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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

#621

Post by AlwaysRock »

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,…

I guess money ruins everything, huh? If Minecraft didnt sell for billions I don't think this would bother the author as much as it has.

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

#622

Post by sbst32 »

kabes wrote: post #492
ballenf wrote: post #451

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I'm going to charitably guess you didn't read most of the post. He did move on. He is at peace, finally. He's the opposite of a diva and has humbly accepted that his reward for his work doesn't take monetary form.

I read the whole post and he doesn't give me the impression of being at piece. If you're truly at piece you wouldn't be writing such a long and bitter post to begin with. He pretends he doesn't care for money, but all the examples where he felt he's not being treated fairly revolve around money. And he clearly still sees himself as one of the original Minecraft creators while he's not.

Well that's called introspection. And the post is his way of a telling a story. He is a storyteller, that is what he does.

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

#623

Post by spritefs »

intrepidhero wrote: post #612
hombre_fatal wrote: post #583

Earlier quoted context omitted.

You’d think with his attitude he made the game rather than just write a poem (which he was paid $20k for). This is like my babysitter observing some windfall in my life and, despite my transaction with them already paid at the rate they negotiated, expecting me to share more with them while using language like “I was a cornerstone of his family but that apparently wasn’t enough” because they watched DVDs with my kid.

There are cultures in the world where the babysitter would expect to share in your windfall and everyone would think it a perfectly reasonable thing. Also, neighbors and extended family. This transactional, one and done sort of thinking that makes perfect sense in the capitalistic west, is not a mathematical, universal truth.

> There are cultures in the world where the babysitter would expect to share in your windfall and everyone would think it a perfectly reasonable thing.

Which cultures do you have in mind?

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

#624

Post by billehunt »

> write a long winded story for a game ending about the universe loving you that will never be seen by most players and is worth $20,000

As the game comes to an end, you reflect on all that you have experienced and accomplished. You have journeyed to far-off lands, battled fierce enemies, and overcome incredible challenges. And through it all, you have felt the love of the universe guiding you and supporting you every step of the way.

As you stand at the brink of victory, you are filled with a sense of awe and wonder. The universe is a vast and complex place, full of mysteries and secrets that may never be fully understood. But in this moment, you feel a deep connection to it, and you know that its love is with you always.

You take a deep breath and savor the moment. The universe has brought you to this point, and you are grateful for the journey you have undertaken. You know that there will always be new challenges and adventures ahead, but you are ready to face them with courage and determination, knowing that the universe will be with you every step of the way.

As you prepare to move on to your next adventure, you take a moment to offer thanks and gratitude to the universe for all that it has given you. You know that its love is a precious gift, and you will treasure it always. And as you set out on your next journey, you are filled with a sense of excitement and hope, knowing that the universe will be with you, loving and guiding you always.

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

#625

Post by spritefs »

kramerger wrote: post #615
dicroce wrote: post #578

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I think you're being too hard on him here. It looks to me like both sides fucked up in a number of ways.

How did Mojang fuck up? Their gave their "friend", a completely inexperienced unknown writer, 20.000 for a poem. This "friend" took the money, spent it but refused to sign the contract on some bogus pseudo spiritual objection. Later he became more and more upset that notch and team made a ton of money. To me this sounds like jealousy and greed.

Maybe because they sent the money before fully coming to an agreement and getting a signed contract

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

#626

Post by thrashh »

shmageggy wrote: post #441
robertlagrant wrote: post #189

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Indeed. The game would've made $0 less had the ending just said "The End".

You really think that a poem that people have tattooed on themselves, put onto tee shirts and mugs, inspired emotional emails to the author, and so on has inspired exactly zero excess recommendations to friends, zero dinnertime discussions or social media posts that have led to purchases?

If it was any other thing, it would have been tattooed or put on t-shirts as well.

People are putting Minecraft’s ending on things because it’s Minecraft and Minecraft left an impact on them. The actual poem was a commodity that was tacked on to make the game complete as a muse.

It sounds harsh but that’s the truth and why OP isn’t entitled to any more than they got, especially with that attitude.

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

#627

Post by jacobsenscott »

pgsandstrom wrote: post #149
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…

No post body was provided.

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

#628

Post by sbst32 »

Laaas wrote: post #572
beAbU wrote: post #338

I've had Minecraft since before the pre-alpha days. I think I had a pirated copy of Alpha late in 2010 and some time in 2011 or shortly thereafter I actually bought the game. I might have easily sunk 1000s of hours into this game. I think I played the ending only once, in Creative Mode, to see what the fuss was about. I never cared for the ending, because to me Minecraft never had an ending. We had a Survival server…

I am stunned this is on HN. He got _20k EUR_ for a (not fantastic) poem he quite likely didn't use more than 160 hours of work on. He played the game with his daughter for a while and then wrote this according to the article itself! How could you possibly demand more than 20k? How could he even believe he has _any_ legal case when he took the money, gave Mojang/Notch a license verbally (especially given he took the m…

I am stunned (pardon my sarcasm) that you're implying he demands something. The whole point of his long story was to say that he did not want to demand anything (even though he clearly had his opportunities). You're reading it wrong if you see "greedy" there. And regarding "stunned this is on HN" - clearly this content is quite interesting/relevant to the HN audience as you can see by the number of comments.

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

#629

Post by parkersweb »

kramerger wrote: post #615
dicroce wrote: post #578

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I think you're being too hard on him here. It looks to me like both sides fucked up in a number of ways.

How did Mojang fuck up? Their gave their "friend", a completely inexperienced unknown writer, 20.000 for a poem. This "friend" took the money, spent it but refused to sign the contract on some bogus pseudo spiritual objection. Later he became more and more upset that notch and team made a ton of money. To me this sounds like jealousy and greed.

Also - introducing Carl as a ‘friend’, if true, was unhelpful. Introduce Carl as the commercial guy needed to negotiate contracts and payment, because it would have signalled to the author that he should be engaging his agent at that point.

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

#630

Post by kramerger »

spritefs wrote: post #625
kramerger wrote: post #615

Earlier quoted context omitted.

How did Mojang fuck up? Their gave their "friend", a completely inexperienced unknown writer, 20.000 for a poem. This "friend" took the money, spent it but refused to sign the contract on some bogus pseudo spiritual objection. Later he became more and more upset that notch and team made a ton of money. To me this sounds like jealousy and greed.

Maybe because they sent the money before fully coming to an agreement and getting a signed contract

But they were all "friends"...

They had a general agreement and by taking the money he basically agreed to the arrangement.

I think they could have easily taken this guy to court and won. Technically, Microsoft can sue the crap out of him for giving away something they have bought and paid for.

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