Minecraft Creator Markus "Notch" Persson (STEM Trailblazer Bios)

Minecraft Creator Markus "Notch" Persson (STEM Trailblazer Bios)

Do you play computer games? If you do, you've probably played Minecraft. When Minecraft creator Markus Persson was young, he wasn't very interested in the games themselves. He was more interested in the programing instructions in the computer's manual. By the time Persson was eight years old, he was writing code for his own computer games. When he was eighteen, Persson landed his dream job as a video game programmer. In 2009, he designed Minecraft in a single weekend. In the game, players use blocks to build whatever they choose. Persson wanted to let players use their imaginations, and the idea paid off. Today, Minecraft is one of the most popular computer games in the world. Although Persson doubts he will ever top this success, he continues to develop games, while fans wait for what's next. "These palatable biographies . . . might inspire pride in [students'] own developing STEM skills. . . . The bright, clean format and accessible tone make these entry biographies great for classrooms and libraries."― School Library Journal Kari Cornell is a freelance writer and editor who lives in South Minneapolis with her husband and two young boys. When she's not working or spending time with her family, she loves to cook, tinker in the garden, knit, or run. She feels fortunate that she's been able to combine many of the activities she likes to do in her free time with her day job. Cornell is the author of several cookbooks for children, including Cooking the Turkish Way and Cooking the Indonesian Way . She is the co-author of Growing with Purpose: Forty Years of Seward Community Cooperative