Minecraft has been here for years, for many young gamers it is hard to imagine a time before it. Simon and I have already discussed the importance and educational aspects of Minecraft before (links to these are at the bottom of this article) but I want to discuss why Minecraft still persists.
Minecraft is at a fixed premium price on iOS yet has been in the top position in UK charts for many many weeks. In fact over the Summer holidays Minecraft was the number one selling game on consoles, beating AAA heavy hitters like Watch Dogs, Grand Theft Auto V and Mario Kart 8. In other media like music and films you do not get old films staying at the top of the charts for years, so why does Minecraft still persist?
I am no stranger to online gaming, playing Age of Empires way back and more recently COD but this is different. This is not gaming, this is a parallel world for children and adults alike. The collaboration, commitment, creativity and community that Minecraft inspires within children in particular is jaw droppingly revolutionary. In this over-protected, dumbed down, congested, polluted, corrupted world that we have handed to them the children have found something that we elders could only ever dream of... a magical Never Never Land where anything is possible. Through the various mods and updates Minecraft renews and refreshes itself- it adapts and evolves to each persons personal preference. It is not a craze or fad, it is not going away. It is a multimedia juggernaut that sells cosplay equipment and books that have topped the charts across the world. Anything that encourages this level of creativity in children is okay with me, long live Minecraft.
LINK- Minecraft Still Dominates Charts