How Do You Feel About Going To Minecraft School?

If it was possible to go to Mario Kart school when I was younger, believe me, I would have been a grade A student. The thing is, Mario Kart is incredibly fun but doesn’t exactly teach useful lessons in real life. No, not even how to drive well. Conversely, Minecraft is a game that many across the world absolutely love, and it now has the added advantage of being labeled as 'educational.'

I feel like I missed the boat when it comes to Minecraft. Personally, I don’t really get the game, and found myself bored and confused upon my first try. But hey, Minecraft has sold over 122 million copies, is playable on practically every device, has its own convention (Minecon), a movie in the pipeline, and is now being used to teach STEM skills. So, I guess there is something people love about it that I don’t know about.

STEM skills (Science, Technology, Engineering, Math) are considered very, very useful for the youth of today, and many schools, parents, teachers (definitely the kids too) consider Minecraft an integral part of learning these skills. Anthony Salcito, Microsoft’s vice president of worldwide education, thinks that Minecraft has a lot of uses in schools:

"Elementary students in Seattle are learning foundational math skills by calculating perimeter, area and volume in Minecraft…Middle schoolers are learning the building blocks of computer science in an online Minecraft coding camp. Elementary students in Scotland are learning about city planning and engineering by reimaging, redesigning and then building in Minecraft what they think Dundee waterfront should look like."

A specific ‘Education Edition’ of Minecraft can be bought by schools, and if implemented into the curriculum, many supporters believe the game can enhance creativity, problem-solving, teamwork, planning, and communication abilities within students. But for every lover, you know there is going to be a hater. Tom Bennett, founder and director of researchED, believes that Minecraft has no place in the classroom: "I am not a fan of Minecraft in lessons. This smacks to me of another gimmick which will get in the way of children actually learning.” He continued, noting that “removing these gimmicky aspects of education is one of the biggest tasks facing us as teachers. By offering a game and a gimmicky way of learning a subject, you run a real risk of children focusing on the wrong thing."

Guess he’s not going to Minecon 2017 then.

Regardless of what Bennett and others doubters might think, the Minecraft train is chugging along at an unstoppable pace. In addition to schools, Minecraft summer camps are now a thing, so if your kid doesn’t get enough Mine-time at home or the classroom, then you’ve got the option to send them to a 5-day camp offered all over the US.

Focusing primarily on Java coding and game design, the camps use Minecraft to teach and hone these skills, and admittedly, the camps do sound a lot of fun for kids. However, at the end of it all, one has to wonder about the merit of using Minecraft to learn. Is it genuinely educational? Or has Microsoft pulled the greatest trick ever and convinced the world of its values beyond simply being an entertaining game?

Furthermore, is there a danger of a game losing its cred when 'the man' gets a hold of it? Possibly. But it could be an age thing too, as I can’t imagine many 30-year-olds rocking up to summer camp with their Minecraft lunchbox in tow. Not that they’d be allowed, as 12 is the maximum age anyway. It’s even likely that a lot of adult Minecrafters have no idea that the game is being used in summer camps and schools, as the game is simply that – a game. Let’s not forget that Minecraft can be played for fun too.

A white collar worker with no interest in STEM subjects might enjoy Minecraft for its community reasons and to blow off some steam – it all depends on what you want to get out of the game. After all, playing on a server with your friends is quickly becoming the online equivalent of a weekly dinner party for some. As you can see here, hosting a game server is no longer knowledge confined to computer whizz kids and self-professed geeks, but instead being promoted as something accessible to everyone. Many like the idea of playing Minecraft online, but a huge number of people love being the one to control the server. With god-like powers of being able to regulate the type of game, amount of users, and the ability to let in and banish players as they see fit, it’s easy to see the attraction of it all.

One thing about the future of Minecraft remains an interesting point: will developers Mojang try to improve the game? Or even attempt a sequel? It will be fascinating to see in 10 years if Minecraft is no longer relevant or whether gamers will always love its sandbox environment. It’s already survived since 2011, so one has to assume that Microsoft isn’t concerned just yet. Whether the competition of LEGO Worlds makes any difference, time will tell, but for now, many schoolchildren can look forward to playing Minecraft morning, noon, and night.