Xin Zheng
Appearances
Global News Podcast
As stock markets tumble again, Trump calls for a cut to interest rates
Yeah, Marcus Persson is a really interesting, colourful figure. He actually grew up in a very rural Swedish town called Erdöspen. And, you know, his childhood was basically consisting of him wandering around the woods nearby. He was a big Lego fan. And I think those two things actually play a really big part in Minecraft.
Global News Podcast
As stock markets tumble again, Trump calls for a cut to interest rates
You know, the main thing is this idea of just wandering through forests, wander through this world. But also the Lego aspect of it, because one of the most compelling aesthetic features of Minecraft is that everything is made out of blocks. And, you know, he was a real kind of computer programming prodigy. He kind of taught himself to code by the age of eight. He's actually a high school dropout.
Global News Podcast
As stock markets tumble again, Trump calls for a cut to interest rates
He left school and ended up getting a job in video games. And that's when he really kind of started... looking into creating his own game one that, you know, fulfilled him artistically. And that eventually became Minecraft.
Global News Podcast
As stock markets tumble again, Trump calls for a cut to interest rates
I think part of the reason why he ended up selling the company was because there was an enormous amount of pressure on him. You know, this second album kind of pressure, you know, would he be able to come up with a hit to succeed Minecraft? And then there was also kind of stuff going on in his personal life. His father really tragically died by suicide.
Global News Podcast
As stock markets tumble again, Trump calls for a cut to interest rates
There was also a lot of fan criticism and the spotlight was really on him as the creator of this enormously successful game. So when things went wrong in the game, he would be blamed online. And I think really the pressure got to him. And eventually he ended up selling that company, which is called Mojang, to Microsoft for two and a half billion.
Global News Podcast
As stock markets tumble again, Trump calls for a cut to interest rates
So in one kind of fell swoop, he became a billionaire. I think he's currently worth an estimated $1.3 billion.
Global News Podcast
As stock markets tumble again, Trump calls for a cut to interest rates
Yes, yeah. So he... has become known for tweeting quite controversial things. You know, he's made racist, homophobic comments. At one point, he even endorsed QAnon, which is, of course, that baseless conspiracy theory that really took root a few years back. And because of this, Microsoft has actually kind of almost erased him from mention of the game.
Global News Podcast
As stock markets tumble again, Trump calls for a cut to interest rates
So when they had their recent 10-year anniversary celebrations of the game, he wasn't included or mentioned at all. What I think is interesting is recently he said he's working on a spiritual successor to Minecraft. But I think really, I'm not sure we'll ever see a Minecraft successor.
Global News Podcast
As stock markets tumble again, Trump calls for a cut to interest rates
For people who haven't had the pleasure of playing Minecraft, it's what's called a sandbox game, industry terms. It basically means that there's no levels, there's no quests. You can kind of use the resources around you to build whatever you want. And whether that's a private island or a flying jet or a castle or a lake, you know, where you really can let your creativity run free.