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Comment by nnutter | Hacker News Reader

I think a lot of kids love Minecraft and it's more a brand than just a game. So in that sense it is an engaging topic.

Minecraft could obviously be used for creative and social play, like playing with LEGO. (I wouldn't say it's better or worse than that but it is a bit different.) However, Minecraft is also programmable so could be used in similar ways to basic electronics.

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>Minecraft is also programmable so could be used in similar ways to basic electronics.

That's the one part I can definitely see as being educational with the redstone wiring and logic gates and whatnot. Having said that, however, I feel like learning actual circuitry (y'know, with real wires) is a better exercise because it's tangible.

Maybe I'm just jaded and dislike the idea of using computers for everything in education. I guess Minecraft probably helps the kids stay engaged more than physical circuitry would.

An aspect to consider is that minecraft is a very social game. A game that draws the young, and spreads social development informally through interactions between kids. It's an afterschool chatroom of its day. It's a medium that doesn't have to directly supply lessons, just conduct them.

Is it Microsoft's vision to make Minecraft what SecondLife was promised to be -- a social, virtual learning environment based in a computer game?

That really sounds like trying to shove a sphere in a cube shaped hole.

My opinion is that Microsoft is just acquiring an existing community set and tools that come with it. They're positioning themselves to be pertinent.

When I was pretty young I was a complete and total klutz. Working in actual wires would have quickly degenerated into pathetic flailing for me, but working in a digital world would have been much easier.

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