Markus Persson (aka. Notch) on earning $101 million in 2012.
It’s weird as fuck. I grew up in a relatively poor family, but once I got a decent job, I never really had to worry about money. My hobbies were playing games and programming, so there wasn’t any real drain. I could eat out when I wanted to, and go to the movies without having to save up for it. I still had to save up for trips and to be able to buy computers or consoles, but that just felt normal.
Now, all of the sudden, as a result of how modern society works, I managed to somehow earn a shit-ton of money. I still like playing games and programming, and once I had the latest computer and consoles, there really isn’t much more to spend the money on than traveling. I might eventually get a driver’s license so I can buy a car.
And…
Well, on one hand I don’t mind having loads of money at all. On the other, it’s a bit strange that I can create something once and keep getting paid over and over and over for it. If you build a car, you can only sell it once. If you paint a fence, you only get paid for it once. If you create a piece of software that’s essentially free to reproduce, you can keep getting paid over and over perpetually.
My personal favorite.
I’d say the most outrageous things I do are the silly parties I throw every now and then. The next one is at GDC in a couple of months.
I think I’m too old to buy a giraffe. I wouldn’t know how to take care of it. Do they poop a lot? What do they eat? Will it get lonely?