Minecraft is still selling 10,000 copies a day - nearly 5 years after launch

The worldwide phenomenon that is Minecraft is showing absolutely no signs of slowing down.

An article in the New York Times claims the game is still selling 10,000 copies a day, despite coming out nearly five years ago.

At this rate it can expect to shift 3.65 million copies this year.

Microsoft reckons 40% of all Minecraft players are female, while the average age of players is between 28 and 29.

The article argues that one of the reasons the game is so popular is because it doesn't treat players like idiots.

"Minecraft is an incredibly complex game, but it's also - at first - inscrutable. When you begin, no pop-ups explain what to do; there isn't even a 'help' section. You just have to figure things out yourself. (The exceptions are the Xbox and Play­Station versions, which in December added tutorials.)

"This unwelcoming air contrasts with most large games these days, which tend to come with elaborate training sessions on how to move, how to aim, how to shoot. In Minecraft, nothing explains that skeletons will kill you, or that if you dig deep enough you might hit lava (which will also kill you), or even that you can craft a pickaxe."

Minecraft is so influential that you can earn £10k a year recreating luxury homes within the game for an estate agent.