Minecraft, the game about placing blocks and going on adventures, as described by it’s creators, turned 10 since the first version was released for PC players on may 17, 2009. A decade as one of the biggest phenomenon games in the world.
Does everybody knows what Minecraft is?
The world survival game, Minecraft, is the place where a player can play in a world made of blocks while walking around and breaking the blocks which make up the interactive landscape. After that, he can make new constructions by putting the blocks back together, using his equipment and tools.
This year, Microsoft, the publisher of the game, announced Minecraft Earth, the new improved reality game that really wants to “Minecraft your world”.
What is and how does Minecraft Earth work?
The Minecraft Earth augmented reality game will overlay virtual details on the real world using your mobile camera and will be first available on iOS and Android devices.
Although it might be similar with Pokemon Go, where the collectible creatures appear in the real world places and you can capture them to add to your collection, Minecraft Earth works a little bit differently.
Collaborating with other players, you can build augmented reality structures, meaning that your creation will exist in a 3D space (using as a base for example a coffee table) and you can work around it with other players, viewing it through your device’s screen from all angles.
You’ll have to go out in the world to find resources for your build, finding certain locations on the map highlighted with a “Tappables” icon and collecting the resource that you are going to use on your builds.
Even the Polygon’s Colin Campbell said that Minecraft Earth is “a lot like Pokemon Go”, but specified that this game is “deeper, richer, more ambitious and more technically advanced.”
There is an amibitous feature, Adventures, which function as small, interactive portion of the original Minecraft.
What Campbell says about the game?
“I head over to where the icon is displayed. Other people are already here. They are swinging their arms about in a way that’s, frankly, a bit odd.”
“I hold up my phone and I see a Minecraft-style castle, transposed onto the park grounds, nestled between two real life trees,” he says.
“Now I see there are enemies guarding the castle gates. I select a weapon from my on-screen prompts and I start swinging at the enemies. I am in the game, alongside other people next to me.”
“I assume that all the kids in the neighborhood know where this is,” says Campbell, “just as they would any other piece of communal play equipment.”
The Release Date of Minecraft Earth?
There is not even a rumor about when the final version of the game will be available for everyone worldwide and no indication as to when it will be released, but Microsoft wants to run a closed beta of Minecraft Earth on iOS and Android this summer with limited slots and with an age limit of 18+, probably being rolled out gradually in select locations.
If you’re anxious about this game, you can sign up for the beta on the Minecraft Earth website and you’ll receive a “free Earth skin” and updates about the game.
Even though we don’t know the release date, we know for sure that Minecraft earth will support every language represented in the original game at launch.
How safe it is to play?
Young children loves the game Minecraft, but the idea of them going out in the world to play this game is a little concerning because they would be distracted by their phones, but Minecraft Earth assures us that this will be a major concern.
We all know stories about Pokemon Go and the players that got hurt by being distracted, from hot coffee burns to falling down a cliff.
Hoping that it will not be the case with the number of safety measures placed in the new game; the parents will be able to manage privacy settings through Xbox’s account system and Microsoft will restrict the game’s augmented reality content from appearing on private property.
So, let’s hope that nobody will be hit by a bus while playing it and that the safety measures will be in place to make the game safe for the young children and sound for the worried parents.
Nora Reynolds is a major in biology and a minor in Biological Basis of Behavior, writing about science in general. She also likes to try new gadgets and sports about the AI new era.
