Minecraft documentary to stream Saturday on Xbox Live

By Chris O’Brien

Dec. 20, 2012 12 AM PT

If you’re like me and have a child who lives and breathes Minecraft, then you’ll want to take note of the following important scheduling note:

A documentary called “Minecraft: The Story of Mojang,” which tells the story of the game and its creator, Markus “Notch” Persson, will stream Saturday at 5 p.m. Pacific time on Xbox Live.

For those not familiar with Minecraft, in short, it’s a virtual world created and distributed by Persson’s company, Mojang, where people go to build and craft all sorts of things, sometimes alone, sometimes in groups. What gives the game its charm, however, is that it has a deeply retro look, using graphics that look as if they came out of the early 1980s.

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The result is a blocky look and feel that has captured the imaginations of millions of kids (and many adults) around the world. It’s also one of the most astonishing independent gaming success stories in years. In an era when people are wondering if software-based games are in decline, Minecraft became a word-of-mouth phenomenon initially created by just a handful of programmers.

The documentary was produced by 2 Player Productions, which funded the project with the obligatory Kickstarter campaign. And if you don’t have an Xbox, don’t despair. Sales of DVDs will go on sale Dec. 23 (Note to producers: A little more time before Christmas would have made this a nice present for some 9-year-old who still believes in Santa but shall remain nameless here.)

Until then, check out this trailer: