Minecraft: A Different Approach to Creationist Capitalism
If you have a sibling or family member that is under the age of 16 then you more than likely have heard of Minecraft. Parentinfo.org defines Minecraft as, “a virtual land where users can create their own worlds and experiences.” The game was created as a place with no rules that let the users do whatever they so pleased. It has become especially popular with younger kids because of its ease of use. Unlike other world-building games, Minecraft does not require the user to have any major skill or knowledge of the game. For many users Minecraft takes on whatever form they need to help foster their creative thoughts and ideas. Some different uses for the game include being a strategy game, a place to create new worlds purely from ones imagination, or even a place for one to join their friends and go on an adventure. When it comes to its ability to foster creativity, there truly is no limitation on what can be created.
One of the key factors that makes Minecraft unique is its young audience. Unlike many other virtual communities, Minecrafts main audience fall below the age of 16. With the users demographic being so low in age it raises the question of how does this game relate to political economy. That question can be answered by looking at the platforms where the game is available. Minecraft is available to played via Xbox, Playstation, smartphone, computer, or even a tablet. Rather than the main and only means to play the game be a computer, this game has opened itself to many platforms and therefore many different sources of revenue. By making the game available on so many different platforms they make the children want to get those different platforms so they can play however and whenever they want. This in turn is leading to even more money spent on different games and upgrades to those various platforms. The game also makes profit by charging users to sign up for its services and by offering in game upgrades that can be individually purchased by the player.
Boellstorff published his book on virtual worlds back in 2008. Although this was only 9 years ago, in technology time that is almost equal to centuries. He more than likely would have struggled with choosing a virtual community to study because there are currently so many available. In his book, he defined Creative Capitalism as, “a mode of capitalism in which labor is understood in terms of creativity, so that production is understood as creation.” Although I chose to focus on Minecraft, his definition fits almost the entire videogame industry today. More and more game designers a moving away from the standard of one mission and one character; instead they are opting for open world options that let the user truly control as many aspects of the game as possible. By shifting the focus of the game, the designers are helping the players shift from players escaping into someone else’s world to players escaping into their own world that they constructed. Converting the players into rulers and solidifying their desire to be in a place where they have total and utter control.
