Children Learn to Code via “Minecraft”

To say “Minecraft” has been a success is an understatement. Across gaming platforms, over 70 million copies of the game have been sold. It has inspired a variety of additional merchandise, from Lego sets and clothing to books. In 2014, Microsoft purchased the game’s creator Mojang, a development studio based in Sweden, for $2.5 billion. Now, Microsoft, Mojang and Code.org teamed up to implement a coding tutorial for students and educators in a “Minecraft” environment. “A core part of our mission
to empower every person on the planet is equipping youth with computational thinking and
problem-solving skills to succeed in an increasingly digital world,” said Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella.“With ‘Minecraft’ and Code.org, we aim to spark creativity in the next generation of innovators in a way that is natural, collaborative and fun.” Since 2013, Code.org, a nonprofit organization,
has been dedicated to expanding access to computer science, and increasing participation in the field by women and minorities. This year marks the organization’s third annual Hour of Code, a campaign aimed at increasing global participation in computer science. This year’s event campaign runs throughout Computer Science Education Week, from Dec. 7 to 13. The new tutorial, created by “Minecraft” game designers along with Code.org, features challenges inspired by the game, which currently boasts over 100 million players worldwide. The tutorial is designed for children ages six and up. It “introduces players to basic coding skills, encouraging them to navigate, mine, craft and explore in a 2-D ‘Minecraft’ world by plugging together blocks to complete all actions and generate computer code,” according to Microsoft. Students can test their coding knowledge in the 14 challenges available in the tutorial. “‘Minecraft’ is a special game that girls and boys alike often can’t be pried away from,” said Code.org CEO and co-founded Hadi Partovi. “Microsoft continues to be Code.org’s most generous donor and one of the largest supporters of the worldwide movements to give every student the opportunity to learn computer science. This year’s ‘Minecraft’ tutorial will empower millions of learners around the world to explore how a game they love actually works and will inspire them to impact the world by creating their own technology or apps.” Since the Hour of Code campaign started, more than 100 million students across 180 countries have participated. This year’s campaign is expected to be comprised of over 100,000 events.