Minecraft as an Accidental Engineering School: From Mines ParisTech to Minecon
Created by Markus "Notch" Persson, Minecraft has evolved into a significant educational tool, as showcased during the second Minecon held at Disneyland Paris, which drew over 4,500 participants. Since its official launch in late 2011, the game has amassed approximately 40 million players. The collaborative nature of its creative mode has inspired intricate projects. In September 2012, Mojang collaborated with UN Habitat on the Block by Block initiative, aiming to revamp 300 public spaces, starting in Nairobi's Kibera slum. MinecraftEDU is also in the process of developing a version for classrooms, with institutions like Da Vinci Schools offering classes such as "Electrical Engineering & Minecraft." Researchers highlight the game's impact on motivation and community learning, with 7.5 million mentions on YouTube promoting peer education.
Key facts
- Minecon, the second annual Minecraft gathering, took place at Disneyland Paris with over 4,500 attendees.
- Minecraft has an estimated 40 million players worldwide.
- The game was created by Swedish developer Markus 'Notch' Persson and fully released in late 2011.
- Mojang partnered with UN Habitat for the Block by Block project to redesign 300 public spaces over three years.
- MinecraftEDU, a group of teachers from the US and Finland, is developing a classroom version of the game.
- Da Vinci Schools in Los Angeles offers a course called 'Electrical Engineering & Minecraft' with Pepperdine University.
- Bob Kahn at Brentwood School runs 'Middle School Minecraft' to teach experimentation.
- Cody Sumter of MIT stated that Minecraft has tricked 40 million people into learning CAD.
- Minecraft has 7.5 million mentions on YouTube, with walkthroughs facilitating learning.
- The game's creative mode allows for building complex machines and structures, including mechanical computers.
Entities
Artists
- Markus 'Notch' Persson
- Bob Kahn
- Debbie Chachra
- Cody Sumter
- Ian Bogost
- Chaim Gingold
- Wole Soyinka
Institutions
- Mines ParisTech
- Disneyland Paris
- Mojang
- UN Habitat
- Svensk Byggtjänst
- MinecraftEDU
- Da Vinci Schools
- Pepperdine University
- Brentwood School
- Franklin W. Olin College of Engineering
- MIT
- Quartz
Locations
- Paris
- France
- Disneyland Paris
- Nairobi
- Kenya
- Kibera
- Los Angeles
- United States
- Finland
- Sweden
Sources
- Quartz —