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End Poem
The end credits of the video game Minecraft include a written work by the Irish writer Julian Gough, conventionally called the End Poem, which is the only narrative text in the mostly unstructured sandbox game. Minecraft's creator Markus "Notch" Persson did not have an ending to the game up until a month before launch, and following recommendation by Twitter followers, he invited Gough to create a narrative for the ending. The work, which debuted in Beta version 1.9 of the game and was included with the full release, takes the form of a 1,500-word dialogue between two unspecified entities who discuss what the player has done in the game.
Gough conceived of the work as an overheard conversation which would compare the blurring of video games and real life to the space between dreaming and wakefulness, two forms of being "between two worlds". He experienced a phenomenon during writing where he felt he was not in control of his hand, and later said that "the universe" penned the latter part of the work. Originally referred to as a short story, it is now usually described as a work of poetry.
The dialogue, set in green and teal, scrolls across the player's screen over the course of about nine minutes; certain parts are obscured as intentionally glitched text. Most critical reception of the poem has been neutral to positive, often emphasising its atypicality. Several commentators have focused on its comparison of both video games and life to dreams. It has been positively received among Minecraft fans, some of whom have had quotes from it tattooed.
Gough wrote in 2022 that he never signed away his rights to the End Poem, having failed to reach an agreement with Mojang AB prior to the poem's addition to the game and then having rejected a contract in 2014 on the eve of Mojang's acquisition by Microsoft. He argued that Microsoft's continued use of the poem was copyright infringement, but said he did not want a legal dispute with them. After two psychedelic experiences with psilocybin, he said that he had a revelation following a conversation with the universe—who he attests was the true author—about the situation, and was motivated by his own words in the poem that "you are love" and the affection he had received from fans to release a version of the poem into the public domain. Microsoft has not commented on Gough's characterisation of the poem's status.
16 October 2011
In October 2011, Minecraft's creator, Markus "Notch" Persson, was preparing to launch the official version of the game, and his company Mojang had even prepared a launch event, though at that point he had no ending for the game. Persson tweeted that he was seeking someone to write "a silly over-the-top out-of-nowhere text for when you win". His followers recommended the Irish writer Julian Gough, and Persson became convinced after reading Gough's earlier short story "The iHole". Gough had played Minecraft in alpha at a game jam in Berlin years before but had not thought much of it. Gough remembered the game was only small at that time and he was unaware of its popularity until Persson emailed him about writing the ending. Gough realised how big Minecraft had become after research, which he said scared him. He downloaded the game and engaged with friends about it, taking up a "crash course" with the game to immerse himself and "get it into [his] system".
Gough remembers that Persson felt the death of the Ender Dragon should trigger a narrative, but since Persson "wasn't a word guy, and hadn't a clue what that narrative should say", Gough was given freedom in composing the work; Persson's email asked Gough to deliver a surprise. Gough was not directed to explain the origin of the Ender Dragon or deliver a comprehensive narrative tying into a greater story, which he agreed was a stark contrast from usual writing for video games. Once Gough realised his vision for the End Poem, he told Persson, who agreed with the idea: Persson had no desire for a conventional piece of writing but rather wanted an "interesting and original" work reflective of the game itself, such that it would subvert the players' expectations for the ending. Gough said that playing the game to the end in survival mode was a demanding task, and that the ending should provide enlightenment and "ambiguous wisdom", a feeling that the player had "broken through into some other level"; he felt that an overheard dialogue worked well with this concept.
Gough decided this ending should not be an explanation of the game, as players had already formed their own stories about it, but rather something outside of it. He described this work as "the dream of a game, and the dream of life". He was fond of the concept of people becoming "lost" in a video game such that it "becomes a world", a metaphor he felt was exemplified in Minecraft. As the player started to return to reality after beating the game, Gough wanted to "play with that moment, where you're between two worlds, and for a short little period you're not sure which one is more real". He felt that "there are mental states accessible through computer games that [are] similar to those accessible through drugs or meditation or religious experiences".
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End Poem AI simulator
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End Poem
The end credits of the video game Minecraft include a written work by the Irish writer Julian Gough, conventionally called the End Poem, which is the only narrative text in the mostly unstructured sandbox game. Minecraft's creator Markus "Notch" Persson did not have an ending to the game up until a month before launch, and following recommendation by Twitter followers, he invited Gough to create a narrative for the ending. The work, which debuted in Beta version 1.9 of the game and was included with the full release, takes the form of a 1,500-word dialogue between two unspecified entities who discuss what the player has done in the game.
Gough conceived of the work as an overheard conversation which would compare the blurring of video games and real life to the space between dreaming and wakefulness, two forms of being "between two worlds". He experienced a phenomenon during writing where he felt he was not in control of his hand, and later said that "the universe" penned the latter part of the work. Originally referred to as a short story, it is now usually described as a work of poetry.
The dialogue, set in green and teal, scrolls across the player's screen over the course of about nine minutes; certain parts are obscured as intentionally glitched text. Most critical reception of the poem has been neutral to positive, often emphasising its atypicality. Several commentators have focused on its comparison of both video games and life to dreams. It has been positively received among Minecraft fans, some of whom have had quotes from it tattooed.
Gough wrote in 2022 that he never signed away his rights to the End Poem, having failed to reach an agreement with Mojang AB prior to the poem's addition to the game and then having rejected a contract in 2014 on the eve of Mojang's acquisition by Microsoft. He argued that Microsoft's continued use of the poem was copyright infringement, but said he did not want a legal dispute with them. After two psychedelic experiences with psilocybin, he said that he had a revelation following a conversation with the universe—who he attests was the true author—about the situation, and was motivated by his own words in the poem that "you are love" and the affection he had received from fans to release a version of the poem into the public domain. Microsoft has not commented on Gough's characterisation of the poem's status.
16 October 2011
In October 2011, Minecraft's creator, Markus "Notch" Persson, was preparing to launch the official version of the game, and his company Mojang had even prepared a launch event, though at that point he had no ending for the game. Persson tweeted that he was seeking someone to write "a silly over-the-top out-of-nowhere text for when you win". His followers recommended the Irish writer Julian Gough, and Persson became convinced after reading Gough's earlier short story "The iHole". Gough had played Minecraft in alpha at a game jam in Berlin years before but had not thought much of it. Gough remembered the game was only small at that time and he was unaware of its popularity until Persson emailed him about writing the ending. Gough realised how big Minecraft had become after research, which he said scared him. He downloaded the game and engaged with friends about it, taking up a "crash course" with the game to immerse himself and "get it into [his] system".
Gough remembers that Persson felt the death of the Ender Dragon should trigger a narrative, but since Persson "wasn't a word guy, and hadn't a clue what that narrative should say", Gough was given freedom in composing the work; Persson's email asked Gough to deliver a surprise. Gough was not directed to explain the origin of the Ender Dragon or deliver a comprehensive narrative tying into a greater story, which he agreed was a stark contrast from usual writing for video games. Once Gough realised his vision for the End Poem, he told Persson, who agreed with the idea: Persson had no desire for a conventional piece of writing but rather wanted an "interesting and original" work reflective of the game itself, such that it would subvert the players' expectations for the ending. Gough said that playing the game to the end in survival mode was a demanding task, and that the ending should provide enlightenment and "ambiguous wisdom", a feeling that the player had "broken through into some other level"; he felt that an overheard dialogue worked well with this concept.
Gough decided this ending should not be an explanation of the game, as players had already formed their own stories about it, but rather something outside of it. He described this work as "the dream of a game, and the dream of life". He was fond of the concept of people becoming "lost" in a video game such that it "becomes a world", a metaphor he felt was exemplified in Minecraft. As the player started to return to reality after beating the game, Gough wanted to "play with that moment, where you're between two worlds, and for a short little period you're not sure which one is more real". He felt that "there are mental states accessible through computer games that [are] similar to those accessible through drugs or meditation or religious experiences".