Minecraft Technological Change Exam Question (Highlighted)

How has technological change affected media production, distribution and circulation in the gaming industry? Refer to Minecraft to support your answer. (15 marks)

Technological change has affected the gaming industry as a whole, as it allows more versions and modes of a game to be created, increasing cross-platform functionality and widening audiences.

The production of Minecraft has developed over time as a result of both technological change and its eventual conglomerate ownership. When the game was first created, it was primarily available for PC gamers, although developer Notch's use of Java provided it with some cross-platform functionality - it was playable on Windows, Mac OS X and Linux. Its lack of instructions and two game modes meant the game was simple enough to appeal to a wide audience, and the basic, pixel-like graphics meant user requests could be processed faster. Minecraft's simplicity as a low-budget, niche product gave it a strong foundation for its eventual development into a far more mass-market product with a wider range of game modes and possibilities for gameplay. For example, when Mojang Studios were purchased by Microsoft in 2014, it was decided that Minecraft would be made available on Oculus, developing the game from being primarily available on consoles into an even wider market, and the introduction of Minecraft Story Mode added another aspect to the game, narratives and dialogue, which weren't previously included. This development of the game reflects the widening of the gaming industry as technology advances, allowing further elements to be added to existing products and appealing to a more expansive audience as a result.

As well as this, the distribution of Minecraft when the game was first released looks entirely different to how the game is marketed under conglomerate ownership. Available technology in 2010, when the game was initially released, meant that YouTube videos and word of mouth were the primary method of promoting Minecraft, as Mojang spent no money on advertising and relied on content creators to spread the word and convince more consumers to purchase the game. As time has gone on, these videos have continued to be made, even after Microsoft's purchase of Mojang, and changing technologies mean that these "let's plays" have also moved onto alternative platforms like the streaming service Twitch. However, the advertising budget for the game has increased massively since its initial release, and Microsoft were able to target their marketing specifically to new demographics which may not have been as represented in the huge audience which already played Minecraft and followed the game from Mojang to its new owners. For example, their partnerships with other companies like Lego are an example of synergy and allow Microsoft to create new products related to the game which will appeal to a younger target audience who may have been less interested in it when it was first released. In addition to this, a film in production with Warner Brothers is planned for release in 2022 and is expected to have similar success to the 2014's hugely popular Lego Movie, further expanding Minecraft's target demographic and increasing its mass-market appeal.

Finally, changing technology has also impacted the circulation and audience of Minecraft. When the game was first released, its target demographic was players with expert knowledge of computers, making it a very niche product which still appealed to people who liked to code or design gaming worlds. Through the word of mouth promotion mentioned earlier, and as a result of available technologies like YouTube, this audience rapidly expanded as the game was being released, resulting in 3 million copies being sold with no advertising budget and showing how technology can change the expected reaction to a product even as it is first coming out. Under conglomerate ownership, Minecraft's circulation has increased even further, with Microsoft initially bringing the game to its own Xbox 360 and Xbox One consoles, then making it available on other devices and platforms like Playstation, Wii U, mobile and Windows 10. These technologies, most of which weren't available on the game's initial release, allow it to expand its audience further than ever before while constantly updating and bringing new features to older editions. Minecraft now has far more mass-market appeal than it did in 2010, largely due to the wide range of platforms and devices it has now been brought to.

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