Minecraft has now become the world’s most popular computer game, with over 100 million paying players.
It’s best imagined as a ‘digital Lego’, in which players build complex structures or compete against each other in community-designed competitions. The community often interact on multiplayer servers, building incredible three-dimensional models together.
Examples include The Manhattan Project in which a group of players are constructing a Minecraft replica of 1940s Manhattan and WesterosCraft, a server dedicated to building Westeros from the popular Game of Thrones TV-series.
At UN-Habitat, we have developed a methodology in which we use Minecraft for community participation within our Global Programme of Public Space, which improves public spaces worldwide. Experience from our projects in Nigeria, Kenya, Somalia, South Africa, Peru, Mexico, Haiti, Nepal, Bangladesh, Solomon Islands, Kosovo, India and the Philippines show that Minecraft is a great tool for engaging communities, particularly youth, women and slum dwellers in urban design processes.