Minecraft: Pocket Edition Latest News Update: Major Update To Feature Multiplayer Gaming Across Platforms

by Stone Marshall | Apr 28, 2016 | Minecraft News | 0 comments

Minecraft Pocket Edition has gained immense popularity and is now the top gaming iPhone app in Canada. A major update is expected to take the game to greater heights (and more devices!)

The 0.15.0 update is expected to bring several things new to the game. Realms, a paid service that allows gamers to play others across platforms, is included in the free alpha for android that is available for download.

“Minecraft Realms will support cross-platform play between the iOS, Android, Windows Phone, and Windows 10 editions of Minecraft. We’re using Xbox Live logins to make that possible,” Minecraft maker Mojang said earlier this month. The pricing is yet to be announced. An Xbox Live Gold subscription is not necessary to play realms, Mojang said.

According to Pocket Gamer which did a roundup of everything that has been teased, taller 256 block worlds and friendly villagers you can trade with are on the anvil in the 0.15 update. Avid gamers are speculating worlds could get bigger but given the resources constraint of mobile devices, it is unlikely that they could get bigger than the 128 blocks featured in MCPE.

New archers, fire charges, and villages that look different are also said to be some of the changes part of the update. Besides Realms, another major update is Command Blocks that help gamers program into Minecraft to make just about anything they want.

Minecraft also released 1.9.3 Pre Release 1 for desktop with four big fixes which promises performance improvements for most players.

Minecraft: Pocket Edition Latest News Update: Major Update To Feature Multiplayer Gaming Across Platforms

Try a free strategy game from the makers of ‘Minecraft’

by Stone Marshall | Apr 27, 2016 | Minecraft News | 0 comments

Like ‘Minecraft’ before it, ‘Crown & Council’ was developed by one person.

Mojang

Developer Mojang might be best known for wildly popular and influentialMinecraft, but it’s no one-trick pony. Which brings us to Crown & Council, the studio’s latest that, from the sounds of it, is a fast-paced strategy game in the vein of Risk or Civilization. In the tradition of Minecraft, the studio says that the game was developed entirely by one person, Henrik Pettersson. It uses a charming 16-bit style of pixel art and maybe best of all, it’s absolutely free on Steam. Need something new to play over the weekend? Now you’re all set.

Try a free strategy game from the makers of ‘Minecraft’

‘Minecraft’ News, Updates: Education Edition In The Works; No More Mods? [VIDEO]

by Stone Marshall | Apr 27, 2016 | Minecraft News | 0 comments

‘Minecraft’ News, Updates: Education Edition In The Works; No More Mods? [VIDEO]

An image from "Minecraft," of Microsoft that is about to get an Education Edition. — An image from “Minecraft,” of Microsoft that is about to get an Education Edition.
(Photo : Saucer C/ Pixabay)

Since “Minecraft” is already a big hit in schools and universities, Microsoft intends to release another update of its building block video game in order to be suitable for education. In May, hundreds of schools will commence testing the Education Edition of the game.

However, the tech giant did not reveal how much the schools will cost final version, or when it will be released. Microsoft creates the software as well as the projects to teach the instructors to use it.

Microsoft revealed via Cnet, “During the summer months, we are also going to be focused on working with educators on building out lesson plans, sharing learning activity ideas and creating reusable projects.”

One factor that made “Minecraft” suitable to almost everything from computer, programming to art and history, is its “endless possibilities.” Particularly, students take their own initiatives to study the game by themselves, Education World reported.

This development for “Minecraft Education Edition” is a slice of the giant leap for the game. Mojang, Swedish developer started by utilizing Java programming language for the said project. That has been known for people who like to create changes, named mods that modify how “Minecraft” works. On the other hand, “Minecraft” Pocket Edition that operates on Apple iPads and iPhones, tablets and smart phones powered by Google’s Android, are encrypted in the C++ language, Tech Times reported.

The game’s Education Edition will utilize the same language, according to Micrsoft. This implies no mods. Microsoft plans to include command blocks and mods, which is next to the C++ version. This will need Apple’s OS X 10.11 El Capitan and Windows 10.

The C++ foundation is also used in the updated Microsoft’s reality headset, Hololens and Facebook’s Oculus Rift virtual reality headset.

Are you excited for the Education Edition of “Minecraft”? Let us know what you think by leaving your comments below.

‘Minecraft’ News, Updates: Education Edition In The Works; No More Mods? [VIDEO]

Play ‘Minecraft’ in a Movie Theater With Super League Gaming (Sponsored)

by Stone Marshall | Apr 26, 2016 | Minecraft News | 0 comments

Play ‘Minecraft’ in a Movie Theater With Super League Gaming (Sponsored)

This is a pretty slick idea – setting up a Minecraft server and projecting gameplay on a movie theater screen, letting teams of gamers compete and have fun in a custom environment:

Now your family can play Minecraft in select movie theaters across the nation with Super League Gaming. In this four-week series, Super League brings together gamers of all ages for a fun, social, face-to-face gameplay experience on the big screen with superhero themed maps and mods in a custom Minecraft adventure called, Rise of Heroes.
Your gamers will play, collaborate and socialize on teams with 4-7 members their own age as they build, battle and use their creativity and imagination. Minecraft encourages teamwork and helps develop skills like reading, organization, planning, and problem solving.
Super League even provides all the tech help and support making this a great family-friendly event. Parents and siblings can watch for free and cheer their gamer on making this fun for all. Each player gets a free gaming t-shirt encouraging team building and camaraderie.
There’s even an opportunity for the winning team to evenly split a college scholarship. League starts April 30. Check superleague.com for a schedule of locations and times.

Even better, since they’re sponsoring us, you can get a special code and save some money. Use the coupon code “GeekDad10” to get $10 off the ticket price. For more info, you can follow them on Twitter,@joinsuperleague or Facebook.com/JoinSuperLeague to get updates and news.

Play ‘Minecraft’ in a Movie Theater With Super League Gaming (Sponsored)

The one big reason why ‘Minecraft’ is both super-popular and super-good for kids

by Stone Marshall | Apr 26, 2016 | Minecraft News | 0 comments

Last week, the New York Times published “The Minecraft Generation,” a deep look into how millions of kids all over the world are learning about programming from the smash hit game — even when it was never intended to be used that way.

“We have never done things with that sort of intent,” Minecraft lead developer Jens Bergensten tells the Times. “We always made the game for ourselves.”

Microsoft bought “Minecraft” developer Mojang for $2.5 billion in 2014, making the company the steward of a game that also qualifies as a cultural phenomenon. Kids and adults alike are completely enraptured by Minecraft and the creative freedom it offers.

“The Minecraft Generation” is a lengthy read, but it’s a fascinating glimpse into how Minecraft’s steep learning curve, combined with its deceptively complex systems, are actually a benefit: Kids treat the game like one big puzzle, where figuring out something really cool or finding something unexpected can make you a hometown hero.

That aspect makes “Minecraft” a prime candidate for teaching computer literacy and fundamental programming concepts. Indeed, that’s why Microsoft itself is investing in making “Minecraft for Education.”

The game is open-ended, challenging players to keep mining and building and discovering what else the world has to offer. But the coolest stuff in “Minecraft” involves “redstone,” a mythical mineral that acts like electrical wire. Crucially, anything wired together with redstone acts like real electronic circuitry, to the point where you can build very basic logic-based systems and computer processors.

GameBoy Minecraft RedditSome smart-alec built a fully functioning, playable version of “Pokemon Red” in Minecraft.

It means that with a little sweat and a lot of patience, “Minecraft” players can rig together ever-more-complex mechanisms that use some real computer logic under the hood.

The result of all of this is that when kids go onto YouTube or take Minecraft encyclopedias from their local libraries, they’re also learning the rudiments of architecture, electronic systems design, and debugging.

And so, kids are using Minecraft as their entryway into computer science education, or even graphic design, since advanced players can customize the look and feel of their worlds.

Ultimately, “The Minecraft Generation” just demonstrates what my nephews already taught me: The power of Minecraft is serious business, and it’s a good thing.

The one big reason why ‘Minecraft’ is both super-popular and super-good for kids