Articles banned, illegal topics, books pulled from circulation, games impossible to download… murdered journalists. Some people are convinced that freedom of expression is an enemy to destroy, and they do everything possible to carry out their mission. On the other side, we have organizations like Reporteros Sin Fronteras, which explores different ways to bring to the public everything that has been censored. Their latest campaign is the “Biblioteca Sin Censura”, a virtual space inside Minecraft where each censored article will be transformed into a freely accessible book in the game.
We have seen truly impressive things inside Minecraft. Hard drives, functional mobile phones, even a computer. Minecraft also helped us take those difficult first steps in programming, first steps in programming, and of course, its popularity gave rise to different clones. The community behind Minecraft is enormous, and the number of tools available to expand its universe continues to grow. However, I think we haven't seen anything like this before…
I mean Minecraft turned into a platform to combat censorship and defend freedom of expression. One of the most flexible games on the planet, focused on bypassing the limitations installed by authorities and press agencies. It sounds strange, and from a certain point of view it could put the game itself in trouble, but that hasn't stopped the people at Reporteros Sin Fronteras, who last March 12, on the “International Day Against Cybercensorship”, opened the doors of their Biblioteca Sin Censura:
Basically, the idea is that Minecraft players download this map with a beautiful library that occupies an entire island. There they can find hundreds of books, each one reproducing the content of a censored article from its country of origin. To build the library, Reporteros Sin Fronteras sought the help of BlockWorks, a company dedicated to creating unique spaces and experiences within the game.
More than 200 books (for now), twelve and a half million blocks, and the effort of 24 builders in 16 different countries define the Biblioteca Sin Censura. Now, many wonder if this turns Minecraft into a target. Technically, those interested in entering the library must first download it… but it's a risk they'll be willing to take.
Official site: Click here
