by Stone Marshall | Jul 4, 2016 | Minecraft News |
Video game movies are currently going through an odd spectrum. With the somewhat successful release of the World of Warcraft movie, and with the Assassin’s Creed movie well on the way, many movie production studios are looking to get their hands on a game property to turn into a film. Hell, even Fruit Ninja looks like it will be receiving a big-screen adaption. But now, it’s Minecraft’s turn.
After Telltale Game’s success with Minecraft: Story Mode, a movie for the video game is now in the works. It will be directed by Rob McElhenney of It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia in association with Warner Brothers Studios. Vu Bui, COO of Mojang, has stated that it will be a large budget production that will be available in both IMAX and 3D.
Notch, creator of Minecraft, has been giving rumors to a possible movie adaption of his game for some time, but had never stated anything that completely confirmed that a Minecraft film was in the works. Now under the control of Microsoft, it seems as though the Minecraft franchise will be milked of all its worth for quite some time. Let’s just hope another movie like Pixels doesn’t get made again.
A Minecraft movie is apparently in the works
by Stone Marshall | Jul 4, 2016 | Minecraft News |
It’s no longer strange to see elaborate devices built in Minecraft, but this one is particularly eyebrow-raising. Reqaug has built a Minecraft machine that plays Pokemon Fire Red for the Game Boy Advance. It’s very rudimentary at the moment (it’s missing combat and dialog, among other things), but it’s still surprisingly thorough. There’s even a level editor and the option to replace textures. As the creator explains, the whole concept revolves around layers of structure blocks (a recent addition) that represent tiles in the game and move when you move.
While there isn’t enough here to keep you entertained, Reqaug is quick to stress that his work will “always be in progress.” It’s more a matter of investing enough time than whether or not a blocky Pokemon recreation is possible. And importantly, this doesn’t require modding — as long as you’re using at least Minecraft 1.10, you can try it for yourself. Just don’t expect an action game like one of the Super Mario Bros. titles, since Minecraft likely can’t draw the virtual screen quickly enough to keep up.
‘Minecraft’ creation plays ‘Pokemon’ on a virtual Game Boy
by Stone Marshall | Jul 4, 2016 | Minecraft News |
We finally have a release date for the Minecraft movie, but it’s a long way off. Excited? Well, I can understand any trepidation. Video game movies have been around for many years and, by general admission, haven’t really shone at the box office. Take for example a movie like Super Mario Bros., the now-legendary attempt at translating the success of that mustachioed plumber to the big screen that, well, didn’t go over well with anyone. Recently, though, we’ve had a glimmer of hope that movies based on video games are about the get their moment in the sun. Warcraft: The Beginning, for example, might not be doing that well in the States, but it’s tearing the box offices internationally (especially in China). The Angry Birds movie didn’t do that bad either, and the upcoming Assassin’s Creed movie looks promising (fingers crossed). I’m also very curious to see what the Tetris sci-fi trilogy will be like and whether the Fruit Ninja movie will feature both ninjas and fruit.
Seeing the success of anything Minecraft, it’s hard to bet against Warner Bros.’ Minecraft: The Movie. Outside the release date, which was announced on Mojang’s website along with the fact that the movie will come out in 3D and IMAX, we have no further information other than the name of the director – Rob McElhenney of It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia fame. While many have been wondering what kind of a movie can come out of the sandbox worlds of Minecraft, Telltale has demonstrated how you can weave all kinds of fascinating stories based on the Minecraft universe with its Minecraft: Story Mode [$4.99] series. And it’s hard to bet against Minecraft being extremely popular even in 3 years from now.
‘Minecraft: The Movie’ Coming to Theaters May 24th, 2019
by Stone Marshall | Jul 3, 2016 | Minecraft News |
SUGAR GROVE – The Sugar Grove Park District, in conjunction with Bricks 4 Kidz, recently held its first-ever “Minecraft” camp for kids of all ages.
On June 22, kids worked together at the park district’s Prairie Building to build key elements from the popular video game, “Minecraft,” out of Legos and similar building materials.
This is the first collaboration between the Sugar Grove Park District and Bricks 4 Kidz. Bricks 4 Kidz is dedicated to creating a learning environment for children, where they learn through play with Legos, according to the company website.
Wendy Eng-Chow, owner and director of Bricks 4 Kidz, said the franchise was founded Florida in 2008 by an architect whose kids loved Legos.
“At the time, the economy wasn’t the greatest, so she just used her architectural background to start these classes,” Eng-Chow said. “The Sugar Grove Park District approached me about a class because they knew we held classes in surrounding park districts, so we decided to give it a shot.”
Minecraft is one of the many camps Bricks 4 Kidz offers. According to Eng-Chow, the company also offers a Pokemon class, Angry Birds class and several other options to appeal to all kids. Although this was the first class offered at the Sugar Grove Park District, there are already hopes for more in the future.
“We’re not running a ton of classes at the Sugar Grove Park District right now, since it is new and we’re still trying to get a feel for it,” Eng-Chow said. “Fall classes for after-school [participants] will be coming, and we’re hoping for more summer camps. The summer camps are a bit more fun because they get to play with Legos.”
In addition to Legos, Bricks 4 Kidz enlists the use of TechnicBricks, so students can learn about how gears and axles work.
“It’s a lot of fun and the kids are able to learn without even realizing that they’re doing it,” Eng-Chow said, adding Lego play is the perfect precursor for any child interested in doing robotics.
Although Bricks 4 Kidz does not offer the computing aspect of robotics, kids can learn integral thinking and planning skills that are common to robotics, she said.
Eight students showed up for the first “Minecraft” class, and Eng-Chow said that the feedback so far has been really good.
“The children are having fun and it’s a really great camp for them to do, especially if they like Legos,” she said.
Sugar Grove ‘Minecraft’ camp helps children to learn new skills during summer
by Stone Marshall | Jul 2, 2016 | Minecraft News |
We’ve been talking up Minecraft’s “Friendly Update” for a while now, but it’s totally here. You can check it out if it really is friendly or not, and while doing that enjoy the new features that Mojang inserted into the game. Whether it’s the pig riding or the cross-platform play, there should be something for everybody here.
First up, Realms are online play servers for Minecraft Pocket Edition. You can now build your worlds on Realms, invite only your friends to have access to the world you’re creating, and it will always be accessible to you and your friends, wherever you are and even when you log-off. “Anytime, anywhere” seemed like a promise too good to be true, but it’s here now. Realms is available for a 30-day free trial in-app.
What makes this update the bomb is the cross-device multiplayer feature. If you’re looking for “friendly,” this is it. Minecraft players can now play their games with friends with whatever device they are currently on – Android device, an Apple iPhone, or even a Windows 10 PC. Heck, you can even use a Gear VR.
And lastly, pig riding! What’s not to like? Oh, and as a bonus, piston-powered elements for everything! Check out the update now via the Google Play Store.
Minecraft Pocket Edition ‘Friendly Update’ now rolling out
by Stone Marshall | Jul 1, 2016 | Minecraft News |
With Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them coming up, J.K. Rowling has revealed the origins of the American wizarding school Ilvermorny.
Pottermore has released a new installment of the ‘Magic in North America’ series, which introduces the new story by J.K. Rowling all about Ilvermorny:
In the video, we learn that Ilvermorny School of Witchcraft and Wizardry was founded by a young Irish girl named Isolt Sayre, with a unique stolen wand.
And there’s much more on Pottermore! Not only is there an Ilvermorny sorting quiz, but a lengthy story by J.K. Rowling reveals that the American school was founded in the seventeenth century, and that it’s located on top of Mount Greylock in Massachusetts.
As a young girl, Isolt was kidnapped by her aunt Gormlaith Gaunt (yes, that Gaunt!), a “fanatical pure-blood” who was revealed to have killed Isolt’s parents.
Isolt, a descendant of Salazar Slytherin, wasn’t allowed to go to Hogwarts. Once an adult, Isolt disguised herself as a man and escaped to America. From there, the tale really begins to take shape; we learn about how she came up with the four house symbols (particularly the Horned Serpent), and how she eventually fell in love.
The tale also reveals how new students are sorted! Rowling explains how they’re taken to the entrance hall and one-by-one called to stand by the ‘Gordian Knot,’ to wait for one of the four house symbols to claim them.“If the Horned Serpent wants the student, the crystal set into its forehead will light up. If the Wampus wants the student, it roars. The Thunderbird signifies its approval by beating its wings, and the Pukwudgie will raise its arrow into the air,” Rowling writes.
Further, we learn more about what the four Houses represent: “It is sometimes said of the Ilvermorny houses that they represent the whole witch or wizard: the mind is represented by Horned Serpent; the body, Wampus; the heart, Pukwudgie and the soul, Thunderbird. Others say that Horned Serpent favours scholars, Wampus, warriors, Pukwudgie, healers and Thunderbird, adventurers.”
While it’s not totally the same as Hogwarts, we can definitely see the similarities (Horned Serpent = Ravenclaw, Wampus = Gryffindor, Pukwudgie = Hufflepuff and Thunderbird = Slytherin), though the correlation isn’t absolute. It makes sense for them to be so similar though, considering that Isolt grew up hearing stories about Hogwarts, and always wished to go there herself.
Most excitingly, you’re also able to get sorted into a House! Take the quiz and tell us what you got!
Pottermore releases Ilvermorny sorting quiz, J.K. Rowling writes detailed backstory
