Players of the popular computer construction game Minecraft will now be able to build within a virtual Northern Ireland, which can be used as an educational tool to explore geographical data and historical landmarks such as the Giant’s Causeway.
The Northern Ireland Department of Finance and Personnel writes:
Finance Minister Arlene Foster MLA has today launched a Minecraft NI map meaning, for the first time, the game can be played in a 3D virtual map of Northern Ireland.
Minecraft is one of the most popular video games in history, with over 100 million downloads since its launch in 2009. In the game, players build, explore and play in a virtual world that now includes Northern Ireland.
The Minecraft NI map, which is free to download for PC and Mac versions of the game, has been developed using Land & Property Service’s Ordnance Survey NI (OSNI) digital mapping data.
The map will be of particular interest to Northern Ireland post-primary schools using an educational version of the game as part of a new project. CultureTECH the organisation behind the project, is already using the Minecraft NI map to develop new classroom activities.
