Of all the videogame industry's tremendous success stories, Minecraft might very well be the most remarkable.
The blocky indie game created a whirlwind last year, selling more than a million copies as gamers took an instant liking to its do-it-yourself charm and functionality.
But why did Minecraft catch fire? Can we learn anything from its massive success? What kind of impact will it have on the future of independent gaming?
Portland, Oregon, company 2 Player Productions wants to answer these questions. The company is seeking donations through crowdfunding site Kickstarter to help fund a feature-length documentary that digs into the Minecraft phenomenon.
"I really want to explore the impact Minecraft has had on its players," director Paul Owens told Wired.com in an e-mail. "It's really transcended just being a videogame at this point, especially to the people who really have a love for it."
Owens and his crew have already shot a 20-minute concept video (above), which they say serves primarily to introduce fans to the world of Minecraft creator Markus "Notch" Persson and his crew at Swedish game company Mojang.
"Now that the team has been introduced, we'll examine how they manage the weight of immense expectation (both the community's and their own) as they take their hit to completion and develop its follow-up simultaneously," cinematographer Asif Siddiky told Wired.com in an e-mail. "On the other end of the spectrum, it will be interesting to visit the fans that have allowed Minecraft to bleed into their lives outside of playing the game."
So far, the Kickstarter campaign has raised $131,000 of the minimum $150,000 needed to finance the film, titled Minecraft: The Story of Mojang.
Siddiky points to people who have created original songs and live-action films based on the game. The documentary will also look at families who get together to collaborate on design and construction within the game, a facet of Minecraft that Siddiky says "doesn't usually get much screen time."
The documentary will talk to Persson, follow Mojang's operations and attempt to analyze Minecraft's "unprecedented success" as an indie sensation. Once the film is all shot and edited, 2 Player Productions will self-distribute the doc on a two-disc DVD set the company says should be ready for release in 2012.
"Minecraft showed people that games could offer more then just a prepackaged experience. It excited the imagination of millions," producer Paul Levering told Wired.com in an e-mail. "It's had this runaway success for a reason, and I think that is because people are getting a little tired of games offering the same experiences. They wanted something that let them decide what to do."
"It's also a story of a regular guy that became a millionaire just from supporting his passion project," Levering said. "Sometimes, someone will come along and incite a revolution without even knowing it."
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