That virtuous feedback loop from fans to game and back again is almost unprecedented, he said, and has only helped turn it into a huge hit.

BBC: Minecraft fans gather for Minecon in Paris

As word spreads among fans and developers about the possibilities offered by cutting publishers out of the loop and raising money directly from fans, the number of video-game projects on Kickstarter is mushrooming.

ECONOMIST: Crowdfunding video games

Their retro-fitted private planes loop from the city of Arusha to the smudged bush airstrips found in the northern circuit of great game-watching national parks.

BBC: On the hunt with Hemingway