Minecraft update: What's new?
Minecraft skins: New looks
Minecraft mods: Beyond vanilla
Minecraft shaders: Spotlight
Minecraft seeds: Fresh new worlds
Minecraft texture packs: Pixelated
Minecraft servers: Online worlds
Minecraft commands: All cheats
Minecraft build ideas: What to build next
In an effort to curb the spread of coronavirus, Poland has shut its schools until at least April 10. While online classes are widespread, there's still the problem of keeping housebound kids occupied. The Polish government thinks it has the answer: among other initiatives, it has just launched a Minecraft server.
Grarantanna is the name of the initiative, and it packages up a bunch of mostly educational activities ranging quizzes, game jams, online pen-and-paper sessions, and a Minecraft server. The creative server is open to elementary, high school and college students, with each player entitled to a 60x60 plot. Awards will be doled out to the most impressive builds, with players encouraged to recreate "known buildings". The competition is open from now until March 27.
It's a pretty good idea: Minecraft is a pretty benign game in creative mode, and since there are over 112 active players every month, a lot of people already have it installed. If you are a Polish student, you can learn about how to sign up here.
It's not the first time Minecraft has factored in to people's self-isolation plans: in Japan, students are hosting their March graduation ceremonies on Minecraft servers.
