Minecraft

The British Museum wants to rebuild itself in Minecraft

The British Museum is one of the world’s most iconic collections of artefacts and art from thousands of years of human history – and now it wants to recreate itself in Minecraft as part of a debate on the relationship between the public and art collections in the Digital Age. The plan is to have…

Our Favorite Android, iOS, and Windows Phone Apps of the Week

This week we’re seeing a lot of updates of existing apps to new shiny iOS 8 alternatives, but the other platforms are getting a lot of love as well. Here’s some of the apps you might of missed during the iOS 8 rush. Android My Maps My Maps isn’t exactly a new app. It was…

How Conan Thinks Minecraft Celebrated the Microsoft Deal

Minecraft is a sprawling game with a huge, enthusiastic fanbase. But to outsiders like Conan O’Brien, the cubist adventure can look a little juvenile… which is probably why he imagined the Minecraft team celebrating their $2.5 billion deal with Microsoft like this. While Conan shows the Minecraft leader in high spirits, the real-life version is…

Microsoft Bought in Minecraft What It Could Never Make Itself

More than any other title in very recent history, Minecraft has permanently changed gaming. Motion control? 1080p at 60 frames per second? They’ve got nothing on an infinite world full of vaguely 8-bit-looking blocks. With its purchase of Minecraft and the studio behind it, Microsoft isn’t just buying a game; it’s buying the heart of…

The Microsoft Deal Could Finally Put Minecraft on Oculus Rift

Microsoft’s $2.5 billion deal to buy Mojang, the company that makes Minecraft, is still just a few minutes old. Lots of debris to sort through! But there’s one glimmer of hope for anxious Minecraft fans. The deal could finally pave the way to putting Minecraft where it truly belongs: On the Oculus Rift. While Microsoft…

Microsoft Is Buying Minecraft for $2.5 Billion

The rumors are true, Microsoft is snapping up the block-based blockbuster Minecraft and the studio behind it. But don’t freak out; Microsoft promises that Minecraft will continue to be available on all the platforms it’s already on, including PC, Android, iOS, and yes, Playstation. While Microsoft is getting both Minecraft and Mojang in the $2.5…

Report: Microsoft Will Purchase the Makers of Minecraft on Monday

This week we brought you the news that Microsoft is reportedly looking to purchase Mojang, the Swedish developer behind the wildly successful game Minecraft. Now, Reuters says Microsoft will announce the $2.5 billion deal on Monday. Analysts speculate that the deal has to do with Microsoft’s need to boost Windows Phone: Minecraft has a loyal…

Hang on to your blocks: Minecraft will be available on the XBOX One on Friday. The latest edition will have bigger levels and more downloadable content. And if you already own it on the XBOX 360, it will cost you just $5 to upgrade. [The Verge]

Gorgeous renders look like alien planets or Minecraft worlds

Lee Griggs is an expert in Maya and Arnold, a 3D rendering engine that produces amazing images in the right hands. Like his topographical experiments. He uses millions of tiny geometric elements combined with beautiful color palettes to create exquisite abstract visualizations. Some could be alien planets, others could be microscopic photos of minerals or…

Someone Built a Fully Functioning 1KB Hard Drive Inside Minecraft

Cody Littley is a computer science PhD student with a little time on his hands. Which perhaps explains why he built a working 1KB hard drive in Minecraft out of virtual building blocks. Why did he build it? Because he could. “When I built the the device, I didn’t have anything in mind that I…

It’s hard to top the holy shit news that Antarctica is, as we’ve long feared, irreversibly melting, but this week’s Landscape Reads is chock full of other great stories. Could the difference between rice and wheat farming also explain cultural differences? (By the way, those are rice terraces above!) What’s a 19th-century map doing in…

Denmark Built a Complete Copy of Itself in Minecraft

Denmark is a beautiful country. You really should check it out. And now, thanks to the Danish government, you can just that without leaving the comfort of you own home. Just open up Minecraft, and go exploring. It’s all there. No seriously, all of Denmark is now in Minecraft, and it’s there to send the…

Could the Minecraft movie really be the next Lego Movie?

It’s probably not a coincidence that Warner Bros. is rushing ahead with a movie based on the mega-popular online game Minecraft, right after Lego Movie became one of the year’s biggest films. But will a Minecraft film capture what’s so great about the game? As Deadline points out the Lego/Minecraft comparisons sort of suggest themselves:…

Every kid wants this game, so Sony adds Minecraft to new Playstation

The unstoppable Minecraft sensation is coming to Sony’s new PlayStation game console, because every kid from 2 to 20 wants the blocky multiplayer mining game and they want it on everything: iPhones, tablets, computers, even dad’s musty old PS3. https://kotaku.com/minecraft-coming-to-ps4-at-launch-1172999872

Is Minecraft the next plague that will destroy kids’ minds everywhere?

Back in the 60s, the media thought rock’n’roll would destroy kids’ minds. Before that it was comic-books. Now the brain poisoning plague is Minecraft, a Lego-like construction video game that most adults can’t understand and kids are addicted to. Like crack, they say! https://kotaku.com/minecraft-is-now-mine-crack-says-local-news-everywhe-927656796

Lego Is Making Two New Minecraft Sets

The official Lego Minecraft set has been such an amazing success that Lego and Swedish game developer Mojang have decided to expand the line with two new official sets: the Village and the Nether. The Village (pictured above) “fans can create and customize their own Minecraft village with Lego bricks.” It seems to be an…

Crazy People Spent Months Building These Incredible Virtual Cities

Some mad person built this 1:1 Minecraft replica of King’s Landing, the New York of Game of Thrones. He spent months stacking about a zillion one-cubic-meter blocks on top of each other using this popular construction and exploration game that feels like virtual Lego. Find more Minecraft architectural landmarks here. https://architizer.kinja.com/summer-video-game-series-the-best-of-minecraft-archite-520259566

It Took Four Months to Recreate Jurassic Park in Minecraft and It Was Totally Worth It

If you’re not interested in watching Jurassic Park with three d’s, here’s something that might change your mind: Jurassic Park, completely recreated in Minecraft. Take a tour of the magical world, it’s so amazing and just as awe-inspiring as the movie version! Josh Collin spent four months building out and digitally placing each brick to…

Could Minecraft Actually Be the Ultimate Educational Tool?

Playing the video game Minecraft is a joke that writes itself. Ooh, look at nerds building the world they want to live in! But it’s actually engaging, like playing with a digital Lego. Could it also be the ultimate educational tool? PBS’ Idea Channel examines Minecraft’s case for wrinkling our brain. PBS says: Some experts…

Game of Thrones King’s Landing recreated with baffling precision in Minecraft

Words are but wind when describing this insane Minecraft tribute to Game of Thrones. Behold the great King’s Landing as recreated by WestorosCraft. It’s simply astounding. You can almost smell the brothels from here. Well done. [via Reddit]