Thompson builds Minecraft empire
Junior Keenan Thompson created his own Minecraft server and makes a profit from it. “It’s just like a world where you can basically do whatever you want. There’s blocks that you can use to make different structures and build things and such,” said Thompson.
February 18, 2014
“It’s just like a world where you can basically do whatever you want. There’s blocks that you can use to make different structures and build things and such.”
Most teenagers make their paycheck scooping ice cream or cashiering at a retail store. Donned in khakis and a “Hello, my name is” badge, high schoolers everywhere punch in at their local workplace Saturday mornings.
During this time junior Keenan Thompson is at home, busy to work at his computer. He decided that the typical weekend job was not for him when he began managing a Minecraft server in August of 2012.
Minecraft is basically a video game consisting of lego-like building blocks and limitless freedom. In retrospect, the game should have no appeal. The graphics are not high-tech. There is no story line or characters in the game. The only objective is to survive, build and explore.
In reality, the game is one of the most popular video games in existence, especially among young and teenage boys.
“About three years ago now, my friends told me about the game, and I just started getting into it,” said Thompson. “It’s just like a world where you can basically do whatever you want. There’s blocks that you can use to make different structures and build things and such.”
In Minecraft there are smaller games within the game, and players can go on from around the world to participate. One example is Nebula, which consists of two teams that try to destroy a specific block on the other team’s side. Players can come together on things called servers, which people can run to develop and create new games.
“Shortly after, I found that there were servers that players play on to just have fun together with friends, just to experience the game together,” said Thompson. Once he knew this, he looked into starting up one of these servers.
“It was really easy to start out; Minecraft makes it really easy. Anyone can just download the file and start the server, and if you know some just basic code it’s simple,” he said.
Simple to Thompson, that is. Most people do not know basic code, and if one googles how to start a Minecraft server, a severe red warning message pops up stating, “Before following these instructions please note that running server software on your computer without a clear understanding of what you are doing may seriously harm your system and lead to vulnerabilities.”
Where most people would see this message and turn back, Thompson was willing to take the challenge. The problem was Minecraft was in a specific code language that he did not know. This did not stop him, though, as he taught himself the code with online tutorials and YouTube videos. He said there were a lot of websites out there that helped him out.
“It was pretty easy to learn since I’ve used previous ones, called Ruby, which is quite similar to Java,” said Thompson.
After learning the ins and outs of the business, Thompson officially started his Minecraft server in August of 2012. As the owner of the server, it is his job to develop and manage games. He really likes it, and is glad he got into it.
“It’s a fun game, its developed by a really fun community around the game. I enjoy programming, making games and seeing what comes out of it,” said Thompson.
When he first started he did not think much would come out of it. But his server soon became popular, and suddenly Thompson found himself with money coming in, a welcome surprise. The players themselves can play on the online server for free, but if they want to have a more full experience they can pay money to get new items, such as weapons or tools.
Compared to a regular part-time job, managing the server pays extremely well. But it is not all fun and games. It is a lot harder and takes more skills than waiting tables at a cafe.
‘[Managing the server] is the only thing I do. It’s a lot of work, but I can choose to do it whenever I want to, unless there’s some issues with the server or something,” said Thompson.
The hours are more flexible than the typical eight-hour shift. Thompson can decide when he wants to work on it, sometimes pulling out his laptop in the middle of class to check on how things are going.
He has always had an interest in computers and the technology field, before programming he used to work on creating videos and video editing. He said, “It’s kind of similar areas, building something and seeing what comes of it.”
Thompson plans to carry on his passion in his future, hoping to go into the programming field in college.
Alec Youngblood • Feb 19, 2014 at 9:14 am
This was a very well written article, but I would have appreciated more information on the server itself and on how much money Keenan makes. Great quotes and links as well.
Jordan Ehde • Feb 19, 2014 at 5:34 am
I think this article was well written. I would have went into more detail of what he actually has to do instead of describing the game.
Sam Jakupciak • Feb 19, 2014 at 5:09 am
While I did find this article interesting, it would have been better to focus more on what he does to earn himself money, as he said that any bum can make a server to play on with friends. What work is required to keep the server up?
nick Wanovich • Feb 19, 2014 at 5:04 am
I really like this article. As an avid Minecraft player, I can appreciate the authenticity of how you wrote the article. I used to play on his server when it was free and he did a very good job running it. The only thing I would change is that the title is misspelled. Its Mine, not Mind.
Luke Weisbrod • Feb 19, 2014 at 4:05 am
As the back-up for this article, I can say that Keenan really gives his all when it comes to interviews. All of the quotes were purposeful and well-explained(also, the title is misspelled ‘Mindcraft’ instead of ‘Minecraft’ that also caught my eye)
Anna Kaul • Feb 19, 2014 at 2:18 am
I was originally drawn to this article because of the spelling error in the headline. Keenan’s server is for “Minecraft,” not “Mindcraft.” It is correct in the article, however. Once I read the article, I was somewhat happy about the spelling error because it brought me to this article. Great quotes are woven into descriptive language to create a fluid read. I learned about Keenan, I learned about Minecraft, and had an easy and enjoyable read.
Alex Eitzman • Feb 19, 2014 at 1:05 am
Good quotes from Keenan, but there could have been more information on Keenan’s actual server, instead of general Minecraft links. Also the title seems to be misspelled.
Charlie Haumersen • Feb 18, 2014 at 7:48 pm
I like how you started the article with a quote. It was refreshing and new. Well written and it was interesting to learn about how he makes money.
Adam Johnson • Feb 18, 2014 at 5:19 pm
You did a good job of explaining the basics of the game, and what Keenan does with it. At the same time though, be careful to avoid making the whole thing sound cheesy, it’s not like Keenan really made that much of a risk by running a server.
Colin Peters • Feb 18, 2014 at 2:16 pm
I liked that you included how he gets payed for running the server, that was very interesting. Also, you had good descriptions of what the game is all about. Nice work!