I'm 21, You have to start somewhere, and the easiest and most convenient way to create a gaming environment is to use an already prepared "engine". The thing with Minecraft is that, not only do you get a sandbox engine to work with, you also get access to a massive community, perhaps the largest in the gaming world. Hence, it's much easier for a two man team to create an experience using Minecraft and to create the game world and gameplay via Minecraft, than to grab an engine, build a game from scratch. Networking experience refers to my experience in creating connections with other individuals and groups in the industry, not to data networking. Because I feel like it has potential, and although it isn't like Minecraft, it will offer more flexibility albeit less coverage. But eclipse isn't the only choice on the table currently.