Minecraft Breakdown

Minecraft is perhaps the most successful indie game to date and has sold over 4,000,000 copies and more impressively has had no marketing campaign whatsoever.

Gameplay

Simple concept

The gameplay in Minecraft is again rather simple and focuses mainly on, surprise, surprise, and mining and crafting.  The game has no actual direction, which can often be a game’s undoing.  In this case however, it is the games main selling point.  The players are free to do as they please and at the same time create their own personal experience.   The sheer level of freedom and customisation is staggering and this is without a shadow of a doubt the games main selling point.

Crafting is the other half of Minecraft and brings more complex aspects of the gameplay to light.  This feature will appeal to the more traditional gamers such as RPG fans.  Players are able to combine items to make items that can enhance their in game experience.  Both sides of the gameplay work in parallel with each other to ultimately create a simple yet incredibly addictive experience.

Reward System

The player is rewarded in Minecraft for exploration.  These rewards come in the form of mining ores and items which ultimately enhance the gameplay experience.  The reward system builds upon the foundation of the gameplay to make an incredibly rewarding experience on many levels.

Variation

Variation in Minecraft exists in many forms. The main form of variation is the games ability to generate completely unique terrain.  This ensures that each play-through experience will vary to some degree.  Of course the crafting capabilities also contribute to the variation, allowing the player to craft armour and weaponry.  There is also a feature which allows players to customise their own textures for their characters.

Taking all this into consideration it is clear that variation plays a big role in keeping minecraft fun and interesting to the masses.

Aesthetic

The aesthetic of Minecraft is a huge factor in its appeal.  The game features a pixelated visual style that plays off the old games from the 8-bit era.  This prompts nostalgia for many potential consumers and in turn may generate sales on that factor alone.

Pricing

Minecraft has varied in prices from its initial alpha release up to its current full release.  This has allowed the game to be bought for a budget price before completion.  This may be one of the reasons that this game has made such an impact and been generating interest all around the world. The alpha was £5 (approximately), the beta £8 (approximately), and the full game is £16.95.