Minecraft

•Digitally convergent media: Video games consoles are an excellent example of a digitally convergent device, you can not only play games but access social media, surf the internet, stream films and TV content and upload content into cloud based servers. Cross-media content helps maximise profits and also improve reach to new customers.

•Production: This refers to all phases of designing, developing and making the media product;.

•Distribution: This refers to all processes linked to delivering the media product to audiences both through tangible (disc) and digital (Cloud based) media.

•Consumption: Explores the way in which the media text is used by audiences for pleasure but also explores the rise of user generated content across several platforms.

The success of the games market.

–The UK’s   US$4 billion;

–China,   US$24.4 billion

–America’s   US$23.6 billion.

•A recent report by the UKIE1 suggests that the global games market is now worth in excess of US$100 billion.    

•Minecraft is the second most successful video game of all time behind Tetris.

•It was created and designed by Markus Persson,

a game programmer, who also developed and published the game through his company Mojang. A full version of the game went on release in November 2011.

•To date, well over 121 million copies have been sold across all platforms, including over 27 million PC copies, making it the biggest selling PC game of all time.

Minecraft partnered up with lego to release toys. The lego blocks were inspired by minecraft and this is an example on convergence. It benefits both companies as the two products are quite similar therefore it will impact both audiences positively.

Minecraft is used in education because is it interactive and fun. Lets children be more comfortable and creative. Used within STEM subjects as well as  arts as you can learn to code and design. You can collaborate with others.

Multiplatform and cross platform

Game Genres

Action

Arcade 

Adventure

RPG

Fighting

Racing

•Why Microsoft purchased – Minecraft for

2.5£Bn?

–Given the nature of the parent company and

the loyal fan base of PC gamers, it was in the

company’s interest to invest US$2.5 billion to

purchase Mojang for long term revenue.

–Microsoft have since developed the product

using more complex coding C++

–This has enabled multi platform access

(mentioned previously)

–They have launched newer more traditional

programs such as Minecraft Story mode

–Minecraft

in November 2014 of that year, plans to work on

a virtual reality version of Minecraft in

Partnership with Oculus 

•Minecrafts commercial success

–Budgets for games vary and Minecraft is a

good example of a game that was made and developed

using readily available open source software within the

gaming community; creating the original Minecraft using

Java gave it the advantage of being cross-platform: it will

run on Windows, Mac OS X, and Linux.

–other mainstream games that require entire teams of

programmers, artists and engineers to make video games

that have budgets equal or exceeding that of mainstream

films.  AN example of this includes CALL OF DUTY

COD MW2 cost $250 million to make and made

$310 million in its first day. Now on $1 billion+

•Minecraft’s not for profit funding of projects

–Minecraft has also been linked to non-profit projects such

as the UNs Block by Block project, which encourages

communities around the world to redesign their

neighbourhoods using Minecraft.

–An educational version has also been developed,

MinecraftEdu (2012), which has several applications to help

teach subject and develop a culture of computer

programming amongst digital natives.

Block by Block is a charity