Minecraft

The Unlikely Tale of Markus 'Notch' Persson and the Game that Changed Everything

By: Linus Larsson, Daniel Goldberg, Jennifer Hawkins - translator

Narrated by: Jonathan Davis

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. Minecraft: The Unlikely Tale of Markus "Notch" Persson and the Game that Changed Everything is a Cinderella story for the Internet age.

©2011 Daniel Goldberg and Linus Larsson. English translation ©2013 by Jennifer Hawkins. (P)2014 Audible, Inc.

Not a bad listen, but for newcomers to Minecraft

Provides some interesting background info on the development of the game, but not much significant insight into Notch beyond what you could find from a magazine article. Definitely aimed towards an audience unfamiliar with the game to provide a broad overview of Minecraft and its developer.

Makes me want to play a constructive game

I have never played Minecraft, but as I read this book I wanted to step in and see how creative I can be in the game. (That didn't go well, but that's a different story and irrelevant here).

In this audiobook, you can find the history and philosophy behind the game, the backstory of the developers and their rise to the spotlight. It is a success story by any standard, and it will be an example of what a simple idea and basic talent can become a successful business with minimum capital to begin with.

Very interesting in depth story

I liked the book, don't get me wrong. I've been a mine craft enthusiast since when still on Bets and played countless hours on the PC and a lot more on the XBOX 360. My son played the heck out of it on PC with its many MOD variations, objective based maps, survival mode, you name it. The book does go out on tangents here and there that are not mine craft specific but adds color to the industry and what was happening in the gaming world at the time, which gives it better perspective. Kudos for the research. But in doing so sometimes the author moves a bit too far from the main theme and for a little too long. The narrator could have done a better job as there are many out there with superb voice acting. Overall it's a good read but I did mix it with other books and didn't listen to it cover to cover which to me tells me I was losing interest and had to force myself to listen at times. If I wasn't a MC fan I would have had plenty of opportunities to give up on the book.

Awesome!

Very interesting. Sometimes goes off on a long tangent before returning to story at hand, but in a good way overall.

as an experienced gamer, amusing to listen to.

I got it for free, so not complaining. the rest of this review is filler so that an error message will go away.

A bit too dumbed down but still good.

This book doesn’t feel like the author had any personal contact with the material and characters.
Not really a book for anyone who has any knowledge about programming or game development.
As a listen in the background book it is not bad.

Good, but not great

Interesting story, but doesn't really get you to the edge of your seat from excitement.

Inspiring tale for dream chasers.

Would you recommend this audiobook to a friend? If so, why?

I would definitely recommend this audiobook to a friend because it is inspiring and depicts that when you choose your goal, follow your heart, and persist at working toward your goal, you will ultimately get to where you want to be.

Who was your favorite character and why?

Markus was my favorite character in the book because I can relate to him. At least in my younger years, I was just like him.

Which scene was your favorite?

I really enjoyed listening to the part in the book where Markus is watching the payments for Minecraft accumulate in his PayPal account.

Was this a book you wanted to listen to all in one sitting?

Yes! I started listening to it at work and when it came time to do I didn't really want to leave my desk.

Any additional comments?

The book was so great to listen to. The narrator did an outstanding job at bringing Markus' story to life and easily held my attention throughout the story. Very inspiring listen and I highly recommend it to everyone!

An interesting peek into the gaming industry.

An interesting peek into the gaming industry, this should be a good one to share with your kids who are mindcraft obsessed.

A decent depiction of a fascinating story

Full disclosure - I've played Minecraft off and on for years and have dabbled in amateur game programming. That's probably part of why I find the story of Notch and Minecraft so fascinating.

This book is the telling of Notch's story from his childhood, first jobs, creating Minecraft, and the aftermath. I was already familiar with many aspects of the story, but the book filled in a lot of the details. In particular, the parts about Notch's family and early jobs were completely new to me. The parts about forming Mojang, its financial success, and Notch's evolving role within the company were filled with tons of details I had never heard before. The book seemed sourced from a variety of interviews of the players involved, which added a lot of color.

The book also unfortunately contained quite a bit of filler. The exhaustive descriptions of other Stockholm based game studios really added nothing. In fact, the book even concluded that chapter with a line about how this story is not about the little guys versus the big corporate giants. Also, all of the needless info from psychologists about online communities and human perception of realistic computer graphics just seemed like filler.

Overall, I enjoyed the book. The story itself is excellent. The book's telling of it is ok. Together this makes for a decent book. I'd recommend it to anyone who plays MInecraft or wishes to learn more about Notch's story. However, if you aren't already at least somewhat into Minecraft, this book will probably be quite boring.