Notes

Londonderry's 21-year-old Minecraft Mogul

Londonderry's 21-year-old Minecraft mogul Owen Thomas Owen Thomas BBC News NI



11 June 2018



A 21-year-old from Londonderry has gone from putting up shelves in a supermarket to constructing an enviable gaming business brick-by-brick in just three years.



Jonathan Black was working in Long's supermarket as a stock turner when he launched his Minecraft business.



Blockception was invented by him while studying for his A-levels 2015 that allows you to download and play with virtual Lego sets however you'd like.



In 2017 Microsoft has chosen Blockception as a partner and gamers can now utilize their marketplace to download pre-made designs that they can then explore and edit, as well as play with.



'Drive'



He said that he was a descendant of self-employed parents and had always felt the need to be able to work for himself.



"It's just the environment I grew up in. being surrounded by entrepreneurs and business owners and business owners, so it's in my blood."



Minecraft is is known as a sandbox video game that allows players to build using a variety different cubes in a 3-dimensional world.



Other activities include exploring the world, gathering resources and fighting.



Jonathan quickly worked out he did not want to be someone else's employee, and with the pressure of balancing A-Levels and working at Long's, it became apparent he needed to quit and focus on Blockception.



"I made more money from Minecraft than I did in several weeks at work, so I wanted to change my path and try something different," he said.



"It was much more thrilling to make money and do it through what was essentially my passion."



However even though Jonathan said making a full-time job from his favorite pastime was "like winning the lottery" however, his relationship to the game is a little more difficult.



He added: "Being able to make an income that is 100% from something you love is amazing however, it's not an obsession anymore and you're losing one of your most loved hobbies.



"I would have played Minecraft in my spare time a few years ago, but it's a lot more difficult to play when it becomes your work."



Partnering with Microsoft



Microsoft was not interested in the business before CultureTECH and local projects. However, there were still job opportunities.



Jonathan said: "If Microsoft hadn't got involved, we might have had to think about other options for a long-term business plan.



"A week prior to when Microsoft approached us, we agreed to hand over the business to another company.



"Just a day before the handover, we got the email, and everything went off.



"We were so close to separating from Minecraft It seems impossible now."



Lost Civilisation



Microsoft released Lost Civilisation as a free download as part of their 12-day Christmas promotion. Keep calm and say ‘arrr’ It was the map that launched the company's growth.



It has been downloaded more than 1 million times.



Jonathan stated, "It's an incomprehensible number and I'm trying to comprehend it in stadiums. For instance an all-capacity stadium like Wembley Arena is still more than 10."



"It's just mind-boggling numbers and it's overwhelming, but it's great and if people like playing our music and are happy, then that's great."



Is Minecraft an option for a career?



Blockception staff are skilled in many areas that have helped them earn a living through the video game. This includes graphic designers and scriptwriters, programmers and voice actors. There are numerous opportunities to work for a long time in Minecraft through jobs in the creative field.



Jonathan said: "As our business expands it will create more jobs in the area. But there is a lot competition in the gaming industry.



"The recent decades have seen an increase in entry-level positions and we'd been playing Minecraft for a while, I first started playing it when I was 14 years old.



"We've had a long time to gain knowledge from a consumer's point perspective, and we've now come full circle from players to providers."



In spite of the difficulties Blockception faced in its early days, Jonathan still believes that Minecraft is not a trend that is only passing.



"I have great confidence in the product and obviously with older games, people get bored of them and move away, but the interesting aspect of Minecraft is that, even though my generation has moved on from it the game, a new generation has discovered it," he said.


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