Minecraft: When your three-year-old nephew is capable of playing a game on his father's tablet with a relatively good performance, it is an indication that digital games are becoming more and more involved in children's creative time as a job.
The question at this point is whether the long-standing, almost obsessive-dealing with digital game can have an educational role. The combination of learning and entertainment is driven by the Greek community of Minecraft, incorporating into the game, with 30 million enthusiastic supporters worldwide, the History of Ancient Greece.
Minecraft is a simple game that could be described as a digital version of the famous Lego. Its goal is the construction of worlds and exploration. It was invented in 2009 by Swedish developer Markus Persson and since 2013 it has sold over 15 million copies on the computer and 54 million on all platforms.
Last Monday the popular game was bought by the American software company Microsoft for 2,5 billionmillions dollars.
In March 2011 the creators of the Greek Minecraft community, Konstantinos and Ioanna, known as Padakoys and Rozoyli, opened the Rainbow Minecraft Server, which was recognized "as one of the best servers worldwide". The Greek team RFS (Rainbow Family Servers) is preparing the first Minecraft based on historical events with reference to Ancient Greece, with the aim of the game being an educational material. The player will have the opportunity to tour Greek cities (Sparti, Athens, Pella, Olympia), get to know digital places of great archaeological importance, maybe even add a "stone" to the Acropolis.
The creators note that there will be references to mythology, such as secret passages in the world of Hades or the Procurus in Eleusis, while their priority is to represent historical battles (300 - Thermopylae / Salamina naval battle) in which the player will actively participate by adding elements . The Greek project is not yet open to the public. The team, speaking in the "K", said it would soon be featured in 3D version at the Ministry of Culture.
In schools
The Minecraft and education dipole is not just Greek inspiration, as in 2011, an international team of educators and developers, TeacherGaming, created the MinecraftEDU program to discover how digital games work educationally in a classroom. Teacher Joel Mills from Ireland spoke to "K" about the project to introduce Minecraft in education, representing the University of Hull in England with a short curriculum to be hosted in 2015 by the Canvas Network's digital learning platform (https://www.canvas.net/).
Mr. Mills has been deeply concerned with the way the History lesson can be integrated into Minecraft and become, with the "thousands of versions and modifications of the game", an open training tool. Teach instructors how they will teach the themes they want from prefabricated worlds. For example, the Humanities Humanities version is a role-playing game where "you can see the ancient ruins of Rome, the Eiffel Tower, exploring the pyramids." According to Miles, this is a special way to introduce students to different cultures.
Minecraft's contribution to education is not limited to the humanities. The game encourages students to engage in different sciences, such as physics, o programming and architecture. Impressive is the opportunity given to students to build buildings pre-designed by architects and give a tangible form, using 3D printers, to what they have built in the virtual world of Minecraft.
It develops strategic thinking, creativity
The game is an important tool in the hands of teachers, as it can inspire pupils or students to engage with objects they were not interested in without realizing it, "since they are too busy playing," Mills notes.
According to research by SRI International, a team of Silicon Valley technology experts, games can enhance cognitive learning by 12%, enhancing problem-solving ability and memory functions.
Eric Klopfer, a professor at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, says Minecraft specifically enhances students' construction skills and perception of space. strategic thinking, creativity and the ability to work together ". As Ms. Cheney points out, cultivating these skills is why "in the United States, toys are fully integrated into the curriculum." According to research by Panteion, although teachers in Greece are hesitant about the meaning of the game, it is slowly "beginning to be part of the educational process, bringing very good results", as Ms. Chene says.
Strengthening skills
Creativity, collaboration, the λήψη decision-making, cultivating leadership skills are just a few of the elements cultivated through play. "The development of the mechanism of trust comes to complete the cycle of skills that appear to be enhanced through play." A "magic circle" of trusting relationships seems to develop through the creation of global communities of gamers.
"I'm not afraid at all about children playing computer games," Mr. Mill said. "I see it as a way to develop their skills, you just have to make sure, as parents, that children are protected in this environment," he concludes.
Source: kathimerini.gr
