Gameplay is in the first-person perspective by default, but players have the option for third-person perspective. However, there is an achievement system, known as 'advancements' in the Java Edition of the game, and ' trophies' on the PlayStation ports. Minecraft is a 3D sandbox game that has no required goals to accomplish, allowing players a large amount of freedom in choosing how to play the game. Several spin-offs have also been made, including Minecraft: Story Mode (which has since been shut down on all platforms except Netflix, where only the first five episodes are available), Minecraft Dungeons, Minecraft Earth (which has since also been shut down), and-in 2023- Minecraft Legends. In 2014, Mojang and the Minecraft intellectual property were purchased by Microsoft for US$2.5 billion. The game has also been used in educational environments to teach chemistry, computer-aided design, and computer science.

Social media, parodies, adaptations, merchandise, and the annual Minecon conventions played prominent roles in popularizing the game. Minecraft received critical acclaim, winning several awards and later being cited as one of the greatest video games of all time. There is also a wide variety of user-generated content, such as modifications, servers, skins, texture packs, and custom maps, which add new game mechanics and possibilities. Game modes include a survival mode (in which players must acquire resources to build in the world and maintain health) and a creative mode (where players have unlimited resources and access to flight). Depending on game mode, players can fight hostile mobs, as well as cooperate with or compete against other players in the same world. In Minecraft, players explore a blocky, procedurally generated 3D world with virtually infinite terrain and may discover and extract raw materials, craft tools and items, and build structures, earthworks, and simple machines. Minecraft has since been ported to several other platforms and is the best-selling video game of all time, with over 238 million copies sold and nearly 140 million monthly active players as of 2021.

Following several early private testing versions, it was first made public in May 2009 before being fully released in November 2011, with Notch stepping down and Jens 'Jeb' Bergensten taking over development. The game was created by Markus 'Notch' Persson in the Java programming language. Minecraft is a sandbox video game developed by Mojang Studios.

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