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Minecraft – the video game created by Mojang Studios and universally known for its iconic cube graphics – has been on our screens for over 15 years. It went from ‘indie’ origins (the idea was dreamed up by a handful of developers at a little-known Swedish firm) to the best-selling video game in the world in almost no time at all.
15 years is a long time in the world of video games, yet Minecraft continues to break record after record.
In 2023, it was the first video game to pass 300 million sales (in 2025 it topped 350 million). Over 30 million gamers frequent Minecraft’s cube-assembled lands every day, and 200 million players check in at least every month. In 2014 – 3 years after its official launch – the game was acquired by Microsoft for the not insubstantial sum of $2.5 billion. It has annual revenues of around $400 million.
However, in the strange world of Minecraft, the stats people really care about are of a different nature entirely. For example, players might wonder just how many copper golems were generated inside the game over the past year. If this sounds like Greek to you, here’s a quick explanation: a copper golem is a curious, order-obsessed character that players have to keep well polished at all times. And if you really want to know, according to Mojang’s official statistics, over 1 billion were generated in a single year!
Taking delight in focusing on apparently ridiculous details is part of the pop culture surrounding Minecraft: the game has succeeded in building its own pervasive and powerful imaginary world that crosses generational boundaries.
So strap yourself in: today we’re talking about the record-breaking video game Minecraft and how its iconic pixelated world has given rise to a plethora of paper-based products!
What kind of video game is Minecraft? An introduction for novices
Before describing Minecraft’s paper-based universe, let’s dig into some of the reasons for its success.
Minecraft is a sandbox game, which means the software creates an endless world in which players can act in complete freedom, without any predefined goals, progression or stories to follow.
Specifically, in Minecraft gamers can explore and modify a vast world to their heart’s content (the world is so big it took someone 14 years to reach the edge!) You play by destroying the iconic cubes that make up the landscape in search of raw materials and then doing whatever pops into your head: designing absurd buildings, creating common objects, magic potions, powerful weapons or work tools, generating bizarre characters to interact with, searching for treasure and defeating enemies. And so on and so forth, one cube at a time.
Every player will probably have a different answer to the question ‘what do you like about Minecraft?’ But the reasons for its extraordinary success – alongside a certain amount of luck – are fairly clear:
- Ultra-simple and intuitive gameplay that allows you to interact with the world in a highly complex and multifaceted way, thereby stimulating creativity and problem solving;
- complete freedom: everyone can explore and interact with the game’s universe however they like;
- distinctive graphics based on voxels;
- characters, places and objects that lend themselves to creating an iconic world.
In other words, the key words are freedom and creativity… plus a pinch of humour. That’s why Minecraft players love the crazy stats we were telling you about, and are so obsessed with beating the most ridiculous records.
The world of Minecraft: from Millennials to Generation Alpha
Many people describe Minecraft as a symbol of Gen Z culture. And while this is certainly true, the game and the world surrounding it have undoubtedly crossed both generational and geographical boundaries in a way that is rarely seen in this sector.
Minecraft is also popular among other generations, including Millennials and Generation Alpha. And although its biggest fan base is in the USA, China is the country with the most players (gamers there play on a special local edition).
There’s a Minecraft film too: A Minecraft Movie, released in 2025, instantly became the second-most successful video game-inspired film of all time, beaten only by the veteran star Super Mario. There are countless Minecraft events, both in-person and online. And then there are many Minecraft items made of paper: an incredible array of printed products related to the video game.
The surprising variety of Minecraft-inspired paper-based products
We’ve got to the bit where we discuss quite possibly our favourite thing in the world: printed objects. And Minecraft really has inspired an amazing range of different creations in this area!
Let’s start with that most quintessential of printed items: books. The successful Minecraft franchise has spawned various types of book, which can largely be divided up into two genres: guides and novels.
As we already mentioned, Minecraft’s gameplay is very simple. But because gamers can interact with its world so freely and in so many different ways, you may need some support if you are to become an expert player. A Minecraft manual is therefore both a useful object and a symbol of your identity: something you can show off, lend, or flick through in your bedroom. And it has a special tactile charm that all generations tend to value.
There are guides of every type imaginable: handbooks dedicated to engineering, architecture, exploration and creativity, not to mention printed Minecraft encyclopaedias.
There are also several series of official novels by various authors set in the Minecraft universe, which together have sold an impressive 5 million copies.
Other products from the publishing world include colouring books and monthly Minecraft magazines that provide tips, news and merchandise to readers in several countries. The video game’s world is so vast and diverse, with so many things to do, that the publishers manage to offer a few new pearls of wisdom to fans every month.
But the world of Minecraft printed products also goes far beyond traditional publishing. There are Panini Minecraft stickers, for example, and themed playing cards.
There are board games with Minecraft branding based on the problem-solving skills developed in the video game….
… and ‘cube’ editions of classic games like Uno.
Another category of products worth a mention are those that show off fans’ identity, like posters, designed to be hung up – as tradition dictates – either inside or outside your bedroom, perhaps next to a calendar for good measure. Or if you really want to push the boat out, you can opt for some Minecraft wallpaper!
The world of Minecraft can also be found on myriad printed stationery items, including wrapping paper, greetings cards, notecards, school diaries and notebooks. Basically, just as creativity is an integral part of the game, it has also given rise to an almost endless list of printed items!
What do you think about our round-up of the paper-based items linked to the incredible world of Minecraft? Had you come across any of them already? And are you ready to take inspiration from this world for your next project?