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Minecraft, the literary goldmine

LONDON — Who could have predicted a few years ago that a computer game would spawn a series of guidebooks that would take the bestseller lists by storm?

The wildly-popular game Minecraft has spawned an unusual side industry: Bestselling guidebooks. Photo: The New York Times

The wildly-popular game Minecraft has spawned an unusual side industry: Bestselling guidebooks. Photo: The New York Times

LONDON — Who could have predicted a few years ago that a computer game would spawn a series of guidebooks that would take the bestseller lists by storm?

But this is exactly what has happened with the authorised companion volumes to the Minecraft computer game, which have to date sold 8.2 million copies in 21 languages, and which became the children’s present of choice last Christmas. And there is a fifth book on the horizon: Blockopedia, a lavish encyclopedia in hexagonal form. Despite a hefty price tag, it looks set to be a Christmas winner.

Unlike many games, Minecraft appeals to adults and to children as young as six, and parents welcome it as an alternative to the high-speed action games. The games are based on the simple but addictive idea of building 3D constructions out of blocks, then defending them.

Though it may seem a new trend, repackaging online titbits in book form is a continuation of a successful tradition in children’s non–fiction. Publishers have offered collations of facts of one kind or another, all of which would be available easily enough online, but which have nonetheless been turned into commercially successful books.

And now publishers Egmont has gone there too. The Combat Handbook takes you through the basics of weapon-and trap-making; The Construction Handbook shows you how to put structures together and it presents the best examples of these structures in Minecraft play.

These books confirm the trend across the industry for digital innovation combined with beautifully made physical books, especially at the luxury end. Online enthusiasts, not least children, would seem to have a tangible appetite for books, too, especially those that are cleverly designed. THE DAILY TELEGRAPH

 

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