News
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Video Pick: Minecraft – The Story of Mojang (2012)
Who knew there was a documentary about the meteoric rise of Minecraft? It is called Minecraft: The Story of Mojang (2012) and was directed by Paul Owens. It is available via streaming and on DVD from Amazon. Here is more info from the producer’s web site: In 2009, independent video game designer Markus “Notch” Persson released a work in progress that would go on to break every industry rule for achieving success. Part exploratory adventure, part creative building tool, Minecraft evolved from a cult classic into an unprecedented hit, raking daily sales in by the thousands. By the end of 2010, Notch was able to quit his day job and live the…
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Back to School with Minecraft
Kids obsessed with Minecraft? While parents worry that all these pixels and the occasional zombie might be bad for children, a lot of school experts say they shouldn’t fret. From the New York Times: Earlier this year, for example, a school in Stockholm made Minecraft compulsory for 13-year-old students. “They learn about city planning, environmental issues, getting things done, and even how to plan for the future,” said Monica Ekman, a teacher at the Viktor Rydberg school. From being used to educate kids on science and city planning to ethics and ancient worlds, Minecraft has opened up the possibilities of using gaming to create rich environments for learning, particularly through MinecraftEdu, which…
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Tip: Learning Redstone
Hi! It’s Nicholas. Today I wanted to share a tip about learning Redstone. There is a good Redstone book in the Minecraft: The Complete Handbook Collection but I think another great way to start out learning anything in Minecraft is to watch a Minecraft video on YouTube from someone like Mumbo Jumbo. He taught me how to make really cool 3×3 piston doors and a even a potion brewing machine! Here is one of the videos that helped me out…hope you like it too!
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Legos are Over. Welcome to the Minecraft Generation
Parents: are your kids completely obsessed with Minecraft? You are not alone! No doubt about it, this gaming phenomenon has taken over where Legos once reigned king for the elementary (and older) school set. As noted about Legos losing it’s panache from the New York Times: “It’s ‘Buy the box, open the box, turn to the instruction sheet, make the model, stick it on the shelf, buy the next box,’ ” the veteran game designer Peter Molyneux says in a 2012 documentary about Minecraft. “Lego used to be just a big box of bricks, and you used to take the bricks, pour them on the carpet and then make stuff. And that’s exactly…
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Minecraft is a Playground for AI
Microsoft has announced that it’s starting to use Minecraft as a space in which to build, test and develop new artificial intelligence systems. The new platform, developed by academics, will be made available to everyone over the summer. A team from Microsoft’s UK research lab in Cambridge has developed the new system, which is called AIX. The team claims that the endless possibility of Minecraft makes it an ideal “digital playpen” for AI systems. For instance, the researchers have been trying to create an AI that can learn to navigate the virtual world and climb to the highest point using the same reasoning that a human might. The vastness makes…
