Revising Minecraft

1. PRE-TEACHING SURVEY CHALLENGE
Conduct a survey and gather 20-50 results to gauge how popular Minecraft is
with DIFFERENT AGES
Your aim is to find out whether currently or historically people have played
Minecraft and which features of the game they enjoyed the most. Which
consoles do they own at home and what are the most popular video games
currently played around the school.
Prizes next week for the pair or person with the most detailed survey results!

2. Revising Minecraft
OCR Media Studies: Paper 2 Evolving Media

3. HOW POPULAR IS minecraft?
OCR Media Studies: Paper 2 Evolving Media

4. Paper 2: Evolving media

6. A brief history of
video games

7. Huge shift in game capability
- Better graphics
- Larger memory
- Multiplayer
Online gameplay:
• MMORPGs
• Avatars
• DLC
Full digital convergence
- Web browser
- Social media
- Stream films
- Upload content
1970/80s were the ‘Golden Age’
of the video game industry
Video games far surpass
film, TV and radio in terms of
profit ($120 billion by 2020)

8. History & Development
1. The earliest forms of video games were…
2. The golden age of video gaming was…
3. Notable or ground breaking games include:
4. How the perception of video games has changed:

9. Platforms
rpg
FPS
combo controls
MMORPG
sandbox
free roam
avatar
beta
steam
Acquisition
non-eucildean graphics
Platforms
rpg
FPS
combo controls
MMORPG
sandbox
free roam
avatar
beta
steam
Acquisition
non-eucildean graphics

10. Platforms
rpg
FPS
combo controls
MMORPG
sandbox
free roam
avatar
beta
steam
Acquisition
non-eucildean graphics
Platforms
rpg
FPS
combo controls
MMORPG
sandbox
free roam
avatar
beta
steam
Acquisition
non-eucildean graphics

11. WIDER READING:
1.What genre is Minecraft and what makes it appealing?
2. On which platforms can you play the game?
3. Who is the target audience?
4. How do Youtubers (DanTDM) Promote the game?
5. Who owns and produces the game?
6. What are some of the astonishing facts?

12. Welcome to the
weird AND
wonderful world
of youtubers
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3INohPCAsQw
Where’s the theory in that?
Clay Shirky would argue that
Youtubers such as DanTDM have
shifted the power in the media
from producer onto the
audience. This market liberal
approach suggests that the
audience holds the key to
Minecraft’s success, without
Youtube and social media the
game would not have been as
successful.
David Gauntlett would agree,
and suggests that audiences use
the media to base their
identity on. So, if an
influencer tells their 1
billion audience that a game is
good fun and that being a
‘Minecrafter’ is a viable
career and fun hobby to have,
then they are likely to adopt
this identity of a ‘gamer’.
Geek chic! $$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$

13. What do you know?
Without looking at your notes how much do you remember?
1. Name of the individual producer
2. Name of the company that produced the game
3. Date of Beta release
4. Budget spent on advertising
5. The genre of the game
6. Organisation that bought the game in 2014
7. How much did they purchase it for?
8. Platforms on which you can play the game
9. Company that regulates the gaming industry
10.Name of the most successful Minecraft Youtuber

14. What do you know?
Without looking at your notes how much do you remember?
1. Markus ‘Notch’ Persson
2. Mojang
3. January 2011
4. $0
5. Sandboxx
6. Microsoft
7. $2.5 billion
8. Cross-platform / anything!
9. PEGI
10.DanTDM

15. You can do what ever you
want with no limits.
Any console, anything can
play a console game.
You can connect with other
players but you need a lot of
coordination so it is better
on your own.Infinite possibilities.

16. What DO WE NEED TO KNOW FOR THE EXAM?
Who is the audience and how was the game received?
Who owns minecraft and how is it produced?
How is the game distributed and marketed?
What does the game teach us about culture and fandom?

17. Quick Quiz – The crazy 8
1. When did the full version of the game get
released?
2. To date, how many copies sold across all
platforms?
3. How many just on PC?
4. Minecraft is the second most popular game
behind which other?
5. Which Swedish company produced the game?
6. What is the name of the Swedish creator?
7. Without any commercial backing how did
the first one million customers know
about the game?
8. What genre is the game?

18. Quick Quiz
1. When did the full version of the game get
released? (Nov 2011)
2. To date, how many copies sold across all
platforms? (over 121 million)
3. How many just on PC? (27 million)
4. Minecraft is the second most popular game
behind which other? (Tetris)
5. Which Swedish company produced the game?
(Mojang)
6. What is the name of the Swedish creator?
(Markus ‘Notch’ Persson)
7. Without any commercial backing how did
the first one million customers know
about the game? (word of mouth)
8. What genre is the game? (Sandbox)

19. A Little theory - Henry Jenkins
Henry Jenkins is an influential Media
theorist, who is interested in Media in the
online world, or Media 2.0. Since the
emergence of the internet as a
participatory, interactive medium, there has
been a great deal of writing about how this
has transformed audiences, institutions and
the nature of media products. Jenkins looks
at many areas, but for this topic, his 1992
1992 book Textual Poachers: Television Fans
and Participatory Culture is particularly
important.

20. CONTEXTS:
Social:
Minecraft is being used by the
Block by Block project to help
rebuild areas of poverty and
neglect around the globe.
https://youtu.be/wkfB96DNwDw

21. CONTEXTS:
Social:
MinecraftEdu (2012) offers a
bank of online resources which
teachers can use to deliver
Minecraft based learning and
lesson (age 8-12)
https://education.minecraft.net/minecraftedu/

22. CONTEXTS:
Economical:
The game highlights how
development of games using readily
available open source software is
helping the industry grow.
Benefits of Java mean that games
can be played on Windows, Mac OS X
and Linux. These independent games
do not require huge Hollywood
movie budgets and teams of
developers.
Indie games are not usually taken
seriously and are often satirical
or amusing to play.

23. CONTEXTS:
Economical:
Game producers often have their own
ideology when it comes to creating
games. In 2011, Sean Parker (Founder of
Napster and Facebook President)was
denied investment into Mojang as
Facebook is not owned by ‘grassroots’
game developers. But once Markus
Persson sold his game new conversations
were started about developing a virtual
reality Minecraft with Parker.

24. CONTEXTS:
Cultural:
The success of Minecraft shows
how audiences spread content
via word of mouth, sharing
their own mods and game
footage across web forums and
Youtube.
Intertextual links to wider
products are also ‘cultural’
references:
Lego / Lady Gaga / South Park
/ Simpsons / Warner Bros movie

25. 1.The year Minecraft was released on
BETA
2.The year Minecraft was released for
official purchase
3.The nickname of the creator
4.The cost of their initial marketing
campaign
5.The initial age rating of the game
6.Age rating of the game now
7.The genre of the game
8.What does ‘cross-play’ enable players
to do?
9.What did the deal with the Egmont
Group allow for?
10.How can players ‘mod’ the game?
MINECRAFT ‘CRAFTY QUIZ’

26. 1.The year Minecraft was released on
BETA – (2009)
2.The year Minecraft was released for
official purchase – (2011)
3.The nickname of the creator – (Notch)
4.The cost of their initial marketing
campaign – ($0)
5.The initial age rating of the game
(12)
6.Age rating of the game now (7)
7.The genre of the game – (sandbox)
8.What does ‘cross-play’ enable players
to do? (Play on various consoles)
9.What did the deal with the Egmont
Group allow for? (Merchandise/books)
10.How can players ‘mod’ the game?
(alter gameplay mechanics)
MINECRAFT ‘CRAFTY QUIZ’

27. What do you remember about the
different ways Minecraft
attracts and maintains its
audience?
List your ideas.
Crafty Chat

28. Regulation
Regulation is…
Regulations are rules made by a government or other
authority in order to control the way something is
done or the way people behave.
Regulation is the controlling of an activity or process,
usually by means of rules.

29. Regulation
Regulation is considered necessary because…
• Owners cannot be allowed to control all modes of
production in a free market
• Content must be suitable for the audience the
product is for
• Audiences must be protected from obscene or
offensive material that may harm them or they
may want to copy

30. Regulation TASK
Working as a pair, you are going to find out as much as you
can about the regulation of the video game industry.
1. How is the industry regulated and by who?
2. Who regulates content and how?
3. What are some of the effects video games are seen to
have on players?
4. How is Minecraft regulated

31. VIDEO GAME REGULATION
EXAM STYLE QUESTION: Explain the role of regulation of the video game
industry in global production, distribution and circulation. Refer to Minecraft to
support your answer.

32. Who are the VSC?
The VSC Rating Board is an Administrator of the PEGI age rating system which is
used in over 30 countries throughout Europe. In 2012 the PEGI system was
incorporated into UK law and the VSC was appointed as the statutory body
responsible for the age rating of video games in the UK using the PEGI
system. In the UK, PEGI 12, 16 and 18 rated games are legally enforceable and
cannot be sold to anyone under those respective ages.

33. How is Minecraft regulated?
● The VSC has been promoting high
standards in the video industry
since 1989 with a code of
practice and training for
retailers to prevent underage
sales.
● https://youtu.be/vFFjM_4c0T0

34. Minecraft story mode: The compete adventure (2017)

35. CHANGE IN AGE RATING
2015 - MID 2017
2017 – PRESENT DAY
What factors might
have influenced this
change?

36. OVER TO YOU… (30 mins silent writing)
1. Explain how producers target, reach and engage audiences for video
games through content and marketing. Refer to Minecraft to support
your answer.
OR
2. Explain the role of regulation of the video game industry in
global production, distribution and circulation. Refer to Minecraft
to support your answer. [15mins]

37. OVER TO YOU… (35 mins silent writing)
1. Explain how producers target, reach and engage audiences for video
games through content and marketing. Refer to Minecraft to support
your answer.
OR
2. Explain the impact of changing audiences on video game production,
distribution and consumption. Refer to Minecraft to support your
answer.

38. HOMEWORK – checked with folders next wed
END OF UNIT REVISION
Complete your ‘Case Study Summary’A3 sheet
Aiming for A/B?
Create revision cards for the different elements of this unit.
● Game production
● Audiences
● Social impact of the game
● Marketing
● Production / Ownership
● Distribution
● Game Facts/stats
● Regulation and control
Complete the
‘regulation’
practice question
for me to mark.
A*