Minecraft fans, here's how to score MINECON 2016 tickets

Minecraft isn't just a game, it's a phenomenon. When I go shopping at a store like Target, I see toys, clothes, and more featuring things from the game. When Microsoft bought it for $2.5 billion, I thought it was crazy, but between merchandising and other potential revenue generating aspects, it could end up being a bargain.

If you are a super-fan of Minecraft, you are no doubt planning to attend MINECON 2016 -- a conference for both players and developers to come together and celebrate the game. Today, Microsoft announces crucial details for scoring tickets, so you need to pay attention.

"We have excellent news for you all: tickets are going on sale on May 6 and May 7! We're selling them in two batches to give people in different time-zones a fair chance -- you can check out the countdown to each sale time at https://minecon.minecraft.net. MINECON 2016 will take place on September 24-25 at Anaheim Convention Center in sun-soaked Southern California, US. It's going to be the biggest MINECON yet, with 12,000 attendees! And, as always, each of them will receive a swish new cape just for coming along", says Vu Bui, COO of Microsoft-owned Mojang.

Bui shares the following details.

• Tickets will be $160 each (3 years old and under are free).
• Tickets will only be sold at https://minecon.minecraft.net, and they will be sold through Eventbrite.
• 6,000 tickets will go on sale at 6pm PDT (that’s Los Angeles time) on Friday, May 6, 2016.
• 6,000 additional tickets will go on sale at 12pm noon PDT on Saturday, May 7, 2016.
• You will be able to purchase up to 6 tickets on one order.
• You will need the name of EACH person you are buying a ticket for at the time you purchase tickets, you’ll need to enter these details to complete your order.
• Tickets cannot be resold and are non-transferrable, the person whose name is on the ticket at the time of purchase is the person who will be admitted to MINECON. This means you cannot resell tickets.

Making the tickets non-transferable is really cool, as it prevents scalpers from buying them up and jacking-up the prices. This ensures that true fans can attend.

While $160 seems rather reasonable, both airfare to California and a hotel stay will cause the overall expense to be higher. If you live in a state far from the west coast, like me in New York, such a trip is probably not doable.

If you decide to attend Minecon 2016, you should probably be prepared to buy the tickets -- brew a pot of coffee and have your credit card ready. There is a good chance that it will sell out quickly.

Will you attend MineCon 2016? Tell me in the comments.