Use blocks of code to take Steve or Alex on an adventure through this Minecraft world.

With so many distractions it can be hard to get children to focus, this is especially true when it comes to learning how to code. Scouring through line upon line of code isn’t a captivating endeavour. However Code.org have a solution! They have teamed up with Mojang to build an educational game based on Minecraft that resonates with the younger generations. The skills learnt will be a driving force in keeping our young generation on the forefront of technology, as well as encouraging logic based problem solving that applies to all aspects of learning.

The Minecraft based tutorial introduces children to the basics of computer science in a 2-D world that mimics the same environment players would find in the popular game. Children can learn the fundamentals of programming by coding their own adventures through a fun puzzle based environment. The game is designed for ages six and up and no prior skills or computer knowledge is needed. It will help encourages creative thinking to help resolve a host of problems as you play.

In the hour you spend coding you choose from two characters Steve or Alex, they have focused on getting more young people interested in computer science, and one advantage to using Minecraft is that it appeals to both genders. Traditionally programming is created in plain text, but in the game you use Blockly. A system which uses visual blocks that can drag and drop to write programs. Underneath this is a JavaScript code. As the puzzles go on the coding becomes more difficult, but essentially it is a great way to assist problem solving skills.