Minecraft Foam Pickaxe Toys and Gadgets

Minecraft Foam Pickaxe Product Details

Released on 24-May-2012

• Minecraft creator Notch has 'writer's block'

  Markus "Notch" Persson, the Swedish indie developer who became an overnight star thanks to the world-conquering Minecraft, is feeling the pressure of fame. The revelation comes in a frank and candid interview with New Yorker magazine.

  It's perhaps not surprising that he's feeling anxious about following up such an enormous hit. Minecraft has sold over twenty million copies across PC, Xbox 360 and mobile, earning Notch's studio, Mojang, a hefty £152m in 2012. He's currently ranked second, just behind Egyptian president Mohamed Morsi, in Time magazine's poll to find the most influential people in the world.

  "I'm starting to feel writer's block as a result," Notch told New Yorker. "I'm not sure if it's pressure to repeat - actually, it is the pressure to repeat. With Minecraft it was just easier, because nobody knew who I was. Now I post a new idea and millions of people scrutinize it. There's a conflict between the joy of being able to do whatever I want and the remarkable pressure of a watching world. I don't know how to switch it off."

  The Minecraft success story doesn't look like it will be ending any time soon. Xbox 360 owners who are unable to download the game will soon get the chance to join in as well, when Minecraft Xbox 360 edition comes to shops in a retail disc version. That's expected to launch in June, delayed from this month in order to include as many gameplay updates as possible.

  Published: 15/04/2013

• Portal, The Sims and Minecraft showcased by Museum of Modern Art

  New York's prestigious Museum of Modern Art has ended decades of debate by embracing video games as an artform worthy of permanent inclusion. Fourteen titles will be installed in the Philip Johnson Galleries from March next year, with the goal of expanding the collection to forty titles over time.

  Among the first games to be honoured are such classics as Pac-Man, Tetris and SimCity. More modern titles include SONY's bonkers roll-em-up Katamari Damacy, Valve's brilliant Portal and the wonderfully simple endless runner Canabalt. Nintendo's Animal Crossing and indie sensation Minecraft are among the games that will join the collection later.

  "Are video games art? They sure are," reads the museum press release. "The games are selected as outstanding examples of interaction design," the statement said. "Our criteria, therefore, emphasize not only the visual quality and aesthetic experience of each game, but also the many other aspects - from the elegance of the code to the design of the player's behaviour - that pertain to interaction design."
  

  Published: 30/11/2012

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