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



In just three years, a 21-year-old Londonderry man has gone from putting shelves up in a supermarket to establishing an extremely successful brick-by-brick gaming company.



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



While he was studying for his A-levels in 2015, he created Blockception, making virtual Lego sets that you can download and play in any way you like.



In 2017, Microsoft has chosen Blockception as a partner. 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 explained that he was a descendant of self-employed parents and has always felt the need to be able to work for himself.



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



Minecraft is a sandbox game that lets players create 3D worlds with a variety cubes.



Other activities include exploration resources, combat.



Jonathan quickly worked out his reasons for not wanting to be a third party employee and as he faced the pressure of balancing A Levels and work at Long's, it became apparent he needed to quit and focus on Blockception.



"I was making more money playing Minecraft than I did in the past few weeks at work, and I wanted to change my path and do something different," he said.



"It was far more exciting to earn money and doing it through my hobby."



Jonathan said that making a career of his favorite pastime was similar to winning the lottery, but his relationship with the game is a little more complicated.



He added: "Being able to make an income that is 100% from something you love is amazing however, it's not an activity anymore, so you're sacrificing one of your favorite pastimes.



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



Partnering with Microsoft



Microsoft did not seem to be interested in business before CultureTECH and local projects. However there were still employment opportunities.



Jonathan said: "If Microsoft hadn't got involved, we might be forced to consider alternatives in terms of an overall business plan.



"A week before Microsoft approached us, we agreed to transfer the company to another company.



"Just one day before the handover, we got the email and everything kicked off.



"We were so close to moving away from Minecraft, it seems impossible now."



Lost Civilisation



Microsoft released Lost Civilisation as a free download as part of their 12 days of Christmas campaign. It was the map that sparked the company's success.



It has been downloaded more than 1 million times.



Jonathan said, "It's an incomprehensible number and I'm trying to comprehend it in stadiums, for example 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 too Happy days."



Is Minecraft an appropriate career choice?



Blockception employees have a variety of skills that have enabled them to earn a living from the video game. These include graphic designers, scriptwriters, programmers, and voice actors. There are many opportunities for long-term employment in Minecraft through work in the creative field.



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



"The recent years have seen an uptake of a lot more entry level jobs However, we'd played Minecraft for many years, and I began playing it when I was 14.



"We've been through a long period to study things from a consumer's point view and we've now gone full circle from players to providers."



Jonathan believes that Minecraft is a trend that is long-lasting, despite the difficulties Blockception had to overcome in its early days.
GAME 2 HUB


"I am extremely confident in the product and obviously with old games , people get bored of them and move to other games, but the distinctive aspect of Minecraft is, while my generation has moved on from it the game, a new generation has discovered it," he said.


Here's my website: https://game2hub.net/