What do you think?
Rate this book
Minecraft: The Unlikely Tale of Markus "Notch" Persson and the Game that Changed Everything
Three years ago, 32-year-old Markus "Notch" Persson of Stockholm was an unknown and bored computer programmer. Today, he is a multi-millionaire international icon. Minecraft, the "virtual Lego" game Markus crafted in his free time, has become one of the most talked about activities since Tetris. Talked about by tens of millions of people, in fact. It is the story of unlikely success, fast money, and the power of digital technology to rattle an empire. And it is about creation, exclusion, and the feeling of not fitting in.
Here Markus opens up for the first time about his life. About his old Lego-filled desk at school. About the first computer his father brought home one day. But also about growing up in a family marked by drug abuse and conflict. But above all it is the story of the fine line between seeming misfit and creative madman, and the birth of a tech visionary.
The Unlikely Tale of Markus "Notch" Persson and the Game that Changed Everything is a Cinderella story for the Internet age.
Here Markus opens up for the first time about his life. About his old Lego-filled desk at school. About the first computer his father brought home one day. But also about growing up in a family marked by drug abuse and conflict. But above all it is the story of the fine line between seeming misfit and creative madman, and the birth of a tech visionary.
The Unlikely Tale of Markus "Notch" Persson and the Game that Changed Everything is a Cinderella story for the Internet age.
257 pages, Kindle Edition
First published November 1, 2011
57 people are currently reading
1700 people want to read
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 30 of 217 reviews
October 27, 2014
First of all, Minecraft is one of the most popular game on PC, but it is nothing like how I'm going to explain you about the book. It is not about all the info on the game, but its about its creator. Markus Persson is the owner of the game, a simple game that soon turn out to be super fun, also the maker is already known as a celebrity because of this. Some of you might still not know him but for those of you that plays Minecraft might know his gamer tag, which he is called "Notch" in the gaming world. This book that you all might be wondering about might say, so what? Well this book is base on Markus life from when he was a child to when he grows up to be the worlds best gaming programmer. This book does not only tells about him but his family and friends that were with him on his journey to become what he wanted.
The authors claim in which I believe is that, to them the authors Daniel Goldberg and Linus Larsson all agreed upon that Markus "Notch" to them is truly everyones hero, or I would say, computer game hero because of his small game that only takes a few years to become the most popular game there is to play on the PC. In my opinion I would agreed with them because for myself I use to played Minecraft before, and I have to say it is truly the most excellent game that I played since, except that I played it on the PS3 (Play Station 3). So bare with me that you agreed with me also. Not to mention that this game can inspire you from the gaming world to the real world that you can do so many things in your life just like in Minecraft.
In this book there were some problems needed to be discuss about, like in the book Markus sister has she been growing up, she started to get addicted to drugs and that wasn't good for her. What I think If I was Markus brother, than I would do whatever I can do to heal my sister because Markus did tried to help but it wasn't enough to make her cure again. But she did already started to do the right things again, it was all because of her brother Markus. Another problem was that, at the end of the book it says that "Notch" won't be working at Mojang anymore, Mojang is the company were Markus created to work on Minecraft and other games that he created. The author say that he quit his job and let his friend Rolf that he had been working with since, to take charge of everything. But his wife who let us know that he be up again on making the games that he loved most on making including Minecraft. If that didn't happened, than the only way for me to resolve this problem was for me to motivate Markus on doing the things that he loved most on. Making everybody happy.
I know I have read a book that was similar to this one because it involves games, but I never read a book like this telling about it's creators life experience and the other that read was explaining about the games and the consoles that were used by it a long time ago, which by the way does not involve about Minecraft but does involve about other games like it for example the joy stick that you used when playing pac man and that old nintendo for when you play that old Mario Brothers game version. Yeah like that, its something between long time ago to what we have today. Not only me should I learn something new but for you too, one of the things that I learned from the book was that, I never knew that "Notch" was a fake name and instead Markus Persson was the Minecraft creator real name. Another was that Markus has a sister, I taught he was the only child that his parents had. Also who knew he was really interested on playing computer games and making his own games when he grow up.
Theres many qualities in this book that I like, one of them is how the cover look when I first saw it, like first I never expected Minecraft to be in the media center and second theres a creeper on the cover! Interesting part is that the title wants me to read it. Another quality that I like is the pictures in the book, some shows the creator of the game himself! Wow so that who he is? It would be a great honor meeting him. Also there were some pictures of great structures built in Minecraft, it tells who built it and what it is like one of them was a fleet of spaceships in space! Also theres one of a huge mansion that belongs to monsters from the game. One more quality that I like was that the back cover because it tells some good stuff that wants you to read the book to find out for yourself.
The author writing style is very good, I like how they make it easier for me to understand and imagine whats going on in the book, I like it when they give a short caption on whats going on in the pictures so I won't have to say "So what?" (Even though its still important in whats happening in the picture, also it describes better). They're writing is so descriptive that even though thats what makes the book longer and another way of understanding it better. Also one more thing, at the end of the book, the authors organize the list of games that were involve in the years of Markus and its good because, I can know the games and maybe play them and get the same feeling from Markus when he plays them.
In conclusion of what I have to say about this book is that, its one of the best book that I read (literally). So I would like to say Thank you Markus or "Notch" whatever you like better for making Minecraft because I can tell that a lot of people are enjoying it even me on the PS3 because PC won't let me log in for some reason, you should be happy with yourself on inventing Minecraft because it is a very great game that you have ever created, so be happy with yourself and the rest of Mojang because of you guys, everyone have founded this epic game and are now enjoying like you do in that crazy life awesome life of yours in the gaming world and the real world, thanks Markus for everything, but PS3 Minecraft should improve more with Xbox like the PC version just saying because 4J Studios aren't doing a good job on it, just saying.
Anyway back with everyone else because you are all important too. I recommend this book to all even does who plays Minecraft and those who never heard it, kids should play because its true that Minecraft is educational for children so I'm hoping people are reading this not just my school but to everyone. Also don't forget to read "A Year With Minecraft Behind The Scenes At Mojang". To even learn more about this amazing company and their games.
The authors claim in which I believe is that, to them the authors Daniel Goldberg and Linus Larsson all agreed upon that Markus "Notch" to them is truly everyones hero, or I would say, computer game hero because of his small game that only takes a few years to become the most popular game there is to play on the PC. In my opinion I would agreed with them because for myself I use to played Minecraft before, and I have to say it is truly the most excellent game that I played since, except that I played it on the PS3 (Play Station 3). So bare with me that you agreed with me also. Not to mention that this game can inspire you from the gaming world to the real world that you can do so many things in your life just like in Minecraft.
In this book there were some problems needed to be discuss about, like in the book Markus sister has she been growing up, she started to get addicted to drugs and that wasn't good for her. What I think If I was Markus brother, than I would do whatever I can do to heal my sister because Markus did tried to help but it wasn't enough to make her cure again. But she did already started to do the right things again, it was all because of her brother Markus. Another problem was that, at the end of the book it says that "Notch" won't be working at Mojang anymore, Mojang is the company were Markus created to work on Minecraft and other games that he created. The author say that he quit his job and let his friend Rolf that he had been working with since, to take charge of everything. But his wife who let us know that he be up again on making the games that he loved most on making including Minecraft. If that didn't happened, than the only way for me to resolve this problem was for me to motivate Markus on doing the things that he loved most on. Making everybody happy.
I know I have read a book that was similar to this one because it involves games, but I never read a book like this telling about it's creators life experience and the other that read was explaining about the games and the consoles that were used by it a long time ago, which by the way does not involve about Minecraft but does involve about other games like it for example the joy stick that you used when playing pac man and that old nintendo for when you play that old Mario Brothers game version. Yeah like that, its something between long time ago to what we have today. Not only me should I learn something new but for you too, one of the things that I learned from the book was that, I never knew that "Notch" was a fake name and instead Markus Persson was the Minecraft creator real name. Another was that Markus has a sister, I taught he was the only child that his parents had. Also who knew he was really interested on playing computer games and making his own games when he grow up.
Theres many qualities in this book that I like, one of them is how the cover look when I first saw it, like first I never expected Minecraft to be in the media center and second theres a creeper on the cover! Interesting part is that the title wants me to read it. Another quality that I like is the pictures in the book, some shows the creator of the game himself! Wow so that who he is? It would be a great honor meeting him. Also there were some pictures of great structures built in Minecraft, it tells who built it and what it is like one of them was a fleet of spaceships in space! Also theres one of a huge mansion that belongs to monsters from the game. One more quality that I like was that the back cover because it tells some good stuff that wants you to read the book to find out for yourself.
The author writing style is very good, I like how they make it easier for me to understand and imagine whats going on in the book, I like it when they give a short caption on whats going on in the pictures so I won't have to say "So what?" (Even though its still important in whats happening in the picture, also it describes better). They're writing is so descriptive that even though thats what makes the book longer and another way of understanding it better. Also one more thing, at the end of the book, the authors organize the list of games that were involve in the years of Markus and its good because, I can know the games and maybe play them and get the same feeling from Markus when he plays them.
In conclusion of what I have to say about this book is that, its one of the best book that I read (literally). So I would like to say Thank you Markus or "Notch" whatever you like better for making Minecraft because I can tell that a lot of people are enjoying it even me on the PS3 because PC won't let me log in for some reason, you should be happy with yourself on inventing Minecraft because it is a very great game that you have ever created, so be happy with yourself and the rest of Mojang because of you guys, everyone have founded this epic game and are now enjoying like you do in that crazy life awesome life of yours in the gaming world and the real world, thanks Markus for everything, but PS3 Minecraft should improve more with Xbox like the PC version just saying because 4J Studios aren't doing a good job on it, just saying.
Anyway back with everyone else because you are all important too. I recommend this book to all even does who plays Minecraft and those who never heard it, kids should play because its true that Minecraft is educational for children so I'm hoping people are reading this not just my school but to everyone. Also don't forget to read "A Year With Minecraft Behind The Scenes At Mojang". To even learn more about this amazing company and their games.
March 13, 2014
Unlike probably most of the readers of this book: I don't play Minecraft or know anything about gaming culture, and my wife brought this book home for me (she's a librarian so I get that a lot) so I could understand my 7-year-old Hank, who is a Minecraft obsessive. I don't think she thought I would actually read the book. But I did, and it's a really likable biography of the game of Minecraft and its founder, Magnus Persson. The prose (evidently the authors are well-known in Sweden and this is their first book to appear in English) is very low-key and a comfortable companion on the page: none of the 'oh gosh' tone and contrived conflict of some celebrity biographies. I got a voyeuristic look at a gamer subculture. It won me over without making me want to go play Minecraft (I still don't), but by just rolling out a nice story and staying out of the way.
November 10, 2013
As seems to be my usual method, I will provide the usual disclaimers up front. I am a raving minecraft fanboy, a gamer and in particular, a big fan of indie games. So this book could have been printed on dried shit and written in piss ink and I probably still would give it at least 3 stars.
The writers are reasonably well known in gaming circles, and and especially in Scandanavia, so the writing itself is quite good. They can easily claim to be experts in the field of gaming and gaming journalism, so I would expect nothing less than a high quality retrospective here, and it delivers.
Since this isn't fiction, I'll instead give some things that occurred to me along the way. I'm not going to evaluate "pace", "character progression" or other such fiction-ey things because they don't make as much sense in this context.
I was not really very aware of how big of a player Sweden is in the gaming industry, so this was a nice eye opener on that score. The more general commentary on the gaming industry as a whole was not all that surprising. I've been a gamer and follower of the industry long enough to know how it works and what sorts of implications that has on employment and how people are treated. They portrayal of the various companies and how they participate in the industry was, as I would expect, spot on. Hat tip to Valve, of course. I didn't realize Markus interviewed with them. I shouldn't be surprised, of course, but man, what a rush that must have been.
I really enjoyed the "humanization" of Markus and his family. I have just that much more respect for the man now knowing that much more about him.
The more in depth look at Mojang and how it has been trying to develop the business is very interesting, and I'm hoping to continue to follow that progress in the coming years. I suspect it will prove to be an interesting ride.
If you are a gamer, like minecraft, follow the gaming industry at all ... you'll want to pick this one up. Definitely enjoyable, and it is a quick read.
The writers are reasonably well known in gaming circles, and and especially in Scandanavia, so the writing itself is quite good. They can easily claim to be experts in the field of gaming and gaming journalism, so I would expect nothing less than a high quality retrospective here, and it delivers.
Since this isn't fiction, I'll instead give some things that occurred to me along the way. I'm not going to evaluate "pace", "character progression" or other such fiction-ey things because they don't make as much sense in this context.
I was not really very aware of how big of a player Sweden is in the gaming industry, so this was a nice eye opener on that score. The more general commentary on the gaming industry as a whole was not all that surprising. I've been a gamer and follower of the industry long enough to know how it works and what sorts of implications that has on employment and how people are treated. They portrayal of the various companies and how they participate in the industry was, as I would expect, spot on. Hat tip to Valve, of course. I didn't realize Markus interviewed with them. I shouldn't be surprised, of course, but man, what a rush that must have been.
I really enjoyed the "humanization" of Markus and his family. I have just that much more respect for the man now knowing that much more about him.
The more in depth look at Mojang and how it has been trying to develop the business is very interesting, and I'm hoping to continue to follow that progress in the coming years. I suspect it will prove to be an interesting ride.
If you are a gamer, like minecraft, follow the gaming industry at all ... you'll want to pick this one up. Definitely enjoyable, and it is a quick read.
November 10, 2013
A fun book about a fun company founded by fun guys.
This is a modern morality tale about pursuing pure dreams amidst the commercial imperatives of the gaming industry. It's a quick, slim read that chronicles the rise of Minecraft from hobby to hegemon. These behind-the-scenes business profiles are interesting because they reveal the often mundane reasons for choices made and the accidents that result in success. The only reason I gave this three stars instead of four: I've read so many business profiles now that any new one has to break the standard narrative mold somehow. In others words, "it's not you, it's me."
Follow me on Twitter: @Dr_A_Taubman
This is a modern morality tale about pursuing pure dreams amidst the commercial imperatives of the gaming industry. It's a quick, slim read that chronicles the rise of Minecraft from hobby to hegemon. These behind-the-scenes business profiles are interesting because they reveal the often mundane reasons for choices made and the accidents that result in success. The only reason I gave this three stars instead of four: I've read so many business profiles now that any new one has to break the standard narrative mold somehow. In others words, "it's not you, it's me."
Follow me on Twitter: @Dr_A_Taubman
December 25, 2019
Книга о его творце и его детище пытается ответить на вопрос почему детище стало популярным и что случилось с творцом. И если с творцом все более-менее понятно (хотя и сложно), то с игрой не совсем. Авторы делают несколько интересных предположений, однако эта книга не о игре, а ПРО игру. Несмотря на то, что я видел своими глазами, как в интернете появлялись новости про события из книги, и на наших глазах творилась история, читать было всё равно интересно. Здесь не стоит ждать хорошо переданных характеров персонажей, как это бывает в другом видеоигровом нон-фикшене, в этой книге хорошо переданы события.
April 12, 2019
Har aldrig spelat Minecraft i hela mitt liv, men detta va en sjukt intressant bok! Intressant inblick i hela spelindustrin
August 2, 2014
Markus Persson is the man behind one of the biggest independent games in history, Minecraft.
Better known as Notch to his numerous fans, he has always has a fascination with programming and spend hours of his youth in front of a screen. After school he managed to get a job as a programmer but found that it was too restrictive and with him and another dreamt of having their own company to do the games that they wanted.
The germ of an idea cam from another game, as these things always do, and he started coding for this simple blocky world. All so very different from the slick modern games that are on the market these days. And slowly word got out of his little game where you could create exactly what you wanted. As the sale grew and grew he took the plunge and went into business with two others.
It is fascinating story of his life, and of a gamer who wanted to do it exactly his way. My children spend an awful lot of time on his game, so it was good to find out about the man.
Better known as Notch to his numerous fans, he has always has a fascination with programming and spend hours of his youth in front of a screen. After school he managed to get a job as a programmer but found that it was too restrictive and with him and another dreamt of having their own company to do the games that they wanted.
The germ of an idea cam from another game, as these things always do, and he started coding for this simple blocky world. All so very different from the slick modern games that are on the market these days. And slowly word got out of his little game where you could create exactly what you wanted. As the sale grew and grew he took the plunge and went into business with two others.
It is fascinating story of his life, and of a gamer who wanted to do it exactly his way. My children spend an awful lot of time on his game, so it was good to find out about the man.
November 18, 2016
Now I want to give Minecraft a go...!
February 24, 2020
Good read. A relatively quick account of how Markus developed the game. In the book, his struggles and successes are described, along with important people being introduced from his 'real life.'
The author covers basic dates to flesh out a timeline of notable events in the gaming world to place this monumental game in context, and the reader is sure to learn quite a bit about Notch.
The author covers basic dates to flesh out a timeline of notable events in the gaming world to place this monumental game in context, and the reader is sure to learn quite a bit about Notch.
November 30, 2025
I think it was interesting to find out that a boy from a bad background became the creator of the most well known video game. Markus "Notch" Pearsson was an interesting person in the book. He was from Switzerland.
December 25, 2022
Jävligt najs jag älskar detta spel
December 17, 2022
Interesting read if you have ever played or heard about Minecraft. It's more about Notch than the history of the game itself but still worth reading.
September 20, 2021
Интересная и познавательная история всемирно известной игры и её создателей, прочитал с удовольствием за пару вечеров.
December 16, 2019
I bought this books for my 11 year old boys because they are really into Minecraft. They gave it back to me, saying they couldn't get into it. I'd never had them do that to me, so I started reading it to see what they were getting stuck on.
Well, it's not really for kids. The cover made it seem that I would be able to hand it off to the little ones, but once I started reading I saw that it was written for an adult audience. Not in any 'inappropriate content' way - but in the fact that it was the biography of an entrepreneur and how he went about creating his masterpiece. I, personally, loved the behind the scenes look at how Minecraft came to be. I enjoyed the glimpses into Notch's life and the bits of relationship drama that we were given. I also liked the newly written chapters that dealt with the sale of Mojang to Microsoft. It made for a complete story with a strong conclusion.
If you are into the business side of Minecraft and Mojang, this may be a book for you. If you want an in-depth look at the history of Minecraft, this may be a book for you. If you are a pre-teen kid looking for fan fiction or how to play Minecraft better...not so much.
Well, it's not really for kids. The cover made it seem that I would be able to hand it off to the little ones, but once I started reading I saw that it was written for an adult audience. Not in any 'inappropriate content' way - but in the fact that it was the biography of an entrepreneur and how he went about creating his masterpiece. I, personally, loved the behind the scenes look at how Minecraft came to be. I enjoyed the glimpses into Notch's life and the bits of relationship drama that we were given. I also liked the newly written chapters that dealt with the sale of Mojang to Microsoft. It made for a complete story with a strong conclusion.
If you are into the business side of Minecraft and Mojang, this may be a book for you. If you want an in-depth look at the history of Minecraft, this may be a book for you. If you are a pre-teen kid looking for fan fiction or how to play Minecraft better...not so much.
November 2, 2013
I received Minecraft as part of a Goodreads giveaway.
To give you an idea of how video game-illiterate I am, I initially confused Minecraft for Minesweeper. My knowledge extends to the Mario franchise and that's about it. That's why I was surprised by how much I enjoyed this book.
It's a quick read, both in terms of length and narrative style. Beginning with Persson's childhood fascination with Legos, progressing through his early career in the game/digital design industry and his eventual breaking away to develop and release Minecraft, the game that captured his imagination, much of the story is about how the game's unique premise has captivated millions of fans worldwide (and, as I was reading, even myself). It's as much about psychology and sociology as it is about video games. Considering how relatively new the game is, and how quickly it rose to prominence, the story is by and large a positive one at this point--it will be interesting to see its (and its creators') long-term fate.
Recommended.
To give you an idea of how video game-illiterate I am, I initially confused Minecraft for Minesweeper. My knowledge extends to the Mario franchise and that's about it. That's why I was surprised by how much I enjoyed this book.
It's a quick read, both in terms of length and narrative style. Beginning with Persson's childhood fascination with Legos, progressing through his early career in the game/digital design industry and his eventual breaking away to develop and release Minecraft, the game that captured his imagination, much of the story is about how the game's unique premise has captivated millions of fans worldwide (and, as I was reading, even myself). It's as much about psychology and sociology as it is about video games. Considering how relatively new the game is, and how quickly it rose to prominence, the story is by and large a positive one at this point--it will be interesting to see its (and its creators') long-term fate.
Recommended.
December 20, 2013
My first biography-about-a-video-game-developer. If this is par for the course I'm glad to just play nine (to take the golf metaphor one step further) and skip any other gamer bio's. Kind of simply written, like a fluff newspaper piece that got a long feature spot. Nonetheless, I find the game really intriguing, and that made the read worth it for me - and it also made me want to get into the game (and games in general) more, which is cool. Some of the info about the video-game business was news to me, so also 3 stars for those interesting tidbits.
August 17, 2014
Interesting book about the story behind Minecraft but contained very little information about the actual game. If you expect to find a deeper understanding for the code or mechanics behind the game you're in for a disappointment - you will read a lot more about Notch's family and lifesituation than the computer-part. But it at least gave a glimps of gaming history and a sneak-peak into the world behind computergames here in Sweden.
December 14, 2014
A fascinating look at the creator and creation of the Minecraft phenomenon. Reading this book allowed me a much deeper, more appreciative insight into just why and how my son (among millions of others) could find Minecraft so ultimately captivating.
May 28, 2013
Interesting book on one of the best games ever made.
May 25, 2021
The title of my book is Minecraft: The Unlikely Tale of Markus "Notch" Persson and the Game that Changed Everything, and the authors are Daniel Goldberg and Linus Larsson. This book was published in 2015.
My personal opinion of this book is that it was very well written, and very interesting. I am very upset that Markus turned out the way that he did and that money got the best of him. I think he did a very good job of not focusing on money until the end of the book. I believe that this book portrayed Markus’ life well and gave us lots of information on where he worked and who he met during his time. I think they could have touched more on what he did in his personal life, but it gave us information about his work ethic and how he decided to run a business. This book was very informative but some people can portray that as having a slow plot. I believe that it was a slow plot, but it was always interesting and grabbed my attention. This book also shows you the dangers of money getting to your head, just like Markus it can make you do things you regret. Such as for Markus, selling the game that he worked on his whole life for money.
This book meant a lot to me in many ways. One of them is to follow your dreams. I’ve always wanted to make a game and have it be a hit but never actually thought of doing it. This book gave me some hope that maybe, this may happen with one of my games one day. I have worked on many games but never actually tried to publish them because there were many problems with coding, and I never had too much experience. But after reading this book, I realize that you just have to push through your mistakes and make the best game that you are capable of making.
I believe that this book is meant for anyone who wants to make a game, or has played video games before. This gives you background knowledge about how much work really goes into these games that we play every day. I feel that we never appreciate how much work is really put into these games and that we should start to acknowledge that.
My personal opinion of this book is that it was very well written, and very interesting. I am very upset that Markus turned out the way that he did and that money got the best of him. I think he did a very good job of not focusing on money until the end of the book. I believe that this book portrayed Markus’ life well and gave us lots of information on where he worked and who he met during his time. I think they could have touched more on what he did in his personal life, but it gave us information about his work ethic and how he decided to run a business. This book was very informative but some people can portray that as having a slow plot. I believe that it was a slow plot, but it was always interesting and grabbed my attention. This book also shows you the dangers of money getting to your head, just like Markus it can make you do things you regret. Such as for Markus, selling the game that he worked on his whole life for money.
This book meant a lot to me in many ways. One of them is to follow your dreams. I’ve always wanted to make a game and have it be a hit but never actually thought of doing it. This book gave me some hope that maybe, this may happen with one of my games one day. I have worked on many games but never actually tried to publish them because there were many problems with coding, and I never had too much experience. But after reading this book, I realize that you just have to push through your mistakes and make the best game that you are capable of making.
I believe that this book is meant for anyone who wants to make a game, or has played video games before. This gives you background knowledge about how much work really goes into these games that we play every day. I feel that we never appreciate how much work is really put into these games and that we should start to acknowledge that.
January 30, 2021
I read this book due to my students, many of whom play Minecraft (which I have yet to do). Although I started this book to a degree begrudgingly, I soon got immersed in the book and by chapter 3, I couldn't put it down. I read it in a week-and-a-half, which is fast for me.
The two main draws are (1) the incredible story of how Minecraft exploded into a worldwide phenomenon, and (2) the development of Marcus Persson's character from a reclusive programmer to a celebrity figure worth millions of dollars. The story is told expertly by two of Sweden's best-known tech authors; Goldberg and Larsson mix stories from Marcus' life with nonfiction information that gives a reader an appreciation for Minecraft's incredible trajectory. The nonfiction bits were equally if not more interesting than the story itself, such as the "uncanny valley" phenomenon noted by Japanese robotics professor Masahiro Mori, which is the fact that as computer-drawn images of human beings become more detailed and lifelike, the average viewer finds them more attractive, until they reach a very high degree of lifelikeness, at which point the viewer finds them more ugly--something about their blank eyes or un-lifelike movements make them appear dead and zombielike. Goldberg and Larsson give this background to explain why Minecraft's blocky graphics are actually quite appealing, more so than many modern games whose graphics are too realistic and thus, ironically, more displeasing to the viewer.
The book's other draw was its biography of Persson. The authors tell of Persson's growing up years, his parents splitting, his sister's rebellion, and how his mom worried that he would never move out and spend all of his life in front of his computer, programming. Persson did eventually move out, though and experienced success as a programmer for Midasplayer (now King games), though he grew dissatisfied at Midasplayer's profit focus, which killed the joy of programming for the sole purpose of designing a great game, with no thought to how it would sell. Ironically, when, during his evenings and weekends, Markus spent his time making a game with no thought to profits but purely focused on designing a great game, he designed one of the most profitable video games in history. Minecraft remains, 10 years after its official release at MineCon 2011, an incredibly popular game with a huge and devoted player base.
I didn't know how much I would enjoy this book, but I am so glad my students sparked an interest in me to read it. For me, the greatest takeaway from this book is to pursue your passion. Not every passion project will result in Minecraft, but the passion projects of the world are what make culture--which is jaded by consumerism--interesting and vital. The second greatest takeaway is that lots of money is NOT a good thing. Persson has struggled with how to handle his wealth, and although he's had some amazing experiences jet setting across the world, hosting lavish parties, and buying expensive things, what he's lost along the way are the true riches of life: his marriage, his relationships with his coworkers at Mojang, and simple friendships. As the Proverbs say, "Better a small serving of vegetables with love than a fattened calf with hatred."
The two main draws are (1) the incredible story of how Minecraft exploded into a worldwide phenomenon, and (2) the development of Marcus Persson's character from a reclusive programmer to a celebrity figure worth millions of dollars. The story is told expertly by two of Sweden's best-known tech authors; Goldberg and Larsson mix stories from Marcus' life with nonfiction information that gives a reader an appreciation for Minecraft's incredible trajectory. The nonfiction bits were equally if not more interesting than the story itself, such as the "uncanny valley" phenomenon noted by Japanese robotics professor Masahiro Mori, which is the fact that as computer-drawn images of human beings become more detailed and lifelike, the average viewer finds them more attractive, until they reach a very high degree of lifelikeness, at which point the viewer finds them more ugly--something about their blank eyes or un-lifelike movements make them appear dead and zombielike. Goldberg and Larsson give this background to explain why Minecraft's blocky graphics are actually quite appealing, more so than many modern games whose graphics are too realistic and thus, ironically, more displeasing to the viewer.
The book's other draw was its biography of Persson. The authors tell of Persson's growing up years, his parents splitting, his sister's rebellion, and how his mom worried that he would never move out and spend all of his life in front of his computer, programming. Persson did eventually move out, though and experienced success as a programmer for Midasplayer (now King games), though he grew dissatisfied at Midasplayer's profit focus, which killed the joy of programming for the sole purpose of designing a great game, with no thought to how it would sell. Ironically, when, during his evenings and weekends, Markus spent his time making a game with no thought to profits but purely focused on designing a great game, he designed one of the most profitable video games in history. Minecraft remains, 10 years after its official release at MineCon 2011, an incredibly popular game with a huge and devoted player base.
I didn't know how much I would enjoy this book, but I am so glad my students sparked an interest in me to read it. For me, the greatest takeaway from this book is to pursue your passion. Not every passion project will result in Minecraft, but the passion projects of the world are what make culture--which is jaded by consumerism--interesting and vital. The second greatest takeaway is that lots of money is NOT a good thing. Persson has struggled with how to handle his wealth, and although he's had some amazing experiences jet setting across the world, hosting lavish parties, and buying expensive things, what he's lost along the way are the true riches of life: his marriage, his relationships with his coworkers at Mojang, and simple friendships. As the Proverbs say, "Better a small serving of vegetables with love than a fattened calf with hatred."
July 26, 2024
Är det bara ett spel? Framgångssagan om Mojang och deras flaggskeppsspel Minecraft är anmärkningsvärd. Markus "Notch" Persson, spelets skapare, har nominerats av Time som en av världens mest inflytelserika personer.
Journalisterna Daniel Goldberg och Linus Larsson fångar denna historia i sin bok "Minecraft: Block, pixlar och att göra sig en hacka". Kända för sin tidigare bok "Svenska hackare", levererar de en rak journalistisk berättelse som följer Notch från hans tidiga dagar som programmerare, genom tuffa familjesituationer, till att uppnå sin dröm om att skapa ett världskänt spel.
Boken ger en gedigen översikt av Stockholms spelvärld, utmaningarna med att starta ett teknikföretag och pionjärskapets prövningar. Den belyser även indie-spelens förlagsvärld och visar hur oberoende utvecklare nu har större chans än någonsin att nå en bredare publik.
Notch framstår som huvudpersonen: en vanlig kille, lite blyg, djupt passionerad för spel och programmering. Han är ingen stor filosof men besitter beundransvärda egenskaper.
Minecraft sticker ut i en bransch besatt av avancerad grafik, och påminner om föregångare som datorvärlden Second Life. Dess enkelhet, snarare än obegränsad komplexitet, kan vara dess genialitet. Till skillnad från Second Life är Minecraft ett engagerande spel, inte en allomfattande existens.
Det är anmärkningsvärt att oberoende utvecklare kan tjäna pengar, men det är långt ifrån lätt. Kan Minecraft utvecklas vidare, eller har fansen tagit över? Kommer Mojang att fortsätta sin kloka licensieringsstrategi, att använda Minecraft-varumärket selektivt? Kan det växa bortom Notchs vision, eller försvinna som en fluga?
Några frågor förblir obesvarade, som tidigare rättstvister eller riktigt hur väl Notch klarat sig sedan dessa omvälvningar? Svaren kanske är enkla men skulle vara intressanta.
Boken väcker tankar om Stockholms IT-värld, undersöker villkoren för kreativitet och om svenska företag befinner sig på rätt plats i ekosystemet. App-ekonomin kräver hårt arbete. Är pionjärtiden över för IT, även om Notch kan återgå till att skapa i sitt rum (nu i centrala Stockholm)?
Dessa funderingar ligger utanför bokens fokus. Goldberg och Larsson ger en grundlig insikt i en värld som kan vara svår att förstå för de som inte är besatta av spel och datorer. Som Notch sa, det är bara ett spel, om än ett bra spel.
Boken om Minecraft är engagerande och upplyftande, men en snabb läsning. Dess cirka 200 sidor kan avverkas under några pauser på en konferens.
Journalisterna Daniel Goldberg och Linus Larsson fångar denna historia i sin bok "Minecraft: Block, pixlar och att göra sig en hacka". Kända för sin tidigare bok "Svenska hackare", levererar de en rak journalistisk berättelse som följer Notch från hans tidiga dagar som programmerare, genom tuffa familjesituationer, till att uppnå sin dröm om att skapa ett världskänt spel.
Boken ger en gedigen översikt av Stockholms spelvärld, utmaningarna med att starta ett teknikföretag och pionjärskapets prövningar. Den belyser även indie-spelens förlagsvärld och visar hur oberoende utvecklare nu har större chans än någonsin att nå en bredare publik.
Notch framstår som huvudpersonen: en vanlig kille, lite blyg, djupt passionerad för spel och programmering. Han är ingen stor filosof men besitter beundransvärda egenskaper.
Minecraft sticker ut i en bransch besatt av avancerad grafik, och påminner om föregångare som datorvärlden Second Life. Dess enkelhet, snarare än obegränsad komplexitet, kan vara dess genialitet. Till skillnad från Second Life är Minecraft ett engagerande spel, inte en allomfattande existens.
Det är anmärkningsvärt att oberoende utvecklare kan tjäna pengar, men det är långt ifrån lätt. Kan Minecraft utvecklas vidare, eller har fansen tagit över? Kommer Mojang att fortsätta sin kloka licensieringsstrategi, att använda Minecraft-varumärket selektivt? Kan det växa bortom Notchs vision, eller försvinna som en fluga?
Några frågor förblir obesvarade, som tidigare rättstvister eller riktigt hur väl Notch klarat sig sedan dessa omvälvningar? Svaren kanske är enkla men skulle vara intressanta.
Boken väcker tankar om Stockholms IT-värld, undersöker villkoren för kreativitet och om svenska företag befinner sig på rätt plats i ekosystemet. App-ekonomin kräver hårt arbete. Är pionjärtiden över för IT, även om Notch kan återgå till att skapa i sitt rum (nu i centrala Stockholm)?
Dessa funderingar ligger utanför bokens fokus. Goldberg och Larsson ger en grundlig insikt i en värld som kan vara svår att förstå för de som inte är besatta av spel och datorer. Som Notch sa, det är bara ett spel, om än ett bra spel.
Boken om Minecraft är engagerande och upplyftande, men en snabb läsning. Dess cirka 200 sidor kan avverkas under några pauser på en konferens.
October 21, 2019
The book describes the creator of minecraft Markus/Notch and how the game minecraft. That he made and how much hard work it was to make this specific game now. The author of this book is Daniel Goldberg and Linus Larsson made the book on September 1, 2012, and it is still being read to this day The characters are markus a bunch of workers, co workers elin, jakob and etc. The gerene is Biography.
A major plot point is when notch made the game minecraft, and how big it got and what happened in his past Notch/Markus, and the troubles and the good times they had but. There are multiple plots that people may think this is one of the main plot points that happen in this story and I believe that this is the most important.
My opinion on this book it that it is interesting but sometimes it rants on too much for me. I think this book is to target minecraft players so they see how the game there playing is made and to see how notch did made this game and where he got his idea and how important it is to try your hardest. I picked this book is because it's something I know really well because i ́m a minecraft player and i was wondering how the tale of notch was and what hardships he had to face and this motivated me to try harder and try to be successful as there content creators no in the money standpoint but the happiness standpoint because i want to do something that ́s is going to be fun for me.
A major plot point is when notch made the game minecraft, and how big it got and what happened in his past Notch/Markus, and the troubles and the good times they had but. There are multiple plots that people may think this is one of the main plot points that happen in this story and I believe that this is the most important.
My opinion on this book it that it is interesting but sometimes it rants on too much for me. I think this book is to target minecraft players so they see how the game there playing is made and to see how notch did made this game and where he got his idea and how important it is to try your hardest. I picked this book is because it's something I know really well because i ́m a minecraft player and i was wondering how the tale of notch was and what hardships he had to face and this motivated me to try harder and try to be successful as there content creators no in the money standpoint but the happiness standpoint because i want to do something that ́s is going to be fun for me.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
April 17, 2018
This is a nice book that gives insight to the creation of the worldwide phenomenon known as Minecraft. At the time of this review, there has been 6 years of time passed since this book was written, so unfortunately some of its content hasn't aged as well as expected. That being said, it's still a fun read for fans of Minecraft and its creator.
The print is large enough that I was able to finish all ~240 pages in less than two days worth of casual reading on a weekend. Obviously, this book is meant for much younger readers than I, but it is written well enough to be both informative and entertaining. The style of presentation is quite nice and the scattered black and white photographs give a pleasant 'indie' quality. There's an interesting section of glossy paper in the middle of the book containing screenshots of incredible builds from certain servers as well.
Pretty much everything here has been distributed online through interviews with the developers over the years, but for someone who is new to the game or the Mojang development history, this makes a great time capsule. It is important to note that since this book was published, Mojang created official servers known as Realms, 0x10c died a quiet death, Markus Persson sold the Minecraft license to Microsoft for ~2.5B dollars (!), and Scrolls dedicated servers have closed. Even further still, the namesake creation of this book has undergone an amazing amount of updates, refinement, and additions since then (version history since 1.2.1).
Notch's story was really just beginning at the time of this book's publication and translation, but it is written in a way that proves even the author thought the mountaintop was reached. It is quite interesting to think about what has happened since and what may be to come. I recommend this book to anyone interested; especially to those younger kids that are being introduced to the game and are beginning to read longer books. It'll be hard for them to put it down!
The print is large enough that I was able to finish all ~240 pages in less than two days worth of casual reading on a weekend. Obviously, this book is meant for much younger readers than I, but it is written well enough to be both informative and entertaining. The style of presentation is quite nice and the scattered black and white photographs give a pleasant 'indie' quality. There's an interesting section of glossy paper in the middle of the book containing screenshots of incredible builds from certain servers as well.
Pretty much everything here has been distributed online through interviews with the developers over the years, but for someone who is new to the game or the Mojang development history, this makes a great time capsule. It is important to note that since this book was published, Mojang created official servers known as Realms, 0x10c died a quiet death, Markus Persson sold the Minecraft license to Microsoft for ~2.5B dollars (!), and Scrolls dedicated servers have closed. Even further still, the namesake creation of this book has undergone an amazing amount of updates, refinement, and additions since then (version history since 1.2.1).
Notch's story was really just beginning at the time of this book's publication and translation, but it is written in a way that proves even the author thought the mountaintop was reached. It is quite interesting to think about what has happened since and what may be to come. I recommend this book to anyone interested; especially to those younger kids that are being introduced to the game and are beginning to read longer books. It'll be hard for them to put it down!
January 21, 2019
This book is a slim biography of Markus Persson, obviously focused on the creation of Minecraft.
It's hard to read all the authors' glowing admiration of Persson's accomplishments now that he's become a vocal advocate for misogyny. (They call him a genius.) But the book is a quick read and an interesting artifact of a time when 4chan was still young people's worst-kept secret from the mainstream.
The book describes what a Let's Play is, briefly glosses over the indie gaming scene of the late-2000s, and talks about Zynga and Rovio as behemoths in the video game world. These are fun details if you're old enough to have nostalgia for the period. It's so strange to remember how recently Angry Birds, a stolen concept with hideous art, the Ur-shovelware, was made into a feature film.
There's interesting information, but the writing is simple, melodramatic, and silly. And if you have any familiarity with the subject, it's painful to read a description of Dwarf Fortress written for an audience that may have no understanding of game design.
Ultimately, there's no insight here except what you bring to it yourself. The book is an extended magazine article.
It's hard to read all the authors' glowing admiration of Persson's accomplishments now that he's become a vocal advocate for misogyny. (They call him a genius.) But the book is a quick read and an interesting artifact of a time when 4chan was still young people's worst-kept secret from the mainstream.
The book describes what a Let's Play is, briefly glosses over the indie gaming scene of the late-2000s, and talks about Zynga and Rovio as behemoths in the video game world. These are fun details if you're old enough to have nostalgia for the period. It's so strange to remember how recently Angry Birds, a stolen concept with hideous art, the Ur-shovelware, was made into a feature film.
There's interesting information, but the writing is simple, melodramatic, and silly. And if you have any familiarity with the subject, it's painful to read a description of Dwarf Fortress written for an audience that may have no understanding of game design.
Ultimately, there's no insight here except what you bring to it yourself. The book is an extended magazine article.
April 23, 2019
Daniel Goldberg and Linus Larson have written a true story of a man and his game that would change the world. The book follows the life of Markus and the problems that he runs into in the making of Minecraft.
Markus is the creator of Minecraft, but he did not become as famous overnight. In order for Markus to have success for himself and his game, he has to put a lot of time into his game. This can be very difficult for Markus because he is still working a job and coming home to work on his game. Even when the game started to pick up some traction he still kept his job because he felt as if it was just short fame that would not last very long. But overnight the game became more and more popular giving Markus lots of money and he decides to quit his job so he could focus on his new game.
Anyone who has played or wants to play Minecraft should take a look at the authored by Daniel Goldberg and Linus Larsson, so they have a better understanding of the game and the creator himself. If you find your self seeking information about how the game is made or how they become popular, I think that everyone can learn from the hard work put forward by Markus.
Markus is the creator of Minecraft, but he did not become as famous overnight. In order for Markus to have success for himself and his game, he has to put a lot of time into his game. This can be very difficult for Markus because he is still working a job and coming home to work on his game. Even when the game started to pick up some traction he still kept his job because he felt as if it was just short fame that would not last very long. But overnight the game became more and more popular giving Markus lots of money and he decides to quit his job so he could focus on his new game.
Anyone who has played or wants to play Minecraft should take a look at the authored by Daniel Goldberg and Linus Larsson, so they have a better understanding of the game and the creator himself. If you find your self seeking information about how the game is made or how they become popular, I think that everyone can learn from the hard work put forward by Markus.
September 1, 2020
It Could've Been Better
The first and most glaring issue this book faces is it doesn't know who its audience is. The book seems to be written for my grandpa; someone who has never heard of "Minecraft" or "Video Games" or "Youtube." But who do you think is going to be interested in reading a biography about Notch? Most likely people who have more than a passing familiarity with Minecraft, in fact, probably avid fans.
This tone hinders the whole book, as it constantly explains things that its audience is very familiar with.
Some chapters seem to go in directions away from the main biography, addressing topics only tangentially related to the story at hand.
The sources page is also kind of silly, just saying things like "conversation with markus," or just "youtube video, you can search for it"
A lot had also happened in the minecraft world since the publication of this book in 2013, but it would be unfair to judge it on that metric (though these development might certainly make for interesting writing)
I'll admit I did learn quite a bit about Persson by reading this book, and I didn't hate it. It was mostly interesting. But it could've been better.
The first and most glaring issue this book faces is it doesn't know who its audience is. The book seems to be written for my grandpa; someone who has never heard of "Minecraft" or "Video Games" or "Youtube." But who do you think is going to be interested in reading a biography about Notch? Most likely people who have more than a passing familiarity with Minecraft, in fact, probably avid fans.
This tone hinders the whole book, as it constantly explains things that its audience is very familiar with.
Some chapters seem to go in directions away from the main biography, addressing topics only tangentially related to the story at hand.
The sources page is also kind of silly, just saying things like "conversation with markus," or just "youtube video, you can search for it"
A lot had also happened in the minecraft world since the publication of this book in 2013, but it would be unfair to judge it on that metric (though these development might certainly make for interesting writing)
I'll admit I did learn quite a bit about Persson by reading this book, and I didn't hate it. It was mostly interesting. But it could've been better.
October 26, 2021
I have zero acquaintance with gaming world and read this book on my husband's suggestion solely cause im extremely intrigued by tech entrepreneurs and their journey and eventual downfall mired in vanity and controversies. This book predominantly focuses on "Notch" aka Markus who is the creator of Minecraft and his journey. A remarkable individual with penchant for building gaming ever since his childhood goes on to build a unique game none seen in gaming world before. While the big game companies were banking on what works in the market and just when the market was saturated with the same theme of games, minecraft garners a niche audience and is loved by millions. This story sees no downfall of the hero, like I'd expected and im glad humans like him still exist!
If you know nothing about minecraft and its founder, this book is a great place to start.
If you know nothing about minecraft and its founder, this book is a great place to start.
May 6, 2018
Really cruised through this one. Nicely written. Gives you a glimpse into the life of developer Marcus a.k.a Notch. The book dives into the life of Marcus his passion for programming and writing games. The book almost compelled me to checkout the Minecraft game. It's amazing how a game created a eco-system around it. It's almost gives you a rush of adrenaline when you go through parts where gamer's discover the game and deposits start pouring into Marcus's paypal account. The book is an account of a successfully journey. But it's not always merrier and the book gives you glimpses into his personal life. Notch is a successful nerd who is also a sensitive man. Without giving away any spoilers I would like to end this review.
June 10, 2020
Мне понравилось. Эта книга ровно о том, о чем вы подумаете, прочитав название: жил-был никому не известный Нотч, работал в кровавом энтерпрайзе, по вечерам пилил всякие мелкие инди-игры, а потом одна из них продалась тиражом в сто миллионов штук, и Нотч стал мегазвездой и начал стремительно терять голову (кто бы из нас не начал?). Если вы увлекаетесь играми, вы уже наверняка в общих чертах знаете эту историю – и эта книжка рассказывает ее в деталях, периодически прерываясь на интерлюдии вроде “какие игровые компании есть в Швеции”, “как психологи объясняют популярность Майнкрафта” и “как Майнкрафт используют в обучении детей”. Книга короткая и увлекательная – я проглотил ее за вечер, не отрываясь от чтения.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 217 reviews