Minecraft Creator Is Unhappy Being A Billionaire

kbrickley said:
Bill Gates has about 10-20 times more than Notch and he never had any problems finding stuff to keep him occupied (including marriage and family) and fruitful ways to spend his money ... Notch is either trying too hard or not hard enough ;)
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That's probably just the difference in their personalities. I'm of the opinion that money only allows you to be more of the person you were to begin with.
 
Smashing Young Man said:
That's probably just the difference in their personalities. I'm of the opinion that money only allows you to be more of the person you were to begin with.
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Who you are varies with your upbringing and circumstance, it doesnt end at childhood though.
Children who are allowed to do what they want when they want become uncontrollable.
An adult can revert to that, but they dont have a worthy guardian unless they are diagnosed with illness and are very lucky.
Mental illness is easy to get without a direction and a need to achieve and is difficult to shift.
He already needs help.

Personality changes, its not a constant.
 
kbrickley said:
Bill Gates has about 10-20 times more than Notch and he never had any problems finding stuff to keep him occupied (including marriage and family) and fruitful ways to spend his money ... Notch is either trying too hard or not hard enough ;)
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Yeah, but Gates earned it. No body came along one day and handed him an unimaginable amount of money.

And what's up with the Diabetes Wall of Colored Corn Syrup. Gross.

If we started a poll for "Click Bait Article of the Year", this would be in the top ten.
 
Jim Kim said:
Yeah, but Gates earned it. No body came along one day and handed him an unimaginable amount of money.

And what's up with the Diabetes Wall of Colored Corn Syrup. Gross.

If we started a poll for "Click Bait Article of the Year", this would be in the top ten.
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I'd like to know how Notch didn't "Earn it." He made the game, built it up, grew the fan base, ms came along and offered him a ton of $$$ and he sold it.

No one "gave" him free money or paid him for nothing.
 
Stiler said:
I'd like to know how Notch didn't "Earn it." He made the game, built it up, grew the fan base, ms came along and offered him a ton of $$$ and he sold it.

No one "gave" him free money or paid him for nothing.
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I wouldn't go that far ... Notch earned it by developing the game and the company ... but it is starting to look like he had no vision beyond that and is just another one hit wonder kid ... Gates had a vision and the determination to see it through by investing decades of hard work (something Notch clearly does not have)
 
Money does not buy happiness. Honestly as awesome as it would be to basically win the lotto like he did, I would almost be overwhelmed so I can almost understand where he's coming from. So once I bought all the things I want, established my future (investments etc) and gave a lot to family and friends, charities etc, and STILL have a huge amount left I'd probably just make lot of random acts of kindness just for something to do. Late at night go put $100 bills in people's mailboxes and stuff like that. Hear a news story about someone's financial struggle or unfortunate event, anonymously help them out, etc. Once you have everything you want, every other amount of money wont really make you any happier.

So that said, he should Paypal me a couple 100k as a random act of kindness. :p
 
Short answer? The man needs God. You can't take it with you, and he's a great example of someone living that saying.

More mundane answer? If you've ever read anything he has said, even before he become a billionaire the success with Minecraft was a freak thing. He didn't set out to do that. It was an experiment, a whim... that the whole world suddenly decided it loved. Financial windfalls are often like that. You are looking for it, it finds you.

He needs to find what it is he is supposed to be doing. That might involve his money, or IT MIGHT NOT. Money doesn't define anyone.

If he really loved developing games, he would obviously be doing that. He has the money to fun several AAA titles, hire his own people and run his own quirky development studio. But he doesn't. He has no other big ideas for games.

Forget big name charities. He needs to find something he really wants to do then put everything (himself and his money) into it. Along the way, if he has true passion about it, he will find other people with similar interests or who believe in his. He will be able to talk to them on the same level. It won't be about his money and parties. He won't be as lonely around other people.

I really feel for him. Sometimes success of the kind he has is more curse than blessing when you don't have a foundation or know who you are.
 
Amen. Was actually going to mention that too. You can have access to every possible materialistic thing but without God you still have nothing.
 
Money won't necessarily make you happy, but it can remove many barriers that can make you sad.

1) Eliminate need for low paying/crappy job.
2) Ability to be there for your kids/family/friends 100% of time, effect from #1 above.
3) Erase mortgage/medical bills/CC debt/college loans, etc.
4) Replace crappy car/computer/TV/etc/etc.
5) Repay those really old loans to friends/family.
6) Get the medical/psychological help you need.
7) Financially help friends/family with above.
8) ...etc...

Once barriers are removed it will be easier for you to reach your goals and obtain happiness.


/rant
This is why many people, including me, say,"TOUGH SHIT" when the rich, especially the mega-rich, say they aren't happy. At least they don't have the barriers the rest of us have.

Sure, I get it, rich people have different sets of problems than the rest of us. But guess what, MONEY can be used to solve those problems, or you can pay somebody to solve them. Hire bodyguards, leave city/country, etc.

Poor people are SOL most of the time with no possible way to eliminate the barriers that can reduce or eliminate their happiness.

/end rant

Now maybe happiness for you is simply snorting coke off the ass of a high class whore, and if it is more power to you. But if it's not, you need a purpose in your life, like many people have mentioned above.

Doesn't matter what the purpose is: a "bucket list" of things to do; going back to work (doing something you love/want to do); raising a kid; travel; living by yourself in the middle of Alaska; charity work; banging every gold-digger you can find then dumping them; creating art; getting in physical, mental, emotional, spiritual shape; doesn't matter.

Do something that gives you purpose and you'll be well on your way to happiness. Or not. WTF do I know. Wire all your cash to me, bitches.
 
^^^ Dammit. I promised myself I'd never reply to a Megalith created thread but now I've done it twice.

/facepalm
 
i truly believe money does not buy happiness. You can rent the heck out of it though. Ya can Get some madd pooon! but the prices just keeps rising because the happiness it buys depreciates quickly
 
Then he should donate it and help other people. People with very little money have been doing that for a long time and finding it makes their lives more meaningful.

It doesn't surprise me that yet another guy is learning that money alone won't make you happy. But it's up to him to find out what does and wealth can buy you the time it takes to do that.
 
kbrickley said:
I wouldn't go that far ... Notch earned it by developing the game and the company ... but it is starting to look like he had no vision beyond that and is just another one hit wonder kid ... Gates had a vision and the determination to see it through by investing decades of hard work (something Notch clearly does not have)
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But Microsoft has to be fucking stupid to pay 2.5B for a single game.
 
rezerekted said:
But Microsoft has to be fucking stupid to pay 2.5B for a single game.
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I thought that too until I saw the minecraft hololens demo, pretty sure they bought it mainly for that, could pay off and sell an assload of hololens who knows.
 
I always though that the perfect amount of money to have is 10-15m. At that amount, with a good financial adviser you can invest in a fairly conservative fund and make at least 300k a year of dividends which is living comfortable, but not enough to blow on ostentatious crap and become a hollow, spoiled douche bag.
 
This is actually a very common problem for people that come into a lot of money very quickly. I watched a documentary on it happening to professional athletes. They're suddenly super rich, and their friends and family change virtually overnight. Next thing you know you feel like you can't trust anyone and everyone only hangs around because they want something. They even showed one guy who's own mother became a leech--constantly asking for money and a bigger house. I can't even imagine how lonely a world like that could make one feel.

It's easy to sit here and say "cry more, rich boy," but I think his honesty is refreshing. Combine what I mentioned above with a sudden lack of motivation because you have the means to get anything you've ever wanted, and I could very easily see why Notch is feeling this way.
 
Red Squirrel said:
Amen. Was actually going to mention that too. You can have access to every possible materialistic thing but without God you still have nothing.
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God was made up by rich men, to justify to the poor why their lives are so shitty.

We never had anything good come from the idea of God, except war, hatred and bloodshed. Because some people believe in a different God than others.
 
I think he should just take a few steps back and live like any ordinary people (well, minus the financial struggle of course). His mansion is impressive, a nice place to throw parties and show off your wealth, but it's no proper home IMO. Anyone who stays alone in such a huge place is going to feel empty.

If it was me, I'd move to a nice suburb community where no one knows who I am, do some volunteer work, travel around the world.
 
He should do what other billionaires do, buy some politicians and impose his whims on the rest of us.
 
I like how people who don't have any money use this guy's not-related-to-money-mental-problems as a way to feel better about being cursed with lower-middle class lifestyles by insisting that money doesn't buy happiness.
 
It's kinda like in an MMO. Once you hit max level and have all the best gear. You're at end game. Where do you go from here?
 
Money can't give you purpose, which seems to be his problem ... it is his failure of imagination to find something to do or his dismissal of the options that shows his weakness ... some of his options include:

1. Start a new software company
2. Start something like Kickstarter to help enable Indie and publisher free software development
3. Start a service to help programmers achieve their goals on Kickstarter (better pitches, project plans and budgets, etc)
4. Work to bring computers or internet to the developing world
5. Find a foundering tech idea and help to bring it to market
6. Start a research facility to develop new interactive computer technologies
7. Pick a disease and champion its reduction or elimination
8. Start a school for Indie programmers
etc

The only think preventing him from accomplishing great things is his pointless sense of Ennui ... he would rather wallow in self pity than pick himself up and use his new found freedom to accomplish new goals or help others accomplish their goals ... ironically (for someone with such a creative creation) it is this failure of imagination that is holding him back ;)
 
rezerekted said:
Just because he is rich doesn't mean he has to stop working. He could try and design a new game.

Why would Microsoft pay 2.5B for a game anyway? Crazy.
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Exactly, just because you're loaded doesn't mean you're supposed to sit on your ass and get high all day. The trick is to stay moving, that takes will power. Notch kind of had this plopped in his lap, he wasn't even remotely ready to be a billionaire. If anyone can say they're really ready for that sort of thing.

Money can't buy you happiness, but it damn sure solves an awful lot of those day to day problems. Those little day to day challenges are called "life" to the vast majority of people.
 
This is what happens when you don't pace yourself.. People get money then get lavish and bored. At least he's lucky enough to have so much, he didn't blow it all and wind up broke afterward!
 
He needs to unplug for a while and build things in real life - with Lego blocks.
 
Yeah by 4:30pm, Matthew had designed a new pyramid scheme.
Only took him 4 minutes, just think what can be done when you have tons of time.
Good old Matthew.
 
I've lost my respect for Notch over the years. He practically abandoned Minecraft mid-development and mostly sat on his ass after it got popular, failed to grow his company or reinvest the profits in anything worthwhile, and then he cashed out and expects people to feel sorry for him, the poor lonely misunderstood billionare.

Even with unlimited money and free time he still can't find a woman who will put up with him, that says a lot.
 
Dr. Righteous said:
Ahem,

Matthew 16:26 ?
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What he meant was:

Dr Seuss - One Fish Two Fish Red Fish Blue Fish
cat-and-hat0011-1024x740.jpg
 
Dr. Righteous said:
Ahem,

Matthew 16:26 ?
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I was thinking more along the lines of the exchange between Budd and Elle in Kill Bill Volume 2 myself :cool:

Budd: So, which "R" you filled with?
Elle Driver: What?
Budd: They say the number one killer of old people is retirement. People got 'em a job to do, they tend to live a little longer so they can do it. I've always figured warriors and their enemies share the same relationship. So, now you ain't gonna hafta face your enemy on the battlefield no more, which "R" are you filled with: Relief or Regret?
Elle Driver: A little bit of both.
Budd: Bullshit. I'm sure you do feel a little bit of both. But I know damn well you feel one more than you feel the other. The question was, which one?
Elle Driver: Regret.
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Notch just needs to decide which he feels more and act accordingly (and quit whining about it) ;)
 
Ticker305 said:
I thought that too until I saw the minecraft hololens demo, pretty sure they bought it mainly for that, could pay off and sell an assload of hololens who knows.
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2.5B for a tech demo? Nah, I'm going with stupid on this one.
 
If money can't buy you happiness, you just don't know how to spend it correctly...
 
Trigger said:
If money can't buy you happiness, you just don't know how to spend it correctly...
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That isn't completely true ... it does depend on what makes you happy ... money ultimately gives you choices you might not have without it though:

1. You can do what you want, when you want, and how you want (but this depends on you knowing what you actually do want)
2. You can have almost any possession you want (but possessions may or may not make you happy)
3. You can use your time and money to help others (but this only provides happiness if you have a high degree of empathy)

It is possible that Notch might be learning to appreciate a quote from the TV series Babylon 5,
"I never forget the feeling of helplessness. I never thought there could be anything worse than being all alone in the night." ... "But there is. Being all alone in a crowd."
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Notch needs to find his bliss and follow it (without that there can never be true happiness) ... if you cannot find your bliss with billions then you were not meant to be happy (which is the fate for some people) ... if it were me personally I would start an animal sanctuary (and maybe a zoo) ... I love animals and it would allow me to use the money to make a difference for others ... Notch needs to find his ambition or his empathy and use his billions to achieve a meaningful goal (personal or professional) :cool:
 
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