Minecraft, a new educational tool?

In recent years, Minecraft has become one of the most popular games for children ages 10 and up. In 2020, there were more than 131 million monthly gamers around the world. The game presents itself in form of a virtual world in which players can create structures, accumulate resources, explore virtual lands, and fight strange little monsters. But how did it become the 2.0 educational tool that everyone praises? 

Since 2013, more and more U.S. schools and other organizations use Minecraft as an educational tool in teaching of different materials, including sciences, computer programming, and foreign languages. In 2016 a new education edition was released. 

Our EFBA teams – total beginners in Minecraft – accepted to test the game as the question arose of offering sessions in French for children and adolescents. The results are clear : players must manage resources, collaborate, build structures together, can express their creativity (the game’s potential is almost limitless), have to develop their computer and logic skills to play, and they must work together to find solutions when difficulties arise.

Team spirit, communication, and determination are other skills mobilized to move forward in the game. 

All this in a fun Francophone environment that allows participants to grow their motivation to speak French and to fully exploit their full potential! 

As the Minecraft craze took on a global scale, various museums and organizations jumped at the opportunity to promote culture and freedom of the press. Reporters Without Borders utilized the game to build a virtual library that granted access to many censured resources in certain countries. In 2014, the British Museum restored the entire museum, including the artwork present in the game. Many other initiatives have since emerged that have made Minecraft a true cultural platform. 

Minecraft has therefore convinced us that YES, it is a real educational tool that we want to use at EFBA and allow students to play Minecraft in French.  

Is it a Safe Play Environment for my Child?

The game is recommended for children 8 and up. Suitable for children, you can find monsters (more cute than terrifying), but this function can be deactivated. Our game sessions will be monitored by a supervisor who will accompany and oversee the group of players to ensure a safe and kind play environment for kids to play Minecraft in French. The session will occur in a private “virtual world,” inaccessible to all outside participants.

What can be done on Minecraft? 

For those who have never played the game, it can be difficult to imagine what goes on. When Minecraft is launched players (in the form of pixelated characters) are propelled into a virtual world. Each player has a life bar that can drop if you fall, if you are attacked by a small monster or simply if you forget to eat. The life bar feature can be deactivated in order to focus the gameplay on construction rather than survival.  

One of the principal objectives of the game is to create structures and build tools from materials and resources gathered or created during excursions in nature, in forests or in caves. Then, just let your creativity and imagination speak!

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