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I'm Leaving Mojang

notch.net

331–340 of 436 posts

Re: I'm Leaving Mojang

#331

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I don't think he wants sympathy, that's not how I read this at all. I think he wants freedom, and he is not asking for it but simply stating for the record how he is going about this. One of the thing's I admire about Notch's communication is that it always comes off as sincere and matter of fact. I think that is admirable in the face of the reality one faces in becoming internet-famous. The internet has a big proble…

Perhaps it's that Notch invited the entitlement with an explicit promise ? http://web.archive.org/web/20100301103851/http://www.minecra... Included there is a dedication to (eventually) make the work open-source or public domain, and to contribute to it so long as people are paying. Those promises drove MindCraft praise, good will, and adoption. Do you think asking someone to keep these promises, the ones that drove…

Yes, yes I do. The fact that you see his future plans as some kind of ironclad contract is precisely the problem. Minecraft did not explode because of these promises, it succeeded because of the reality on the ground as a fun game.

Notch gave the world a fun game, you gave him a small purchase price in order to enjoy it, end of transaction. The fact that he published thoughts and future plans does indenture him as your eternal entertainment provider. He should be free to leave daily development and do with his creation as he will, including deciding to do something differently than he originally envisioned. This is his prerogative as creator. To all the people who claim their participation "made" the success of Minecraft, I say bullshit, you are playing a fucking game.

You know what's a lot worse for humanity? When Twitter decided to be a media company instead of an infrastructure company. That also pissed off a lot of people who "made" the success of the company. But you know what? Same deal. It's their prerogative. You can cry and gnash your teeth, and of course you are entitled to your opinion, but the value of all those opinions? Farts in the wind.

Re: I'm Leaving Mojang

#332

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I honestly have no idea what your problem is with my comment anymore. Are you unhappy that I didn't mention the other things needed for success under "talent"?

What do you mean "anymore"? I only responded once. My problem is simple: you define talent as being "successful" by your opening sentence. From the beginning you question his talent because you haven't seen more successes from him. That's what I'm taking issue with. Of course I don't want you to define other things needed for success, that's precisely the problem. Success is not a barometer for success, more like a v…

Where did I define talent as being related to success?

I question his talent because I haven't seen anything interesting from him since Minecraft. If he had produced something great that nobody bought, I wouldn't be saying what I'm saying. But he hasn't made anything of interest.

Re: I'm Leaving Mojang

#333
post #289

Earlier quoted context omitted.

"...and share his vision of gaming." I think you may be ascribing meaning to a man with no such vision. He says he just wants to have fun and tinker, not change the world and I think that probably sums up his sentiments pretty well. I myself would love to change the world, I don't think you'd ever hear me speak those words. If you're a like-minded individual then I think it can be hard to put yourself in those shoes.…

> He says he just wants to have fun and tinker Then why no try to promote tinkering ? A game company dedicated to game development in a way he deems fit ? > Some people actually are just happy doing what they enjoy. There's always some small thing you wish you could be able to make, some quirky, imaginary idea you want to achieve. When you see what's on the market, you know and wish you could just do better. This kin…

>> He says he just wants to have fun and tinker >Then why no try to promote tinkering ?

"Promoting tinkering" is not "tinkering". That is a distinct passion, which he very well may not have.

Re: I'm Leaving Mojang

#334
>If I ever accidentally make something that seems to gain traction, I’ll probably abandon it immediately.

This reminds me of the unwanted flappy-bird fame.

What a strange idea for an entrepreneurial mind to read.

Re: I'm Leaving Mojang

#335
post #238

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Bruce Wayne's character in batman is always thinking big. He tries to push things in the direction he thinks is right. No, Bruce Wayne is incredibly myopic. If you have billions of dollars and you want to fight crime, the last thing you should be doing is developing fancy equipment so that you can personally go after criminals one by one. If Bruce Wayne truly wanted to use his money to reduce crime, he would be donat…

Mark Zuckerberg tried just dumping money into a school system. Didn't work because the school system was itself corrupt

Exactly this. That money is already done and gone, with little to no benefit to the children themselves. Such a shame.

Re: I'm Leaving Mojang

#336

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Minecraft was grown out of the way Notch works. What you are suggesting is impossible. No one, not even Steve Jobs sits down and says "My life mission is to benefit humanity". This is because we really do not know which efforts will have the largest impact on humanity. You could waste a lifetime trying to make a better battery - but it might never happen. Or you could hack around on a game and watch it explode and im…

> No one, not even Steve Jobs sits down and says "My life mission is to benefit humanity". Musk might be considered a counter-example here. In fact, part of his mission is literally to "make a better battery". Of course in depends on how much you buy into his mythology. Certainly he could have comfortably retired after Paypal though. (Rather than moving on to run two groundbreaking companies - something I'm not sure…

three, actually, if you count solarcity, which is arguably less groundbreaking than the other two.

Re: I'm Leaving Mojang

#337
post #222

He sounds depressed and frustrated. All I see is bad emotions in all that. With all the money he has, he could at least try to share or expand his passion in some way. It's true that he's lucky, you sense the modesty, that he doesn't want to be perceived as talented. But even if that's true, he could at least try a little bit more. I mean he seems content with his work, but if I had such fame, at least I'd try to use…

Interesting. I don't get this at all from his message (that he is depressed and frustrated). I understand that this is painful for an entrepreneur to read, but Notch doesn't seem interested in using his fame to project his vision, or change the world, or any of this big Jobs-y stuff. He doesn't owe it to anyone, and people have no business telling him to do it or else he's a traitor, or grumpy, or a fake.

Re: I'm Leaving Mojang

#338

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Perhaps it's that Notch invited the entitlement with an explicit promise ? http://web.archive.org/web/20100301103851/http://www.minecra... Included there is a dedication to (eventually) make the work open-source or public domain, and to contribute to it so long as people are paying. Those promises drove MindCraft praise, good will, and adoption. Do you think asking someone to keep these promises, the ones that drove…

Yes, yes I do. The fact that you see his future plans as some kind of ironclad contract is precisely the problem. Minecraft did not explode because of these promises, it succeeded because of the reality on the ground as a fun game. Notch gave the world a fun game, you gave him a small purchase price in order to enjoy it, end of transaction. The fact that he published thoughts and future plans does indenture him as yo…

The repeated use of the verb "will" definitely tricked me into believing it was a verbal contract, not just fuzzy plans (and I still believe he meant it as a contract).

I personally don't care, bought Minecraft, enjoyed it and moved along as I realized the modding system would never see the light... but I definitely understand why people feel disappointed.

Re: I'm Leaving Mojang

#339

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I recommend Dune2000, it has a similar feel to Dune2 and a much more modern interface.

Is it available on Steam? Is Dune2 available on Steam?

Sadly neither one is available on Steam or GoG. Both can be found on abandon-ware sites.

Re: I'm Leaving Mojang

#340

"I’m not an entrepreneur. I’m not a CEO. I’m a nerdy computer programmer who likes to have opinions on Twitter...If I ever accidentally make something that seems to gain traction, I’ll probably abandon it immediately." I have the utmost respect for notch after reading that.

I don't like his attitude in the public eye but at least he's self aware and not afraid to say it. That does take courage.
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