How Minecraft changed the world of gaming forever -

The history of Minecraft goes way back, but this game iconic for its block-style and hours of endless fun wasn’t always the massive title we see today. Once upon a time, Minecraft was a humble idea created by one person. I don’t think anybody could have ever anticipated how big Minecraft would become. And you’ve probably wondered: Why is Minecraft so successful?

When I was a kid, Minecraft was one of the greatest games I’d ever played. Survival mode with my siblings was loads of fun. We’d go absolutely crazy trying to make underground bases, survive in the treacherous dark, and it was fun. But the Minecraft of my childhood is nowhere near the Minecraft of today.

So, let’s take a look at the history of Minecraft and how it changed the world of gaming forever.

The Origins of Minecraft

Minecraft was created by Mojang Studios and orginally developed by Markus “Notch” Persson, who used the programming language called Java to make it (computer science kids, you know Java). It was first made public in 2009 but officially released in 2011. Notch stepped down following this and the torch was passed to Jens “Jeb” Bergensten, who took over development.

Mojang was later bought by Microsoft for a whopping $2.5 billion back in 2014–a very large sum of money.

The reason why Microsoft bought it might make you laugh, but apparently, Persson had tweeted for a company to buy shares of Minecraft.

Microsoft apparently called up Mojang’s CEO right after the tweet and the deal was made. Mojang had been approached by Activision Blizzard and Electronic Arts, but ultimately, Microsoft won the deal.

Persson actually became a billionaire following the deal and was included in Forbes for it. It’s insane when you look at this, considering where Minecraft began.

Minecraft: Pocket Edition

A revolutionary development in the life cycle of Minecraft, and one that is sure to make many of you remember, is the release of the Pocket Edition, or PE. The PE version of Minecraft was released in 2011, so before the Microsoft acquisition.

Still, this is such a big development that it gets its own section. Minecraft had assured itself that it would reach the hearts and minds of many young kids, who at the time, were receiving tablets and phones. I recall that this was really at the time when iPads and tablets were becoming a big deal for kids to have.

Pocket Edition would later be replaced in 2017 by Bedrock Edition, which gave it the ability to cross-platform play with Xbox One and Nintendo Switch editions.

Minecraft YouTube

If you’re aware of the world of Minecraft YouTube today, you’ll probably recognize names like Dream. However, for the longest time, the biggest names were people like DanTDM, SkyDoesMinecraft, Captain Sparkelz, Stampy, and many more.

The world of Minecraft YouTube was a revolutionary phase for gaming on the video-sharing platform. Everyone everywhere was watching Minecraft challenges, Minecraft gameplay, and Minecraft animations. Who can forget about Minecraft parodies?

Minecraft was sweeping the internet by a storm. And it still is today. With Bedwars and other new game modes, Minecraft has become a staple of the gaming world.

The Impact on Society and Gaming

Minecraft has not just played a significant role online, but it has certainly impacted gaming and our culture. Minecraft has been considered one of the best games ever made, with an induction into the World Video Game Hall of Fame.

Minecraft’s Steve default skin is as recognizable as Mario and Luigi. The Creeper from Minecraft is a symbol that is widely noticed and recognized. Minecraft is also a testament to the success Indie games can find. A game that started from humble beginnings has become one of the most successful video games ever made.

Minecraft has been viewed on YouTube trillions of times and it’s not stopping anytime soon. It’s been referenced in other games, movies, TV shows, and in music.

Minecraft has even been used in education and really does challenge creativity. It’s a game that brings people together and teaches them the fun of designing new worlds and exploring with each other.

Why did it succeed?

There are certainly many questions to be posed about how and why Minecraft received the success that it did. Now, one could say that it was simply fun, but that’s not really the case. There are plenty of fun, but heavily underrated games out there. Why Minecraft in particular?

Minecraft offered something that wasn’t really popular in video games: Creativity and freedom. Sure, you had RPGs like Skyrim, but Minecraft was different. It was a completely unguided world that you could explore, discover, learn, and create in. As you traverse the world, you see what blocks are good for building and what aren’t so much.

Not only that, but Minecraft promotes creativity. Humans are creative creatures, and we love to have a place to express that kind of creativity. Minecraft tapped into that and gave us the chance to create and have fun with the sandbox we were in.

Minecraft is certainly a cultural phenomenon. It changed the way we see games. It affected cultures and the internet. To this day, Minecraft is popular and it’s not going down anytime soon.

Where to play Minecraft?

If you want to play Minecraft, one way you can play immediately is by signing up for Game Pass. Game Pass is a Microsoft subscription service that allows you access to a wide variety of a library of 100s of games.

You can play anything from Assassin’s Creed: Origins to Minecraft to Forza and even Flight Simulator. If you haven’t tried Game Pass, you should definitely give it a go. It’s well-worth every dollar. I’ve been using it for a long time now and I’ve tried games I never even thought I’d like.

If you want to read some reviews on titles available through Game Pass, here they are below:

If you want to sign up for Game Pass, click the link below:

Sign up today!

Or, you can buy a prepaid Game Pass card from Amazon. You can also get a bundle of the Xbox Series X and Game Pass, so if you wanted a next-gen console, you can also get the perks of a huge gaming library.

Also Check Out: Is Xbox Game Pass worth it in 2022?

Zainah Yousef

Zainah Yousef is the author of The Fallen Age Saga and specializes in gaming, social media advice, and reviews. She's been writing all her life and she probably won't stop anytime soon.