When I was young computers were running MS-DOS and couldn’t give me anything better looking than Oregon Trail or Number Munchers. Today’s kids have so many learning possibilities at their finger tips that they can literally look up how to do anything and there will be some kind of tutorial online for them. Gaming has become bigger than ever and with simplistic looking games being sold for millions, like Minecraft, everyone is now trying to learn how to code.
Microsoft and Code.org are teaming up and providing the opportunity to break into coding with Minecraft Hour of Code. This takes the world of Minecraft and uses it as a visual counterpart to a coding tutorial, which is a great step into learning how to create for modern browsers and tablets.
Players will interact with Minecraft characters Steve and Alex in 14 Minecraft-inspired, self-guided challenges, but players are also encouraged to participate in free play time and explore concepts learned through the tutorial. At its core, the experience will be familiar to current players, but also approachable for newcomers interested in learning the basics of coding.