Minecraft is enhanced lego :P

This is the first extension to my session prezi on using Minecraft in Bratislava, 1st SKA International EFL Conference:

Minecraft is basically the same as Lego.

Lego makes it possible for you to build existing structures following a graphic manual, you can build your own creation, previously designed or not. With the finished structures and figures you can play role games. You can show your creations to your friends (peer recognition bang bang bang), you can cooperate when building something new. You can build anything, the limit is only the number and type of blocks you possess.

Imagine a building game that has even more types of blocks, the certain blocks have certain features, one of the little figures is actually you, some of the others may be your friends, and there are also independent figures who are friendly or hostile.

You can play 'survival' mode: you have to acquire and craft all the things you build from, plus there are adversities you have to cope with, there are mobs that want to kill or hurt you, you can die of hunger, etc. The other mode is 'creative', where mobs can't hurt you, you cannot really die, you have unlimited access to building blocks, you can fly, and a factor not to forget is that your parents don't have to spend a fortune on your passion.

Unlike other digital games games, there are no scores, badges or leaderboards, but there is peer recognition, cooperation among several members of the (international) gamer society, there are stories and achievements (very mich like in real life), there is a sense of agency over what you do, also there is always a smarter, achievable goal. And there are hundreds of YouTubers who are willing to share their knowledge about the how and the what.

By now Lego has made its way to being a generally accepted 'meaningful' game, Minecraft is very similar in this sense. The only negative thing I can note is the fact that it sticks kids to the screen. (Just like Lego sticks them to the carpet, but never mind.) There must be a sensible amount of time spent on anything in life. Including sitting in a classroom and chewing your pencil, looking out of the window and thinking about funny gym ball fail videos.

Another thing that comes along with Minecraft is the community and the subculture.

Gamers cooperate worldwide, what is important for us is the community built around the YouTubers, videobloggers who create gameplay videos.

Minecraft has inspired music, stories, books, visual art, all sorts of videos, a mythology, anything that language teachers can ever build on and squeeze the last drop out of.

What I perceive is that my students, regardless of their age or gender, want to belong to the Minecrafter community. What is more, if you, as a teacher appear to them as one of this community, it may mean trust and sometimes even respect.