Friday 29 March 2019
Friday 22 March 2019
Minecraft Essay
Minecraft Essay
Write an introductory essay to Minecraft.
- Explain what it is, give an outline of the game’s history and explain why it has been a commercial and critical success
- Approx. 700 words or 2 sides
Minecraft is a sandbox video game created by Markus Persson a.k.a Notch. It was then fully developed and published by Mojang, a company formed by Markus Perrson and two of his friends. Minecraft’s structure is very open ended. There is no end goal or objective set by the game. The player is free to go in whatever direction they want and do whatever the want with the world. They could build a mansion, a railway system or even a working 16 bit computer. Minecraft originally was created from an abandoned game by Notch called RubyDung. This was transformed into a basic version of Minecraft. The game was tested over a weekend in 2009 when it sold 40 copies for £8 each. The game was then properly developed by Mojang in 2011 and was released for the first time officially.
At first Minecraft only offered one mode which was called survival. This mode involved mining ores and other materials and building a shelter, crafting new gear, eating food and much more. Later on a creative mode was added. This mode targeted a more creative audience who did not want any restrictions to what they could do. This allowed for amazing creations only limited by the players mind. Another mode is online servers. These servers are created by other players and some are open to the public. Some servers such as Mineplex have a wide variety of mini games for you to play. For example, hide and seek and hunger games. These larger serves contain thousands of active players and allow for more players to play together. Another way players can connect is through cross play. This enables people across all platforms such as PlayStation, Xbox, PC and many more. This again increases player connectivity and interaction.
Minecraft has become a huge commercial success for a variety of reasons. One being that it is available on an unbelievable amount of platforms. For example, it is available on Xbox 360, Xbox One, PS3, PS4, Nintendo Switch, mobile and many more. This number of platforms means that pretty much everyone has access to the game and can play together with the cross play that has been introduced. Another reason it has become a huge success is because of the you tubers and twitch streamers. These content creators promoted the game to a wider audience. YouTube and Twitch was one of the largest factors to why Minecraft reached the popularity it did. These content creators have millions of followers and when the started to play and post videos of Minecraft it encouraged its audience to give the game a try. This led to a huge influx of players. Minecraft was also a huge commercial success because it appealed to all audiences. A certain audience may want a more difficult game whereas a another audience may prefer to have a more laidback creative game. People may only want to play mini games online with their friends. This audience is also catered for. Minecraft fits in with everyone’s gaming wants and needs.
Minecraft became a critical success because of the sandbox style gameplay and the replay value the game had. Critics described the game as a never ending experience that could be played for thousands of hours because of the lack of objective and direction the game gave you. Critics also liked how you can customise the game to how you want it by downloading texture packs, mods and skins as this also increased the playability factor of the game.
Write an introductory essay to Minecraft.
- Explain what it is, give an outline of the game’s history and explain why it has been a commercial and critical success
- Approx. 700 words or 2 sides
Minecraft is a sandbox video game created by Markus Persson a.k.a Notch. It was then fully developed and published by Mojang, a company formed by Markus Perrson and two of his friends. Minecraft’s structure is very open ended. There is no end goal or objective set by the game. The player is free to go in whatever direction they want and do whatever the want with the world. They could build a mansion, a railway system or even a working 16 bit computer. Minecraft originally was created from an abandoned game by Notch called RubyDung. This was transformed into a basic version of Minecraft. The game was tested over a weekend in 2009 when it sold 40 copies for £8 each. The game was then properly developed by Mojang in 2011 and was released for the first time officially.
At first Minecraft only offered one mode which was called survival. This mode involved mining ores and other materials and building a shelter, crafting new gear, eating food and much more. Later on a creative mode was added. This mode targeted a more creative audience who did not want any restrictions to what they could do. This allowed for amazing creations only limited by the players mind. Another mode is online servers. These servers are created by other players and some are open to the public. Some servers such as Mineplex have a wide variety of mini games for you to play. For example, hide and seek and hunger games. These larger serves contain thousands of active players and allow for more players to play together. Another way players can connect is through cross play. This enables people across all platforms such as PlayStation, Xbox, PC and many more. This again increases player connectivity and interaction.
Minecraft has become a huge commercial success for a variety of reasons. One being that it is available on an unbelievable amount of platforms. For example, it is available on Xbox 360, Xbox One, PS3, PS4, Nintendo Switch, mobile and many more. This number of platforms means that pretty much everyone has access to the game and can play together with the cross play that has been introduced. Another reason it has become a huge success is because of the you tubers and twitch streamers. These content creators promoted the game to a wider audience. YouTube and Twitch was one of the largest factors to why Minecraft reached the popularity it did. These content creators have millions of followers and when the started to play and post videos of Minecraft it encouraged its audience to give the game a try. This led to a huge influx of players. Minecraft was also a huge commercial success because it appealed to all audiences. A certain audience may want a more difficult game whereas a another audience may prefer to have a more laidback creative game. People may only want to play mini games online with their friends. This audience is also catered for. Minecraft fits in with everyone’s gaming wants and needs.
Minecraft became a critical success because of the sandbox style gameplay and the replay value the game had. Critics described the game as a never ending experience that could be played for thousands of hours because of the lack of objective and direction the game gave you. Critics also liked how you can customise the game to how you want it by downloading texture packs, mods and skins as this also increased the playability factor of the game.
Tuesday 19 March 2019
Big Issue Essay
How does the Big Issue communicate messages and values through it’s media language?
The cover image has the masthead at the top left of the cover and the price and date at the top right. It also has the slogan ‘A hand up not a handout’. The covers main image is Liam Neeson who is starring in a new film called ‘The Commuter’. It also has an image of a black man to the left. This is it to show equality among the cover. The celebrities are also in black and white to show that there is no race barrier. The font of the the headline is like a train board. The typography behind this is that it is in theme with the new film ‘The Commuter’. Which is set on a train. Other articles listed on the front page is Route out of homelessness which is about helping homeless people get a home and a job. This is in line with the slogan ‘A hand up not a handout’. The big issue also helps homeless people receive some money from selling the paper. It also has an article about must read books of 2018. The lighting on the cover is greyscale and the colour scheme is green, yellow, black and white.
The cover image has the masthead at the top left of the cover and the price and date at the top right. It also has the slogan ‘A hand up not a handout’. The covers main image is Liam Neeson who is starring in a new film called ‘The Commuter’. It also has an image of a black man to the left. This is it to show equality among the cover. The celebrities are also in black and white to show that there is no race barrier. The font of the the headline is like a train board. The typography behind this is that it is in theme with the new film ‘The Commuter’. Which is set on a train. Other articles listed on the front page is Route out of homelessness which is about helping homeless people get a home and a job. This is in line with the slogan ‘A hand up not a handout’. The big issue also helps homeless people receive some money from selling the paper. It also has an article about must read books of 2018. The lighting on the cover is greyscale and the colour scheme is green, yellow, black and white.
Monday 11 March 2019
Minecraft – The Story of Mojang
The following two extracts are from the documentary Mojang: The Story of Minecraft which can be found in full on Youtube. Watch the extracts carefully and answer the questions. A Youtuber’s experience (Interview with Ali-A (additional comments by …) . Time 24.34-33.56:
1) How many subscriptions does Ali-A have for his Youtube channel?
16 million subscribers.
2) How many years have he been doing this? 13 Years
3) Why did he start playing Minecraft?
He started playing Minecraft because his subscribers keep requesting that he start to play Minecraft.
4) What does he say he is trying to do with his content?
He is trying to improve each video over the next.
5) Describe his average working day
Wake up between 12-2pm. By 3-4pm check emails, then he makes 3 videos for the day. He has 3 different channels that he uploads on, the first video will be ready at 7:30pm, the second at 10pm and the third at 1am.
6) Why might we watch Youtubers?
So we can see someone who is of higher skill than the average player.
7) What is Twitch and what is the average time spent on it by a viewer?
Twitch is a live streaming platform where anyone can host their own broadcast of any game or even a live vlog. The average time a viewer spends on Twitch is 95 minutes per day.
8) How much do you estimate that Ali-A earns in a year? Go to socialblade.com to check your answer Microsoft’s purchase of Mojang (3.22-8.15) :
9) How much was Minecraft purchased for?
$2.5 Billion
10) What are 3 reasons behind Microsoft’s purchase?
Microsoft want to attract a younger audience. Minecraft is already incredibly successful and established. Microsoft also want more passionate fans.
11) How might this affect the game?
Larger budget and a bigger team. This will lead to more frequent and better updates to the game.
12) What is Minecraft’s biggest asset?
It's image.
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