Most of the time, my job involves me telling my TIME overlords what I want to write about, and then writing it. It is, as I’m quick to tell anyone who asks, a sweet gig. Every so often, however, said overlords come to me with an idea. Oftentimes, those assignments turn out to be among the most enjoyable ones to tackle. And never more so than in the case of “The Mystery of Minecraft,” a story on the phenomenally popular block-building video game in our new print issue, arriving this Friday. Our managing editor, Rick Stengel, is one of countless parents who live in homes with Minecraft-crazy kids; he threw the pitch my way and I got to explore it for several rewarding weeks. TIME subscribers can read the article right now. But if you stubbornly insist on living your life outside the boundary of our paywall, don’t be too put out. My compatriots cooked up a bunch of other Minecraft-related items, all of which are yours to peruse, including the following: Surviving Minecraft: 9 Easy Steps to Get Started The 15 Best Minecraft Creations (and Wildest Destinations) 4 Ways Minecraft Hasn’t Actually Changed Gaming Survival of the Blockiest Minecraft may be a game about designing, constructing and exploring virtual worlds, but the most fascinating thing about it is the meaningful impact it’s having on multiple aspects of the real world, from education to how cities are planned. My research turned out to be as as far-flung as any I’ve undertook for one piece. For starters, I visited the Stockholm headquarters of Mojang, the 30-person startup behind Minecraft. I formally interviewed the game’s masterminds, Markus Persson and Jens Bergensten — better known to Minecraft fans everywhere as Notch and Jeb. But I also got to hang out and observe the Mojang team at work, and that was at least as interesting. (At one point, Jeb conducted a meeting with a coworker while playing the company’s on-premises “Theater of Magic” pinball machine.) By phone and Skype, I also chatted with folks