Mojang, the developer behind the hit building and exploration game, “Minecraft,” is bringing something new and exciting for its players and it will be coming every month. According to a report inTech Times, Mojang is setting up a subscription service that will bring new “collectibles” to its players every month.
The new service will be called “Mine Chest” and inside the chest every month, players will get new items that can be worn, collected and can even be used to create or build with. Some of the items will only be made available through the service and cannot be found elsewhere. These include “Minecraft” toys and “Minecraft” shirts. Even the chests, where the goodies are found, can be collected as well.
In their announcement of the new service,Mojang describes it as something that will “bring that same sense of discovery and creativity” every month. They also listed DIY crafting recipes as part of what subscribers can get.
According to the officialMine Chest site, each “Mine Chest” will also be themed according to where they are found or discovered, which means chests can be themed as the Jungles, Frozen Plains and the Nether.
Since the monthly service will also be bringing physical products, a shipping fee is included in the monthly service fee. Gamers need to shell out $29.99 a month plus $7 shipping, handling and tax. Only gamers in the United States are able to avail of the service in the meantime, but Mojang promised that it will bring the service worldwide soon and will try to find a way around expensive shipping costs.
Those who want to avail of the service can start signing up now via the service’s site at minechest.com. First shipments will be made in May and gamers who are able to sign up by the end of February receive a special gift: a limited beta version including “items that explore the beginnings of ‘Minecraft.'”
The first update of 2016 for the Minecraft: Pocket Edition is finally here. The new Minecraft version 0.14.0 comes with new additions for the Redstone builders and we remind the players that the Redstones have been released for Minecraft in November.
Redstone is a structure that will allow the players to control powered-mechanisms. With other words, you will be able to make simple devices such as a light switch, or even more complicated things such as elevators. This feature surely opens up many possibilities, so you will do whatever you want in the Minecraft game. Just use your imagination and this feature will help you materialize your ideas.
The new Minecraft 0.14.0 add even more Redstone components such as repeaters, dispensers, comparators, hoppers, trapped chests, droppes and many more. Here is a video that shows of a few new features that the Minecraft 0.14.0 comes with:
The new Minecraft version also comes with some spooky witches along with their huts. Inside the huts you will find cauldrons that are filled with random potions and something that will dye your armor. There are also wearable pumpkins, slime blocks and item frames that will allow players to display their awesome items for all to see.
Minecraft: Pocket Edition is available for mobile devices that run on iOS or Android and it can be purchased from the App Store or Google Play Store for 6.99 dollars. You can also download and play the Minecraft: Story mode game that costs only 4.99 dollars and it comes with five-part episodic series. However, keep in mind that the game comes with the first episode, while the other four episodes you will need to purchase (either separated or as a season pass).
Have you installed the Minecraft 0.14.0 on your mobile device? Tell us your opinion about the latest Minecraft: Pocket Edition!
The first round of Minecraft’s four-week Galactic Missionchampionships was held Saturday at the City Center 15: Cinema de Lux in White Plains. This Minecraft experience is a custom, space-themed adventure in which gamers build and battle together in a fun environment inside a movie theater instead of at home.
Gamers of all ages had the opportunity to play face-to-face against other video game enthusiasts in the theater as well as against thousands of others across the world, while watching the action unfold live on the big screen.
Some local players will be reporting for lohud.com from the “battle front.” This week, meet StarLord:
Who I am:Hello, I am StarLord and I am 11-years-old and live in New Rochelle. I have been playing Minecraft for 5 years and I love it because I get to build whatever I want and how I want, too. I am in control of the building. I am also on my school newspaper, I enjoy reading books, playing other video games and playing with Legos.
The coolest part of playing on Saturday: I enjoyed playing with other kids like me who are into Minecraft.
Round 1 recap: At first I started to build a volcano. It was hard because I was trying to make it as realistic as possible in a short time. I think I did okay; it was a little hard because I kept getting killed by other players who were faster than me.
How hard or easy is it? I am used to playing on my PS4 or my PC. This was my first time playing on a laptop and it was a little difficult using the laptop mouse, but once I got the hang of it, I started playing a lot better. The games are timed for building; you have to think quickly on what you are going to build.
What’s the competition like? There are a lot of really good players here; I have never played with so many players at the same time, but it really awesome to see Minecraft on the BIG screen. The competition was cool; I have never played in one before, but I had a lot of fun today!
Strategy for next week: I don’t know yet, but I will practice a lot this week to get better for Round 2.
Interested in becoming a contributor? Email kcroke1@lohud.com
BARCELONA, Spain — Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg delivered a much-needed shot of adrenaline to Samsung’s Unpacked press conference by making an unannounced appearance on stage to talk virtual reality and to praise his South Korean partner.
“VR is the next platform, where anyone can create and experience anything they want,” Zuckerberg said. “For right now, it’s mostly used for gaming. That’s quickly evolving.”
Zuckerberg asked the audience to imagine being able to do anything from sitting around a virtual campfire with friends any time they want to holding spontaneous meetings in VR.
He added: “That’s why Facebook is investing so much in VR, so we can deliver these new social experiences. VR is going to be the next social platform. And that’s why we’re working with Samsung.”
Zuckerberg said Samsung is the only company that can build the OLED screens at the scale needed to deliver the “low-persistence rending” necessary to make VR a mainstream technology.
“We’ve been working to make Facebook the best platform for 360 video,” he said. “360 videos are even more immersive. You feel like you’re actually there. Our community already loves 360 videos. More than 1 million people are watching them every day. And more than 20,000 360 videos have been uploaded.”
Zuckerberg said Facebook has created new teams with Samsung to develop next-generation social apps for VR. And he said more engineers have been shifted to accelerate the underlying VR technology. As an example, he said that in the coming weeks Facebook would deliver a technology called “dynamic streaming” to Gear VR. This tech delivers higher-resolution video to the area someone is watching and lower-resolution to other areas in order to improve quality and reduce the bandwidth needed to deliver the video.
Finally, Zuckerberg said that 200 gaming apps have already been developed for Oculus and that Minecraft would be coming to the VR platform.
Minecraft’s first big update of the year comes to PC and Pocket Edition
Above: More Minecraft.
Image Credit: Microsoft
Correction: We originally stated that the 13 redstone skins cost $2 each, but they actually all come in a bundle for $2 total.
Minecraft’s getting more content today.
Microsoft announced today that the first big update of the year for its block-building game is available now for the Windows 10 and mobile versions. Minecraft, which is on just about every platform imaginable, has sold over 70 million copies (which is why Microsoft bought Minecraft developer Mojang for $2.5 billion in 2014). However, this new content, called the Overworld Update, is currently only available on PC and mobile. Sorry, PlayStation 4, Xbox One, and Wii U players.
“With the Overworld Update, make more advanced mechanical contraptions with additional components, including comparators, repeaters, dispensers, droppers, hoppers and more,” Microsoft details on its site,Xbox Wire. “Stumble upon witch huts as you explore spooky swamps, and steal their unique potions to use for yourself. Other new gameplay elements include slime blocks, wearable pumpkins, and red sandstone.”
Microsoft is also rolling out new skins based on the game’s redstone component along with the update. Two of them, the Composer and Artisan, are free, with 13 more available in a bundle for $2.
How an Alaska Teacher Improved Student Attendance with Minecraft
It’s important to keep kids engaged in their learning, but how do we accomplish something that seems so abstract? Part of the solution has to do with making learning irresistible, and in my classroom, learning is driven by curiosities and interests. My students are 21st century students. It doesn’t matter that they are only second graders, and it doesn’t matter that they live on a small island in Alaska. I can motivate my students to learn by tapping into their interests.
And what are my second graders interested in, exactly?Minecraft, of course.
With encouragement from a graduate program at the University of Alaska Southeast and support from my district, I discovered that I could successful using my students’ interest in Minecraft to engage them in all kinds of learning—learning that went beyond a screen. But that wasn’t all. During this time, I also began to notice the positive effect Minecraft was having on attendance.
After conducting a classroom research study on game-based learning, I realized that I could strategically use Minecraft to improve attendance. When I incorporated Minecraft into my mornings, the number of unexcused absences and tardies were cut in half. Students didn’t want to miss any school.
Now, I know what you’re wondering. Minecraft? Attendance? How did I do it? And more importantly, why did it work?
Step 1: Doing the Research and Creating “Morning Craft”
The whole process began with a classroom Minecraftresearch project. This qualitative action research study examined the relationship between game-based learning and truancy in an elementary classroom. During this study, I looked for patterns in attendance behavior when Minecraft was played. The results? The data revealed positive changes in school attendance and engagement.
Prior to the study, I had been using Minecraft to enrich my students’ learning, but I hadn’t put much thought into the time of day I was using it. However, after the study, I realized that the morning was a great time to use the “sandbox game” because it was a great motivator—it got students to school and got their brains thinking right away.
Which my research in tow, I created Morning Craft, which is a simple reference to the “crafting” students would be doing in Minecraft at the very start of the day.
After I devised Morning Craft, I informed my students of the specifics:
Morning Craft only lasts for the first thirty minutes of the school day
If students arrive late, they miss part or all of their Morning Crafting time, depending on how tardy they are.
Morning Craft is not an everyday thing—in fact, Morning Craft can be unpredictable, which encourages students to be on time every day.
Step 2: Crafting With a Purpose
When I first began Morning Craft, I had several days of Morning Craft in a row to test it out. But following, I started to spread these days out. In order to use my Crafting time strategically, we focused on projects. At the beginning of the initiative I chose projects students could jump into without much direction. That way, they could get as much out of the thirty minutes as possible.
However, I also wasn’t afraid to mix it up once in awhile. For example, I added hands-on making and coding activities to teach balance and enrich student learning. Here’s an example: We’ve used our Morning Craft time to building computational thinking withMinecraft Hour of Codeby Code.org. And you never have to stop there—the opportunities for multidisciplinary learning are endless.
Step 3: Opening Up to My Classroom to Parents and Other Observers
Early-morning Minecrafting didn’t just excite the students about getting to school on time—it also engages the parents, who in many cases are the transporters. So, I invited parents, administrators and others in the community to watch our 21st century learning in action, as I felt like it was my job as an educator to help people understand the benefits of game-based learning.
It is important to show others how incorporating Minecraft into the classroom can be a great way for students to learn through active engagement in the curriculum. Being proactive and open from the beginning has helped me gain support and reduce misunderstandings—and that way, students can keep Morning Crafting.
Step 4: Thinking Outside the Box
Many schools around the country already recognize the interest students have in Minecraft, and some even hold after-school clubs devoted to the program. But based on the results I have seen in my classroom, perhaps schools should consider adding before-school Minecraft clubs.
In fact, my Morning Crafting practices are starting to spread to other classrooms in my school and beyond. I feel like I have unlocked a treasure chest with Minecraft and as an educator it’s my job to share the wealth, and I hope educators find success like I have. In addition to mentoring teachers, I recently presented the benefits of using Minecraft to educators from around the state at theAlaska Math and Science Conference. I also use a website I created to inspire teachers to use Minecraft—check it out here.
If you’re still on the fence about this, think to yourself: Are you more motivated to work on something you find enjoyable or interesting? Are you more likely to put in extra time and effort on tasks you find engaging? For most of us the answer is, yes—our achievement is driven by our interest. This is true even for children. Students who lack an interest in their education are at risk to become disconnected from school. And this disengagement can lead to poor attendance, amongst other things.
Don’t succumb to that disengagement. Morning Crafting has shown me that Minecraft can be used as an effective strategy for improving attendance, and it is time schools think outside the box and look to edtech tools as intervention programs.
Minecraft just might be the powerful intervention tool you and your school have been looking for.
