All a bit block-y though
I’ve never been a huge fan of Minecraft, but this recent news story from several major news agencies did make me stop and take a look.
The Danish government has taken the unusual step of recreating the entire country in the block-building sandpit environment of Minecraft.
The only explanation given by the Danes, so far as I can see, is that the virtual country will be used as an educational tool, allowing school teachers to take classes on virtual field trips, rather than relying on printed materials, or actually going there in person.
For those not aware, Minecraft is popular game from independant Swedish developer Markus Persson, which allows players to create their own virtual environment by placing blocks on top and adjacent to one another.
The original premise of the game was to create a liveable environment for your character, though a huge community of players now set about creating their own wonderful worlds, encompassing such projects as recreating the Enterprise from Star Trek, or building a 10000 ft tall human skeleton.
The full scale map of Denmark is available for all Minecraft players, up until 23 October.