks, gathering raw materials, crafting tools and items, building structures, fighting hostile creatures and cooperating with or competing against other players. It is the best-selling video game of all time, with more than 400 million copies sold, and is widely cited as one of the best video games ever made.
Facts
Classification
Original Language AwardGolden Joystick Awards − Still Playing Award - PC and Console 2 AwardIndependent Games Festival Audience Award 2 AwardIndependent Games Festival Award - Seumas McNally Grand Prize 2 Release Year FAQs
Has Minecraft been used for anything other than play?
Yes, including neighborhood design with UN Habitat, a full-scale map of Denmark and a library of censored journalism.
Yes. In 2012 Mojang launched the Block by Block project with UN Habitat, which aimed to recreate real-world environments inside the game so that residents could take part in designing changes to their own neighborhoods. The first pilot project was in Kibera, one of Nairobi's informal settlements. In April 2014 the Danish Geodata Agency used its own geodata to generate a full-scale representation of Denmark within the game. Reporters Without Borders has also used the game's accessibility to host an open server called the Uncensored Library, a repository of journalism for readers in regions where other internet resources are censored.
Connections
In Medium
Source Minecraft (Wikipedia)
In the Other Atlases
Original Language
Also in Language Atlas: the original language of this subject.
Originated In
Also in Geography Atlas: where this subject originated.
Also in Geography Atlas: where this subject originated.
Sources
1. Wikidata: Minecraft
Wikidata Q40083273, class allow-list match (w-wdresolver-0926)View the Source 2. Minecraft (Wikidata)
Wikidata P166: Golden Joystick Awards − Still Playing Award - PC and Console
Wikidata P166 (award received): Golden Joystick Awards − Still Playing Award - PC and Console.
Wikidata P166: Independent Games Festival Audience Award
Wikidata P166 (award received): Independent Games Festival Audience Award.
Wikidata P166: Independent Games Festival Award - Seumas McNally Grand Prize
Wikidata P166 (award received): Independent Games Festival Award - Seumas McNally Grand Prize.
View the Source3. Wikipedia
Wikimedia Foundation
Minecraft (Wikipedia)
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Minecraft, lead paragraph, opening sentence (developer nationality)
Minecraft is a sandbox video game developed and published by the Swedish company Mojang Studios.
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Minecraft, lead paragraph, formal-release sentence
Following its initial public alpha release as an early access title in 2009, it was formally released in November 2011 for personal computers.
In Medium: Video Games, Article lead sentence
Minecraft is a sandbox video game developed and published by the Swedish company Mojang Studios.
View the SourceReader Challenges (0)
No disputes yet. Spotted an error or a better source? Open the first one.
Sign in to dispute this or suggest a correction.