The big talk this week in Minecraft communities has been the topic of server monetisation and donations. After some days of back-and-forth on Twitter, Reddit and other places, Mojang posted a blog post detailing what's acceptable and what isn't. You can read it on their website.
As you know, I accept donations to help cover the server's costs and fund possible expansions. I've always maintained that what I do is fine with Minecraft's EULA, and this new blog post basically confirms it. I'll go through all of its main points to make sure that this is clear for everyone.
"You are allowed to charge players to access your server"
I do not charge for access, nor do I plan to, so there's no problem here.
"You are allowed to accept donations"
Maybe the most important point of all, as some people weren't sure due to the wording used previously. Yes, I can accept donations, and the funds go to cover the server's ongoing fees.
"You are allowed to provide in-game advertising or sponsorship opportunities"
I don't like generic advertisements. There are none on the website, none in game, and I want it to stay that way.
"You are allowed to sell in-game items so long as they don’t affect gameplay"
To the contrary of many other servers, donators here don't get a nice pack of diamond items. There are no item kits, stats perks or anything spawned in. However, should I introduce something cosmetic like the ability to wear a block as a hat, I'd be allowed to do so. Likewise, the yellow star seen in the in-game chat is fine.
"You cannot charge real-world cash for in-game currency"
No in-game currency, no problem. We seem to be doing just fine through trading!
"Don’t pretend to be us, and provide your customers with loads of info!"
I explain clearly on the donation page what money is used for and the fact that I'm the one who receives the money directly as I manage the server and its funds. This hasn't been a problem with anyone that I know of.
If there are any questions, I'll be happy to answer them. However, as far as I'm concerned, nothing has changed and we move forward as before. Thank you for reading!
The admin formerly known as Dr. Cossack.
Looking for me elsewhere? Maybe look at my Fediverse account for some more-or-less random postings! If you're a gamer, check out my Osmium profile. I'm building that tool!

