Markus Persson (aka Notch) Ive never felt more isolated: The man who sold Minecr
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According to the businessinsider.
"Markus Persson (aka Notch) Ive never felt more isolated: The man who sold Minecraft"
http://www.businessinsider.co.id/minecraft-founder-feels-isolated-unhappy-2015-8/#.VeNxZ_lVhBd
"Its the dream of many a startup founder: Make something people love and wind up wildly rich, selling the company for billions.
But after you do that, what comes next? It could be a sense of hopeless isolation.
So says Minecraft founder Markus Persson (aka Notch) in a strangely revealing series of tweets.
Microsoft bought Minecraft for $2.5 billion almost a year ago, and the founder did not join Microsoft after the sale.
Persson certainly looked like he was having a blast, living the big life. He bought a $70 million mansion, completed with a massive wall of candy, and has been hosting wild parties ever since.
But hes really bored and deeply lonely, he revealed in a series of tweets.
The problem with getting everything is you run out of reasons to keep trying, and human interaction becomes impossible due to imbalance, he tweeted.
Hanging out in ibiza with a bunch of friends and partying with famous people, able to do whatever I want, and Ive never felt more isolated.
"Markus Persson (aka Notch) Ive never felt more isolated: The man who sold Minecraft"
http://www.businessinsider.co.id/minecraft-founder-feels-isolated-unhappy-2015-8/#.VeNxZ_lVhBd
"Its the dream of many a startup founder: Make something people love and wind up wildly rich, selling the company for billions.
But after you do that, what comes next? It could be a sense of hopeless isolation.
So says Minecraft founder Markus Persson (aka Notch) in a strangely revealing series of tweets.
Microsoft bought Minecraft for $2.5 billion almost a year ago, and the founder did not join Microsoft after the sale.
Persson certainly looked like he was having a blast, living the big life. He bought a $70 million mansion, completed with a massive wall of candy, and has been hosting wild parties ever since.
But hes really bored and deeply lonely, he revealed in a series of tweets.
The problem with getting everything is you run out of reasons to keep trying, and human interaction becomes impossible due to imbalance, he tweeted.
Hanging out in ibiza with a bunch of friends and partying with famous people, able to do whatever I want, and Ive never felt more isolated.
Replies
share the money bro, you wont be able to enyoy it yourself! happiness comes from sharing anyways
It's kinda weird story at this age when you think about it. A guy who has everything, but he feels like he has nothing.....How many other devs would dream to be in his place....
Bah. I don't know about you guys, but I have projects I would love to start on, but would require loads of money and not something you can just do. Must be something he is passionate about that he can't just buy.
Seriously though, daily interest alone would buy my freedom for any project id want to do for years. Instead i'm buying myself a nice art book every month after slaving away to make someone else rich. ./End jealous rant
make that much cash and then tell us how everything did not change for you...
he had more money than he could possibly need before he even sold it, go for it start a project, let it grow way past your own imagination and way above your head and be the ass for everyone and everything you have not been involved with in years.
he never wanted to work on such a huge project, it happened and he became a public person - it's easy to say that he should be super happy and super productive now. But he has money beyond believe, and possibly every single person he knows begging for something. This puts you apart from people I don't believe for a second it does not.
I guess the best thing he could do is talk to the someone who built that company owning minecrqft now, who possibly went through similar experiences, Bill Gates.
I guess he will possibly not find his new role in the world on his own, or it will be way harder without anyone sharing similar experiences.
You think becoming worldfamous and filthy rich basically over night is easy? Why do you think many famous childactors drown in drugs? Nobody can prepare you for this. I hope he will keep or find some real friends, who do not care about his money.
And he took insane hate from a very very large fan base for new decisions and update on Minecraft even when he was no longer working on the project.
he did that, and tried it for some others and will most likely do it in the future. but unless he does it anonymously this will most likely be used in ways he might not support
I'm gonna start like 5 game projects at once. And help kickstart a few more indie proj. Top tier pledge they have available. And get to meet them and talk with them a lot to fuel my own ideas some more @_@ .
of course you would, everyone would. anyone saying he/she would not is straight up lying. the question is, can you handle it?
ever had the responsibility for a team?
ever been in a shitstorm?
whatever you experienced that he did, it will only be a fraction of his experience, money included but it is not the only issue he faced, but it will bring up a hell lot of other issues
i doubt anyone here, including me, could handle such a thing well
I was thinking the same thing. That place must be crushingly depressing when nobody is around. Just you and your echoing footsteps.
It's almost like deciding to live an empty vapid lifestyle with zero goals ISN'T the secret to happiness.
So go back to that. Fuck the world. Make yourself happy with a little cottage in the Italian countryside, I dunno. Buy a laptop. Code.
Why would you though? I mean there would no purpose to anything you do. Make a game and it sells, well the money is nothing compared to what you already had. Its not like he even has a brand to build, he's the most significant developer around, the only way is down.
This doesn't surprise me though. When he bought that house it was pretty clear he had no idea what to do with himself. All his actions were emulating "what rich people do". Buy a big house and entertain posers, it was all so cliche.
When he was coding that space game (i've forgotten the name) he said he would never escape the standards of being "the next notch game" and his little project could never meet what people expected of it (its been awhile but i think that was it).
Depression isn't linked to your financial status, I can't believe people still think that in this day and age. If you're depressed you're depressed. Billions of dollars doesn't change that, neither does a mansion in LA.
The Minecraft community is also massive. Imagine how it is when small features change in any other game and people flip out, then multiple that by a million.
I feel for the guy.
Then he should hide the fact that he created it. If he can't live up to the "notch" standard, then remove the expectations by not saying you're "notch".
Here's a new space game, by a small studio no one has ever heard of called "Boopity Bop Games".... No one has to find out Notch is behind it, unless his ego decides otherwise. I don't see why that's not an obvious solution.
Obviously people are going to feel judgmental of your decisions when you alone have the power to make hundreds of thousands of peoples lives better, whether it's dropping money out of a plane or by being smart and investing in people; But instead you are sitting in a mansion alone and depressed.
But then maybe the dude just needs a really good long hug
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/0x10c
Just as they're saying now that because of our evolutionary circumstance that physical movement is important to health and feelings of well being, i would imagine that because in evolution we always were needing to strive for a goal, whether it was finding shelter or making it better, getting the nights supper or finding water, it may very well be completely unnatural to the human body and mind not to need to do anything.
Imo, he should really focus hard on developing old or new hobbies and interests. Outside of family and friends i think its all we have and its not easy to get into certain things, some subjects require a lot of knowledge before you can even begin to appreciate them forcing you to have to "dive in" if it wasn't something you were brought up with.
My .01
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My personal feeling is he should take a year off and travel. See the world! Expand your head. He has such a unique opportunity here ... unlimited resources and he's rambling around the ibiza party scene. Damn it, Notch.
Like most developers he had his little project and his goal was to get it out into the public eye and make a success of it. The majority of people that do this never really get there, and they keep working towards greater success - it's an ambition or a dream, and having that goal gives you something to drive towards.
But what do you do when you actually reach that goal? Initially, it's fantastic, and you get the time and money to kick back, relax and do whatever - but shortly afterwards you no longer have anything to do with yourself, and this is when depression kicks in. He can't go and make a new game, because the challenge is already done; there's little satisfaction to be gained from completing the same puzzle twice, especially if the second time around it's effectively almost complete anyway (and game he releases now will get instant media coverage and sell quite well, but also never live up to Minecraft's impossible standard).
What he needs to do, is find a new objective, something that will keep him busy and give him something to work towards. It's a cliche expression, but it's the journey, not the destination.
I HAVE, however, seen many douchebags do that...
Hell become a scientist or something , pick a new career to pursue. It's funny on 1 side we have rich billionaires who are depressed and do nothing to help the world , the other side we have those who exploit it. Where is batman
(I've heard jet-skies can be quite a challenge)
Exactly! So many people out there have ideas for game but don't have the time nor the financial ressources to make them real...
I understand his complaint though but I sense some lazyness in there...
Partying can be fun, but partying all the time can leave you hollow, and partying nonstop can turn you into Charlie Sheen.
I really don't see the problem, I think most people go into games because they want to enjoy creating something that interests them, challenges them, or creates entertainment for others. Making a living from it is great, but you always have to worry about a project or job failing because of finances. With that much financial security he could do a ton of R&D or experiments, share his concepts if he wants, and never have to worry about making any sales. Having no worries about money does not equal being unable to create.
If he's worried about not living up to minecraft, he needs to get over that. If he were an artist I'd say he'd need to quit being scared of making a non-perfect stroke on a piece of canvas, just throw some paint on it with his eyes closed to get started, and go from there.
Hell, he could put his money into a space program and decide to become a monk if he wanted to. Or just stop wearing a hat, shave his beard, and live in an area that doesn't have the internet.
Depression can totally suck though so I do have some sympathy for him. I have to admit I found it quite ridiculous though when I heard that he bought that giant mansion and kept partying with a bunch of celebs. Not that it's wrong to enjoy that kind of money and lifestyle, but to go from an isolated programmer that liked to work on his own personal projects to that public a life seemed like too quick a move for anyone's sanity. aka balance is key.
No remotely decent artist would stop creating just because they no longer needed the money from it, or because they didn't think they could create something as successful as what they already had.
If that's the sort of perspective he has, he needs to just use that money to bail on game development altogether and find something else that actually interests him.
I was him I would take some time out, Spend some time with family, get a life coach (Tony Robbins), fitness coach, Dance coach and so on and basically not worry about making or doing anything and then wait for that spark to happen and see what takes your fancy.
Could be films, space, exploration, philanthropist, building schools/hospitals in the third world maybe even make a new games engine or web browser.
I also feel sorry for people like the Royal Family, imagine not wanting a job but due to your blood line having to do a job role for the rest of your life? I think this is what is weighing him down, he now has to much money people expect him to do something with his life, like make a game? maybe he hates the idea of games now?
I hope he finds happyness, it will be a sad tail if he ends up a mess like so many other celebrities. I hope he finds a good wife/husband/partner and finds his new direction in life.
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This is part that puzzles me honestly.
I mean really, to achieve our goals? I mean, i bet for many people here, noone has such goal that there couldn't be bigger goal. AS great as MC is, it could for sure be heavily improved, not to mention making different game.
I mean cmon, most of us here like making games. Getting tons of money does change your life for sure, but it doesn't have to change who you are.
I like making games. If i did MC and got all that money, if anything, it would just motivate me to work even more.
Why do i think so? Because i think most of us here don't have goal to be wilthy rich.
No, i'd bet most of us have certain type of game we wish to make. And with that, there can always be bigger, better, or just different game. I have seriously hard time imagining that after first finished game, i'd loose all motivation and all ideas and goals.
I mean look at dunno, Iron maiden. They are old farts, being maybe the top on the scene for like last 30 years, does that stop them? Hell no, they just released new album, that is very...creative, especially for old farts like them. It's what they like to do, so wth would they stop?
From this, it only seems to be, that making games just isn't really what he likes to do. Which is fine of course, as people said, he just needs to find something that he actually likes to do.
Maybe i'm a bit naive and don't get me wrong, that's just how i see it, but i really can't understand the mindset that just because i have tons of money, it would stop me from doing what i like the most. It changes many things for sure, but not your goals, not in negative ways i would say...
To be fair, Joakim is an anagram of Kojima. I hadn't heard of that story but I just figured it out. Notch just needs to make an alias that ISN'T an anagram of his name and no one would know.
I don't know anything about his situation, but he needs to somehow find a way to seperate his money from himself. A lot of rich guys live very modestly, I think Warren buffett is like that.
After that, he buys a 80M house and organize parties with rich posers that probably dont give much fuck about him..
''Bou hou, I'm sad''..
He kind've deserved it in a way.
I've never head such story for exemple with Zuckerberg..
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Image living alone in this place...when everone is gone after the party..