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I liberate the ending to Minecraft from Microsoft and give it to you

theeggandtherock.substack.com

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Re: I liberate the ending to Minecraft from Microsoft and give it to you

#141

Post by xnorswap »

naet wrote: post #85

I kinda feel like this guy is overstating his contribution to Minecraft. It's nice to have an end screen message, but that isn't what drove the value of the game and could have easily been replaced by something else. Rule #1 of getting paid for your work is don't do a bunch of work without signing a contract first. Even if you're an artist. I highly doubt he could have released that poem on his own and turned it into…

Indeed, the odd twist in this story was that he was paid for his work. I was expecting a story about how he was still chasing his money to this day.

I'm fairly sure that no credible lawyer would give him the time of the day if he did try to get more now. He did work, he accepted money for that work and only later he thinks he's entitled to more and wants to re-negotiate.

I don't know about his jurisdiction, but here even as a layman I'm confident that doing the work and accepting the money would be seen as acceptance:

"As well as using words, a contract could be implied by conduct of the parties, for example, by jumping into a black cab and stating your destination, this conduct would be taken as an agreement that the taxi driver will take you to your destination and that you will pay a price for it."

https://www.legislation.gov.uk/ukpga/2015/15/notes/division/...

The idea that just because there isn't a written contract that he magically retains the rights is magical thinking and I'm surprised that no-one he's previously told this story to has pointed that out to him.

Re: I liberate the ending to Minecraft from Microsoft and give it to you

#142

Post by [deleted] »

ninth_ant wrote: post #106
eps wrote: post #79

This needs another side of the story.

Notch wanted a freelance writer to write a funky written piece for after the player defeats the ender dragon. He finds one and they agree on a price via email. Notch likes the result, integrated the writing into the game and pays the writer the agreed-upon amount. During due diligence of the MS purchase, the lawyers want the contract formalized. The freelancer erratically responds, writing self-contradictory emails t…

[deleted]

Re: I liberate the ending to Minecraft from Microsoft and give it to you

#143

Post by cmeacham98 »

causi wrote: post #42

so I said, OK, I’ll take whatever the first thing you offered was If he said that in an e-mail, doesn't that constitute a written agreement to transfer copyright to Mojang?

No, because it is illusory[1], you cannot enter into a contract that basically says "ok you get to dictate the terms and I'll do whatever you say".

That said, I think a lawyer could make a strong claim that later accepting the $20k (presumably he had to provide some sort of payment info for this) gave Mojang at a minimum the rights to use it in the game.

1: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Illusory_promise

Re: I liberate the ending to Minecraft from Microsoft and give it to you

#144

Post by dcow »

prox wrote: post #103
dcow wrote: post #77

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Yeah I need to stop. The more I brood over what I just read the more unbearably frustrated it makes me . I want my time back. I am sorry if I'm being overly harsh. This one really hit a nerve.

I am going to assume you are one of those reductionist materialists I read about. /s Just saying that I found the story interesting and well… lovely (in a way) but perhaps that’s different backgrounds at work (I dabble in art) so I wonder what makes this such an unbearable thing to read, perhaps a very practical person? Not necessarily directed at you dcow.

I actually did find parts of the essay quite reassuring and beautiful and the story in isolation rather interesting. As a copyleft non-believer in intellectual property (and rather that you must apply labor to ideas and can only own the outcome of such acts), I am also pleased with the outcome.

So the sour aftertaste, for me, is likely related to the juxtaposition of positive and negative elements and I think ultimately is a reflection of the balance he chose to give each. Suffice to say, I think there's a not-so-different delivery of this essay which would have left me with a much better aftertaste.

Re: I liberate the ending to Minecraft from Microsoft and give it to you

#145

Post by icelancer »

dcow wrote: post #77
darepublic wrote: post #54

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I feel you are being a bit too harsh but also had to laugh at the kubla khan and acid references

Yeah I need to stop. The more I brood over what I just read the more unbearably frustrated it makes me . I want my time back. I am sorry if I'm being overly harsh. This one really hit a nerve.

Nah the "Kubla Khan" part was legitimately quite funny.

Re: I liberate the ending to Minecraft from Microsoft and give it to you

#146

Post by chronogram »

dcow wrote: post #77
darepublic wrote: post #54

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I feel you are being a bit too harsh but also had to laugh at the kubla khan and acid references

Yeah I need to stop. The more I brood over what I just read the more unbearably frustrated it makes me . I want my time back. I am sorry if I'm being overly harsh. This one really hit a nerve.

I understand. I spent a good few minutes reading the blog because it got so many HN points and also felt mild disappointment over the waste of time.

Re: I liberate the ending to Minecraft from Microsoft and give it to you

#147

Post by mongol »

pavlov wrote: post #19
hohohmm wrote: post #8

Just want to say, it's definitely not THE most popular game of all time... Candy crush could be a strong candidate, though they probably never use that term on themselves.

Tetris and Windows Solitaire had a multi-decade head start though.

What about Pacman?

Re: I liberate the ending to Minecraft from Microsoft and give it to you

#148

Post by bobsmooth »

deanCommie wrote: post #28
dcow wrote: post #26

Earlier quoted context omitted.

In other words, he finally grew up and, instead of dealing it in his 20s, is dealing with it in his 30s. He'll come around.

What a strange thing to say. Most of us don't lose all our friends, or go in the deep end alt-right in our 20's...

Most of us don't become overnight billionaires.

Re: I liberate the ending to Minecraft from Microsoft and give it to you

#149

Post by pgsandstrom »

rosywoozlechan wrote: post #41

That's a lot of anger, negativity and bitterness, and entitlement (one of the game's creators for writing the ending text?). Reminds me of the kid on the cover of the Nevermind album and other people that are kinda tangentially connected to something massively successful, but not connected enough to benefit materially, and they let that define who they are and ruin their lives. Could have been a neat personal story,…

Im honestly chocked that people react so negatively to this piece. Yes, the author expresses many negative and self centered emotions. He is very clear about that. It is part of the story. It is a story about being a flawed person.

I sympathize with him. I loved this piece. I hope he truly did let go of all the hangups he described. And it does seem that he actually did sell the the rights of use to microsoft, making this whole text a weird misunderstanding. But that does not mean that the text is bad, or boring, or uninteresting. Rather the opposite.

Re: I liberate the ending to Minecraft from Microsoft and give it to you

#150

Post by [deleted] »

asperous wrote: post #55
Benjamin_Dobell wrote: post #40

I feel for the guy, making a living off of art is difficult. However, with an extensive email chain explaining the story was written as the ending of Minecraft, even going into detail about how it was to be displayed in game, an agreed upon offer (if a bit vague), and then an exchange of funds - with no immediate attempt to return said funds. I'm no lawyer, but that sounds a lot like a legally binding agreement. > So…

If he actually received $20,000 that still seems like a lot? Especially in a world where freelance writing is $0.01-$0.50 (pre-GPT3). And it sounds like at the time it was good money for the artist. I get that he feels like he was given a small amount relative to the great success of Minecraft, but I would hope he also realizes that it was risk free cash.

[deleted]
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