Minecraft Earth is pitched to be the next big thing in
the gaming world (Crookes, 2019). If you are unsure of what Minecraft Earth is,
then this video provides an overview of what is to come. The game is going to
be a free to play app that can be utilised on mobile phones. This form of popular
culture uses augmented reality, in the real world so it does not require extra equipment, such
as virtual reality headsets, making it more accessible to the masses.
Minecraft, which was released in 2011, has already proven
to be one of the world’s most successful games. Statistics state it has sold
over 176 million games worldwide. Minecraft is a game that is based on
adventures and building structures with three-dimensional blocks. There are
multiple game modes, including Creative Mode, where players can build whatever
they like with unlimited resources. Survival Mode is where gamers must defend
themselves as they explore and mine for resources to feed and house themselves
and any animals they may have acquired.
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| Image by Chickenonline from Pixabay |
With the educational benefits that playing Minecraft provides and the health advantages that are gained from exercising outdoors, Minecraft Earth has a potential recipe for success. Some of the educational benefits reported by Ellison and Evans (2016) include:
- Encouraging imagination and creativity
- Developing teamwork, social and communication skills
- Expanding mathematics concepts and skills
- Fostering personal development skills
- Extending problem-solving skills
- Building vocabulary
The convergence of gaming and augmented reality is not new to the gaming world. Pokemon Go, launched in 2016, introduced many players to the game in which a computer-generated image is integrated realistically into the real world. Players of Pokemon Go are given the opportunity to locate and catch digital creatures hidden in real locations using mobile devices. This provides opportunities for players to achieve physical exercise. There is a plethora of research to support that exercise improves physical health (Rachele, Cuddihy, Washington & Mcphail, 2014; Tveit, Rosengren, Nilsson, & Karlsson, 2015). In their study, Rauschnabel, Rossmann, and tom Dieck (2017) claim that there are mental health advantages to playing Pokemon Go, including that playing reduces boredom and provides enjoyment. Both physical and psychological health benefits are based on the augmented reality aspects of the game and therefore should also be applicable for Minecraft Earth players. An early user demonstrates on the above video that Minecraft Earth is based on similar technology as Pokemon Go.
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| Permission from creator |
Minecraft Earth is going to provide a platform for
players to build life-size constructions in real-world locations. Players will
be able to see the structures that not only they have made, but the structures
that other gamers have created, and interact with them. Crookes (2019) explains
that Microsoft (the developer of Minecraft Earth) believes that players will
enjoy expressing their creativity on the grander scale that real-life outdoors
provides. The opportunity for the skills that Minecraft is known to develop
will be further enhanced by the ability of everyone being able to see the same
structures through their phones at the same time.
Minecraft provides an educational version of the game and
has a website dedicated to assisting educators in introducing Minecraft into
their classrooms. There are many lesson plans across all curriculum areas,
aligned to the Australian curriculum, that can be downloaded. Although there
are not any lessons for Minecraft Earth yet, I imagine that will only be a matter
of time.
You are now prepared for the next big craze about to hit
not only homes but also the outside world of children and teenagers. Parents
can sigh in relief that this form of popular culture gaming provides the
opportunity for their children to engage in the world beyond the four walls of
their bedrooms. Educators can be planning now to motivate students by incorporating this form of popular culture into their lessons.
References
References
Crookes, D. (2019). Minecraft Earth. Web
User, (481), 38–39. Retrieved from
Ellison, T., & Evans, J. (2016). Minecraft, Teachers,
Parents, and Learning: What
They Need to Know and Understand. School
Community Journal, 26(2),
Minecraft. (2019, September 28). Minecraft
Earth - How would you Minecraft your
world. [Streaming
video]. Retrieved from
Mumbo Jumbo. (2019, July 15). I got to play Minecraft
Earth early. [Streaming
video].
Rachele, J., Cuddihy, T., Washington, T., & Mcphail, S.
(2014). The Association
Between Adolescent Self-Reported Physical Activity and
Wellness: The
Missing Piece for Youth Wellness Programs. Journal
of Adolescent Health,
55(2), 281–286. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jadohealth.2014.01.021
Rauschnabel, P., Rossmann, A., & tom Dieck, M. (2017). An
adoption framework
for mobile augmented reality games: The case of Pokémon Go. Computers
Tveit, M., Rosengren, B., Nilsson, J., & Karlsson, M.
(2015). Exercise in youth: High
bone mass, large bone size, and low fracture risk in old age. Scandinavian
Journal of Medicine & Science in Sports, 25(4), 453–461.
