The uber-popular game Minecraft was born in Sweden but the record-setting festival celebrating the video game was born in the Philadelphia suburbs.
Bucks County's Chad Collins and Gabe Young first planned the block party along their Warwick, Pennsylvania street, now the duo plan dozens of events around the country as part of their Open World event group.
But, their proudest achievement is Minefaire, an event about everything and anything Minecraft.
"We consider our Philadelphia show our flagship shows so we try to come out with the biggest bang," Young, 44, told NBC10.
A year after setting the Guinness World Record for the largest convention for a single video game, Minefaire returns to the Greater Philadelphia Expo Center in Oaks, Pennsylvania Saturday and Sunday.
The family draw of Minecraft led Collins and Young to co-found Minefaire last year.
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"Minefaire is a chance for parents to connect with their kids through their favorite game and have a blast," Collins, a father of two, said.
"I have four kids and they all play Minecraft," Young said.
“It’s not just a game,” Young said. “While you’re making dinner and your kids are playing Minecraft, they’re experiencing the huge educational and inspirational aspects that are driving them to become an engineer or an architect -- to think really, really big.”
So what’s the hype about the block-like game? Minecraft, created by Swedish designers in 2011, is the second-highest selling standalone video game of all time with more than 122 million in sales.
The expo features 150,000 square feet of Minecraft goodies including multiple stages and a Lego sculpture of Minecraft main character Steve, organizers say.
"We were determined to create a one-of-a-kind Minecraft experience you won’t find at home," Collins said.
The second-annual expo (backed by Minecraft's parent company Mojang) featuring tips from Minecraft mentors, hands-on attractions, plenty of renowned and up-and-coming Minecraft YouTubers (the rock stars of Minecraft players), and parent-child challenges.
"We want to make sure that when folks walk out of here with a smile that they are inspired to do more," Young said.
The dad duo plan to scoot (literally on scooters and skates) around the expo that is expected to draw up to 14,000 or more (last year’s record attendance was 12,140) children and adults.
Some tickets starting at $29.50 do remain for Saturday afternoon and Sunday sessions.
The Bucks County dads will hold four Minefaire's around the country this year. It's all part of being full time event planners after a couple decades working in corporate America.
As for what's next for Collins and Young: They will plan on putting on Lego, STEM fair and other events.
"The idea to inspire more kids and have a really great time with things that we do," Young said.
