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Notch is a well-recognized figure in the world of Minecraft. He helped found Mojang and single-handedly created Minecraft in 2009.
Notch left the game in 2014 after selling it to Microsoft for over 2 billion dollars. He has since worked on other games and created quite the infamous reputation for himself through his Twitter feed.
Notch's real name is Markus Alexej Persson. He was born on June 1st, 1979 in Stockholm, Sweden. He started programming at the ripe age of seven, on his dad's home computer. He used his dad's magazine subscriptions to teach himself the basics of coding, and by the time he was eight, he had created his first game.
In 2005, he went on to join a programming company called King (famous for the Candy Crush saga.) He left in 2009 to work for Jalbum, but soon left that company too, after Minecraft began to gain traction in the gaming community. Minecraft went on to become one of the world's most popular games in the world, and the rest is history.
Here are 5 facts Minecraft players didn't know about Notch
#1 Notch is a part of Mensa
Mensa is the largest and oldest high IQ secret society in the world. To join Mensa, one must take a standardized, supervised IQ test and score in the 98th percentile or above. Currently, an IQ in the 98th percentile is approximately 132 or above. The average IQ score is 100. Notch's official IQ is unknown.
#2 Controversial Twitter comments
Notch has gained an infamous reputation in the gaming community since leaving the game in 2014. Notch, once an inclusive and open-minded individual, has made offensive comments on the lgbtq+ and minority communities. This caused Microsoft to quietly remove him from Minecraft, except for the credits. Notch was also excluded from the 10th anniversary of Minecraft.
#3 Notch's ex-brother-in-law created a painting found in Minecraft
Ever wondered where the original designs for the Minecraft paintings came from? Look no further: artist Kristoffer Zetterstrand is responsible for every original in-game Minecraft painting apart from the Wither. Notch was originally married to Kristoffer's sister, Elin Zetterstrand, in 2011, but later divorced in 2012. This makes Kristoffer Zetterstrand Notch's ex-brother-in-law.
#4 Notch has developed many games besides Minecraft
After leaving Minecraft in 2014, Notch continued his programming and game development career. He has since released over 24 games to the public. A noteworthy release is 0x10c, which includes a programmable spaceship.
#5 Notch challenged Bethesda to a game to settle a lawsuit
Notch's was sued by Bethesda for his game Caller's Bane (originally called Scrolls.) Bethesda claimed the name was too similar to Elder Scrolls. Notch offered a game of Quake 3 to settle the lawsuit. Sadly, this game never happened and Notch and Bestheda settled the lawsuit without using their gaming skills.
Disclaimer: This article reflects the author's views on the subject.
