Minecon day two

See our Day One coverage first.

There were no big changes to the show floor for day two of Minecon but there were still lines to try out the different platforms that Minecraft has to offer. As with all the panels at Minecon, Mojang will have today’s panels available on their website for all to view. I spent the day standing in line for two of the most popular sessions at Minecon—Yogscast and The Closing Session.

Yogscast

The gigantic Yogscast fan base was evident as soon as I got to the convention center this morning. There was still an hour before the scheduled start time for the panel and I estimated about 500 people in line when I took my spot at the end. Before the line slowly moved into the ballroom, another 500 or more were behind me. Once inside, the huge crowd eagerly waited for Simon, Lewis and the rest of the Yogscast. The music and then an opening video highlighted some memorable moments in Yogscast history. The team took the stage and Lewis explained they would be playing some videos highlighting builds and mods from around the Minecraft community. They played videos for most of the hour, giving few comments in between. The final video was footage from Yogscast’s Shadows of Israphel series. All the videos were great showcases of what Minecraft has to offer. In my opinion the Yogscast Minecon experience could have benefited from a short Q & A—even if it meant one less video.

Closing Session Fun

There were equally as many people gathered for the Minecon’s finale, The Closing Session. Mojang’s Director of fun, Lydia Winters, also known as MinecraftChick, took us through a quick hour of surprises and announcements to wrap up the convention. We started with Notch bringing up a couple of custom Jones soda bottles for two lucky Minecon attendees. Two names were called and oddly enough a guy and a girl came out of the same row of seats to go on stage. Shortly after, the guy got down on his knee and proposed to his now future wife right there on stage. Notch presented a $20,000 check for The Make-A-Wish Foundation and a gentleman by the name of Evan, who was at Minecon because of Make-A-Wish, received a special Minecraft Edition Xbox 360, one of only three that were made. An Xbox 360 prize package including Xbox Kinect and two games was then given to a random attendee.

Minecon 2011 wrap up

During the Closing Session, MinecraftChick gave some stats about Minecon. She read a list of the 23 countries from around the world represented by Minecon attendees. The youngest registered attendee was four years old, though there were multiple babies attending with their families. The oldest attendee was 77 years old. The reach of Minecraft is far and wide. With the Mojang team all on stage, thanks were given for all the parents who came to the convention with their children—and there were quite a few of them. Notch wrapped up by thanking the community for making Minecraft what it is today. All that remains now is tonight’s Into The Nether afterparty with Deadmou5 performing.

The first Minecon in 2010 was a small affair; this second one was a stellar experience for any fan of Minecraft; if you enjoy the game at all and can make it to Las Vegas for what is sure to be the third Minecon—you should start saving your pennies.