Minecraft is one of the most popular games in history, with over 100 million registered users on various platforms. Despite its unthreatening blocky appearance, Minecraft has proven to be a game of great depth and interest for players across all walks of life.
However, some countries are clearly more interested than others. A closer look at user statistics shows that there are three locations where the game is particularly popular: South Africa, Sweden, and Finland. These countries stand out from their European neighbours both due to the sheer number of Minecraft players in each country and also because they have higher per capita rates of gamers playing Minecraft than other countries in the continent.
Miners who play Minecraft enjoy digging up blocks in caves, finding precious metals hidden within rock walls, and constructing elaborate buildings with their newfound wealth. As a result, countries, where Minecraft is most popular, are revealed to be located in the centre of the world’s richest areas for mining – namely South Africa, Sweden, and Finland.
Notably, all three are also Scandinavian countries that are known for having high tax rates. With access to free education and healthcare systems along with substantial assistance programs for low-income individuals, it makes sense that Scandinavians would have an affinity for additional assistance from the government in the form of higher social welfare payments.
Almost all other European countries fall well below the Minecraft per capita average – despite many Western European nations having similarly high taxes – suggesting that these systems do not work as effectively when compared to Scandinavia’s state-supported social safety nets. This migh also be the reason why Swedish and Finnish casinos are highly relevant for local nowadays.
In contrast, countries, where Minecraft is less popular, are primarily located in the Middle East, parts of Southeast Asia, and South America. For example, Islamic nations such as Afghanistan and Saudi Arabia have a large number of citizens who perform their daily prayers to Allah, which could explain why they do not place as much value on material wealth as those from predominately Christian countries.
Due to the lack of government assistance programs for low-income families within these regions, Minecraft may appear unattractive compared to games that provide players with an opportunity to earn real currency – for example through purchasing items or advertising products online. In addition, many of these countries do not yet have access to servers that support split-screen multiplayer mode due to the lack of high-speed internet infrastructure within the region.
These findings suggest that Minecraft may become an increasingly popular game in developing countries, if and when their internet infrastructure is further developed and state social welfare programs are strengthened.