Some time ago we talked about an initiative from the Code.org platform that seeks to add programming students using several characters from the Star Wars saga as a reference. Now, the portal repeats the exact same strategy, but adds the Minecraft franchise to its ranks.
One of the great virtues of Minecraft is its ability to stimulate creativity. Some of the constructions seen on its servers are truly impressive, but I also mean the fact that the little ones can spend hours in that digital world, collecting materials, preparing shelters, and planning ahead. With these details in mind, it is inevitable to discover parallel lines between the gameplay style in Minecraft and programming. From a certain point of view, the average Minecraft game is like a giant code structure, which the user adjusts at every moment to obtain greater benefits.
The idea of combining Minecraft with programming leads us once again to Code.org, and its Hour of Code initiative. This time, students can choose a character and solve exercises based on Blockly code. At the same time, the little ones will receive solid information about some of the most important functions when programming, such as loops and if statements. It is also necessary to highlight the explanations and recommendations that appear in the videos as an interval. Certain functions can be difficult to describe on paper, but the Minecraft and Xbox developers reduce the process to a didactic language that is easy to assimilate.
Blockly may seem too simple after a few exercises, but when we approach the end of the Hour of Code we notice a certain emphasis on efficiency, indicating that we can obtain the same results with a lower number of lines, and the last exercise is what we know as free style, so that the youngest have the possibility to create whatever they can think of with the learned commands. It is necessary to remember that the Minecraft Hour of Code joins the previous one for Star Wars and the Frozen movie, both available on the official site.
