Practice question on Minecraft

Explain the impact of digitally convergent media platforms on video game production, distribution and consumption.


To answer this question, we are going to be discussing the production, distribution and the consumption of a sandbox video game called Minecraft, which was developed by Markus Notch Persson, a Swedish game designer, and was later fully developed and published by Mojang.



In terms of production, Minecraft is a sandbox video game that allows people to explore different stories and dive into different adventures, was produced by Markus Notch Persson, a Swedish game designer. Minecraft is fairly significant due to the creative and building aspects of Minecraft, which allows players to build with a variety of different cubes in a 3D generated world. This worldwide sandbox video game is also a cross-platform game, which is very significant to people who classify themselves as full time gamers; the game is widely available on Microsoft Windows, Mac OS X, Linus,  PlayStation 4, Android and Nintendo Switch. The fact that Minecraft is available across all platforms is significant because as it's available on Windows PC, this means that users are able to download the game, instead of buying an actual disk copy of the game. This is also convenient for the company, the conglomerate Microsoft, who also owns the game as well as Mojang, because it's cheaper for them, as they don't need to make that many disk copies, when users can just get the game through downloading it.

The distribution of Minecraft is again, very wide and varied. As we've already mentioned that the game is widely available on Microsoft Windows, Mac OS X, Linus,  PlayStation 4, Android and Nintendo Switch, this would've helped the distribution of the game very much, as it would've reached a variety of audiences. Further, another distribution is the fact that Minecraft has its own licenced products, which are widely available; consisting of toys, backpacks for school, etc that take form of 3D blocks to signify the game. There are also Minecraft magazines that are available to the audience, which includes all the tricks and tips that can be used in the game, for example how to build certain things, like tricky buildings. Moreover, Minecraft has its own marketing campaign, such as building a colossal machine inside the game to advertise a new update.

The consumption revolves around the audience. The audience will probably play Minecraft on any platform of their choice, as it's widely available on all cross-platforms. Seeing as the game allows multiplayer or single-player, players can choose to play in whichever mode they want. However, there's so much more to Minecraft that users can do. For example, there are different modes, which means users can select different types of stories, such as adventure stories and can interact differently with them. Minecraft fandom can also consume the game through YouTube, such as filming walkthroughs, teaching other users how to play and doing tutorials on how to build certain things, etc. Further, users can interact through a cultural poacher, which means they can create mods for their game, which is different types of customization added to your game. This can be done by downloading them and putting them into your games folder, or you can simply buy the mods through different trust-worthy websites. Henry Jenkins' idea of a fandom is also beneficial to Minecraft, because since it has its own fandom, users can help promote the game significantly to its success by again, the creation of different mods, fan art, fiction, cosplay and tutorials. The significance of a fandom is beneficial because it can attract different types of new audiences and lead the game to its high success.