Shortly before the school year ended in June, 1,700 kids American kids got to do what most students can only dream of — play video games in class. No, the 100 educators that allowed this were not slacking off. They were helping Microsoft beta test a new Minecraft Education Edition, which the company plans to offer to schools across the globe within the next few weeks.
While the computer game, which challenges kids to use their imagination by building futuristic virtual worlds, has been offered in Swedish schools since 2013, it has not been widely embraced by educators elsewhere. But project director Deirdre Quarnstrom believes that this new education version, where students get to create their own stories and games, will be a huge success with both student and teachers.
Photo Credit: education.minecraft.net
Of course, the classroom version will have some differences from the traditional game you might play at home. Non-player characters, placed into the game by teachers, will provide guidance and narration, while a chalkboard will allow them to write instructions. A control panel called Classroom Mode will enable educators to grant students access to resources, monitor their location, send messages, and even teleport students to the right place should they wander off or get lost. Teachers unfamiliar with the game can select from numerous pre-created immersive lesson plans that range from exploring the Temple of Artemis to modeling biodiversity loss.
For educators concerned that bringing video games into the classroom might reduce classroom collaboration, there is a multi-player mode. Using this, students can enter other’s games and help their peers solve an issue they may be struggling with or test out new ideas.
Photo Credit: education.minecraft.net
However, while these features add more structure and allow teachers to give specific assignments, students still have complete freedom to use their imagination and creativity to program a game based on their interest, whether it’s a science-fiction movie or their favorite fantasy series. Quarnstrom says Microsoft has kept the game “pure” to ensure kids (aged 5 and above) have an authentic Minecraft experience.” The director believes that “a lot of what creates that kind of magical educational experience is the no-rules sandbox environment. Students really feel inspired to keep going and set up their own challenges, which is exactly what educators want to see.”
The students and teachers fortunate to be selected for the June beta test seem to agree. 13-year-old Elena Rezac, who built a quest-driven maze inspired by the science fiction movie,”The Maze Runner,” says that the game is “lots of fun because you can do whatever you want.” Her teacher, Steve Isaacs, approves of the game because it encourages students to be inventive. The educator says that the game’s varied choices allow every kid to find an area where he/she can succeed.
Photo Credit: education.minecraft.net
The Minecraft Education Edition that is expected to cost between $1 to $5 a student, will be launched sometime this month. Meanwhile, educators can introduce gaming to their classrooms by signing up for the beta version. While it doesn’t have all the features of the final product, it is a good way how students engage with this popular video game, without paying a dime.
‘Minecraft’ Latest News & Update: Pocket Edition Receives 0.16 Patch; What to Expect in the Update
Mojang’s ‘Director of Fun’ Lydia Winters speaks about ‘Minecraft’ during the Microsoft Xbox E3 press conference at the Galen Center in Los Angeles, California. (Photo: Christian Petersen/Getty Images)
“Minecraft” Pocket Edition received the 0.15.7 update on Aug. 31. Mojang released this to fix bugs and provide improvements on the game’s graphics’ texture. The game developer wants to give the best to fans so the 0.16.0 update was immediately released as a follow-up, and it is available for free.
The updates were release with a very short time difference so it is apparent that Mojang is working non-stop for “Minecraft” Pocket Edition. The latest patch was announced by Mojang’s Tommaso Checchi via his Twitter account.
Prior to the release of update, he tweeted, “And yes 0.16 is coming, but we don’t announce things before said things are already implemented. Be patient, it will be cool!”
The 0.16.0 update is also called “The Boss Update” and based on the information posted “Minecraft” Pocket Edition Wiki page. The latest changelog shows changes including new options, addition of polar bears, new maps, underwater temples and more.
In the previous games, players used to distinguish whether the area is ground or water through looking at the color blue and green but in 0.16 update. The maps will reveal more texture and colors to identify various environments including the desert, jungle, ice or swamp.
In addition, the menu settings was redesigned and more options were added by Mojang. Checchi revealed that there is a new inventory mode that allows players to to easily search for items and blocks by names. This change will definitely speed up the gameplay.
With all the great changes, it is easy to see that patch 0.16.0 offers more content to “Minecraft” PE compared to other updates which only provided minor improvements on the game’s performance and visuals.
At any rate, although there is no announcement, the update may only be exclusive to “Minecraft” Pocket Edition on Windows 10. Gamers will have to wait for more details about the 0.16 patch notes on the upcoming MineCon 2016 which will start on Sept. 24.
Telltale Games will release “A Journey’s End?”, the eighth and final entry in its Minecraft: Story Mode episodic adventure game, on September 13 for the Xbox One, Xbox 360, PC, and other platforms.
So what are our heroes up against in this concluding chapter of the season? With Harper leading them to the world of the Old Builders, Jesse and crew finally have their chance to return home… but it won’t be easy, and the stakes are high. You’ll need to take on opponents in a series of gladiatorial games to win your freedom, save your friends, and maybe, just maybe, make it back to your own world!
The all-star cast gets two more new additions for Episode 8: ‘A Journey’s End?’, with Jim Cummings (Winnie the Pooh, Darkwing Duck) as Hadrian, the leader of the Old Builders; and Kari Wahlgren (Rick and Morty, The Fairly OddParents) as Mevia, the Enforcer.
Minecraft: Story Mode was originally announced as a five-episode game from Telltale back in the fall of 2015, but the developer decided to launch a three-episode extension in June. You can purchase those three extra “Adventure Pass” episodes for $14.99 if you already own the first episode, which is priced at $4.99
The final chapter of Minecraft: Story Mode’s first season is only a week away, Telltale Games confirmed on Wednesday, and the developers lined up two more guest stars for the eighth chapter of the episodic Minecraft adventure. And the best part of today’s announcement is that the duo, much like entire first season of Minecraft: Story Mode, should have something that appeals to both older and younger generations.
According to a press release, Telltale Games will publish the eighth episode of Minecraft: Story Mode on Sept. 13, wrapping up both the game’s first season of content and the content covered by the three-episode Adventure Pass that went on sale earlier this year. Details on the episode are relatively scarce, and there’s no trailer at this time, but Telltale did include a brief description of the season finale in today’s announcement. Here’s how the studio describes Episode 8:
In Episode 8: ‘A Journey’s End?’, with Harper leading them to the world of the Old Builders, Jesse and crew finally have their chance to return home… but it won’t be easy, and the stakes are high. You’ll need to take on opponents in a series of gladiatorial games to win your freedom, save your friends, and maybe, just maybe, make it back to your own world!
The final episode also features appearances from Jim Cummings (Darkwing Duck) and Kari Wahlgren (Rick and Morty) as newcomers Hadrian and Mevia. There’s still no word on an all-encompassing purchase for the first season, meaning you still have to purchase both the Season and Adventure passes to get all eight episodes, but at least you won’t have to wait much longer to marathon your way through Minecraft: Story Mode in one sitting.
Minecraft: Story Mode is available for PlayStation 3, PS4, Xbox 360, Xbox One, Wii U, PS Vita, PC, iOS, Android and probably a few high-end refrigerators. The series’ eighth episode, “A Journey’s End?”, debuts Sept. 13.
By Alanah PearceThe Minecraft: Windows 10 Edition beta is now available on Oculus Rift, and it brings a handful of surprising changes to Minecraft’s well-loved gameplay.
1. Enemies are huge
“It sounds like whatever chasing you really is physically behind you.
Since Minecraft on Oculus puts you virtually into the game, the size of individual mobs is surprisingly intimidating. I hadn’t even noticed that Zombies were taller than players until I had to look up at one of them who was sticking his big, blocky arms through my front door, making that creepy groaning sound under his breath. The threat of taking damage is the same as it has always been, but the invasion of space that comes with a seemingly giant mob chasing ‘me’ made me run away a lot more often than stay and fight like I usually would. This is made even more intense by the Oculus’ built-in positional audio. It sounds just like whatever chasing you really is physically behind you.
2. Caves are creepy
Caves are just as creepy as mobs, especially if you run out of torches. Craning your neck around trying to see in complete darkness is seriously stressful. I’ve probably never been as happy to see lava in Minecraft as I was when I was in VR — the light is a safe haven from completely consuming darkness.
Having your entire field of vision be encompassed by the caves’ near-black is both unsettling and a little claustrophobic, especially since while you’re pickaxing your way down, you’re usually packed into relatively small spaces by stone, too. Not stocking up on torches (or the wood you need to make them) before you head into a mineshaft is now not only an inconvenience, but a pretty big source of stress.
3. Combat feels more personal
“The bow is a lot of fun to aim in VR.
Something about aiming by moving your head rather than my moving your mouse (or thumbstick) makes combat feel a lot more personal, and with that comes a much greater sense of control. It’s a little odd to see your sword floating along in front of you in VR, but facing one of those giant mobs and swinging feels significantly more triumphant than it does in non-VR Minecraft, because it feels like that sword is really yours. It’s like an extension of your body rather than an extension of your character, and that, teamed with the whole ‘mobs are huge and invade your space’ thing, makes combat much more satisfying. The bow specifically is a lot of fun to aim in VR, too, and definitely feels a lot more accurate than using a controller.
4. I kept getting lost
When playing Minecraft normally I can get orientated in caves and mines pretty easily because I’m not all that immersed. I’m able to comfortably look around and take mental notes. Your sense of ‘place’ is a very different in VR, where you’re constantly overwhelmed by the appearance of new environments, even if you consciously know you’re only there visually.
This meant I got lost a whole lot — it’s like my short-term memory was totally disabled. I’m sure we’ll learn more about this as VR technology becomes more commonplace, and I’m not sure if this was specific to me, but I feel like the constant feed of new imagery to absorb caused my brain to ignore important things like, you know, where the hell I am, and which direction I came from.
5. Heights are intense
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What do you do when you’re 128 blocks high in the Minecraft world?
As a person who isn’t at all afraid of heights, I might sell this a little short, but one of my first experiments was try to get to the highest point in a nearby jungle. I did, and was mostly just impressed by the view — Minecraft’s relaxing music made that feel serene more than anything. So, I decided to step it up, and used the ‘put blocks on top of each other while jumping’ trick to build myself into the highest point of the game — 128 blocks high. The vertigo kicked in at about 60, and by the time I made it to the maximum, I started feeling noticeably dizzy, in ways non-VR Minecraft definitely never made me feel.
But then, what do you do when you’re 128 blocks high in the Minecraft world? You jump off, of course. Seeing the grass below quickly rush towards my eyes was almost inexplicably disturbing, when it’s something that normally wouldn’t bother me at all.
6. It’s pretty sickening
When thinking about video game universes I’d like to exist in, Minecraft was never all that high on the list, losing points for its unnatural, blocky appearance. That, mixed with being in first-person perspective, is pretty brutal in VR. There are various VR-specific options in the settings menu, including one that makes looking left to right more choppy, to avoid the sickness that comes with the world changing horizontally without your body moving that way. It’s helpful, but, as someone who is already motion-sickness-sensitive, it was always uncomfortable. I had to take frequent breaks.
Thankfully, there is a theater-style mode, too, that places you in a chair in a Minecraft-esque house, and has you ‘play’ on a virtual TV in front of you. It seems a little pointless to simulate a living room while you’re playing Minecraft in VR in your living room, but it is a much more fitting environment, at least, and it completely erased any motion-sickness I had.
