What is Minecraft? Stats and Facts

This What is Minecraft post was written in February 2016. Here we are 8 years later and I can say that 3 of my kids still actively play Minecraft!

While the game has evolved over the years, if you are wanting to know the basics, we got you. Minecraft explained by a mom who has a house filled with people playing this game for years on end.

What is Minecraft?

Minecraft is like a digital playground for creativity, an endless virtual world waiting for you to shape it in your own unique way. It’s a sandbox video game that was created by Markus Persson, and it has become a global phenomenon since its release in 2011.

In this blocky wonderland, you can gather resources, craft tools and structures, and go on adventures in a pixelated universe of your own making. Whether you want to build towering castles, explore mysterious caves, or survive against menacing mobs of creatures, Minecraft offers a realm of endless possibilities.

Minecraft 101

Minecraft is a game for all ages, where your imagination is the only limit, and you can play alone or with friends, creating and sharing memories in a world limited only by your own creativity.

So, what is Minecraft? It’s a gateway to your own digital dreamscape, a place where you can craft, explore, and build to your heart’s content.

SO what is this a game? software? malware? Minecraft explained, that’s what we are trying to do here.

Minecraft is focused on creativity and building, allowing players to build constructions out of textured cubes in a 3D world.

Gameplay in its commercial release has two principal modes: Survival, which requires players to acquire resources and maintain their health and hunger; and Creative, where the player has an unlimited supply of resources, the ability to fly, and no health or hunger.

A third gameplay mode, named Hardcore, is essentially the same as Survival, but the difficulty is locked on the hardest setting and respawning is disabled, forcing the player to delete his or her world upon death.

Minecraft Stats 2024

This post was originally written in 2012 in regards to how many people are playing Minecraft.

Here are the Minecraft stats from 2012 vs 2024:

• In 2012: 40,461,860 registered users, of which 7,358,630 (18.19%) have bought the game Minecraft
• 2024: Over 174 million players logged in to Minecraft in the last 30 days.

With over 174 million active players in 2024, it’s obvious to state this game is still a hit!

Read our Minecraft Facts for more mind-blowing information about this game!

Is Minecraft Safe for Kids?

My husband and I are very watchful of what our children play online. Before the kids played Mine craft, my husband had already been playing. He was comfortable with them creating their own accounts and playing online. They all 3 play together at the same time the majority of the time.

I have a few friends who I would consider a lot more stricter than myself that have kids that are our age, that play as well.

How Can I Play Minecraft?

You can play Minecraft many ways: PC/Mac, Xbox One (or Xbox 360), Nintendo Switch.

Minecraft: Pocket Edition is available for iOS and Android.

We’ve written quite a bit on the subject, view all of our content on All Things Minecraft or here are a few faves: