The Minecraft Marketplace is about to get the followup on a serious 1-2 punch that could boost creator’s revenues and downloads through the end of July. The Minecraft Team at Microsoft launched the first Minecraft Summer Sale today. As part of this event, most of the content on the Marketplace is getting a steep discount.

While the Summer Sale may get fans downloading more content this month, last month it was the Nintendo Switch that helped fuel sales. The Minecraft Marketplace had 396,511 downloads in June, which is up from 285,816 in April. With the Marketplace hitting Switch for the first time beginning June 26, it’s likely that Nintendo’s platform contributed significantly to that total. You can see past results by tracking the Minecraft Marketplace sales charts here.

But now that Switch is integrated into the Minecraft platform, developers can focus on making their content and the Summer Sale. Some, like Gamemode One founder Sean Davidson, thinks discounts are exactly what some players are waiting for before they spend their money on Minecraft microtransactions.

“We hope and expect that the Minecraft Summer Sale will increase player accessibility to content and potentially drive increased traffic over the remainder of the year,” said Davidson. “Access to products at a discounted rate is a great way to give players and buyers on the fence a chance to see what the Marketplace has to offer.”

Developer Imagiverse has even spent the last few weeks preparing its Lapis Lagoon waterpark map for the sale (it’s already out). This update will roll out to everyone who owns it, and Imagiverse wants positive word-of-mouth to help it perform well in the sale.

“We focused on making sure Lapis Lagoon was going to give the player the best possible waterpark experience they could have in-game,” a spokesperson for Imagiverse explained in a note to GamesBeat. “Old and new players alike will appreciate the work we put into the map getting it ready for the sale.”

Let’s do the charts. Here are the 10 most downloaded pieces of content from the Minecraft Marketplace for June 2018:

1.) City Life 1. City Life
Here it is in list form:

City Life
Mineville Highschool
Dinosaur Park
Planes
Dinosaur Island
Monsters of the Deep
Wildlife: Savanna
Mutant Battle Arena
Prison Escape
Lucky Block Escape
And here are the 10 highest-grossing pieces of content for June 2018:

10.) Lucky Block Escape 10. Lucky Block Escape
List:

City Life
Dinosaur Park
Planes
Dinosaur Island
Monsters of the Deep
Wildlife: Savanna
Mutant Battle Arena
Mineville Highschool
Super Racers
Lucky Block Escape
Next month, we’ll get to see how the Summer Sale affects the charts. This is a big chance for Marketplace partners, and it could turn into one of the biggest months for the Minecraft store so far.

Read more here: https://venturebeat.com/2018/07/19/june-2018s-top-10-minecraft-marketplace-creations-enter-the-summer-sale/

Berlin music producer and composer C418 dropped a single, “Beton,” from his upcoming album Excursions Thursday.

C418, also known by Daniel Rosenfeld, is perhaps best known for his work on the immensely popular “Minecraft.” Rosenfeld created the score for the PC game, and by its initial release in 2011, he had already built his own discography and self-published it on Bandcamp. His initial offerings “ranged from melodic electronic dance-pop to gentler ambient pieces” according to the press release.

Rosenfeld’s later release, Minecraft Volume Alpha, helped the artist cement his status as a musical talent, as the CD and vinyl releases were well-received by music critics. The Guardian even called his music a “perfect accompaniment” to the game.

Rosenfeld’s new solo album, Excursions, will be the first project he’s releasing as its own work separate from “Minecraft.” Excursions is completely original material, made with a different approach from Rosenfeld’s previous work.
The album won’t release until Sept. 7, 2018, but we do have a track list:
1. Excursions
2. Cold Summer
3. TXL
4. Tingle
5. Beton
6. AMS
7. Thunderbird
8. Aviva
9. Figure 8
10. Fake Triplets
11. Nest
12. Home
You can sample the album by giving Beton a listen over on Soundcloud.
Rosenfeld gave some insight into his creative process while making Excursions.
“All the big loud housey songs came from the idea of ‘I want to create the same song over and over again’,” Rosenfeld said, “Except that I’ve created each one in a different location, or a different mindset. And just purely based on that, they all turned out unique in their own way.”

Read more here: https://variety.com/2018/gaming/news/minecraft-composer-new-album-1202878121/

Video games can help people get through some tough times by providing a distraction from the real world. Games can also bring people closer allowing people to bond of their mutual love of their hobby. Hot Fuzz star Simon Pegg has explained how Minecraft helped him do just that, givinhim bond with his daughter.

Pegg, who has starred in Shaun of the Dead and Mission Impossible: Ghost Protocol, stated in an interview with Radio X that video games are a fantastic way to keep in touch with your kids when you can’t be with them in person. As an actor, Pegg will be away from his family for extended periods of time, so video games help him connect with his daughter whilst he’s away filming.

Whilst doing press for the upcoming Mission Impossible: Fallout, Simon Pegg talked about how he can connect with his daughter through Minecraft whilst he’s away filming.

“Now she’s old enough to play computer games, we play Minecraft together. We’d meet in these games, so we could have a kind of strange physical interaction. We could build a house together! It’s a great way to stay in contact with your kids, if you can get a console when you’re away, mums and dads. It becomes a really good way to spend time with them. That’s what they want to do, rather than inhibit their time on it. But you’ve obviously got to give some time over to reading and learning, or whatever!”

Minecraft is a sandbox building game that launched in 2011 and it took the world by storm. People praised its blocky art style and the ability to create pretty much whatever you want. The game originally released on PC but has since seen releases on consoles and mobiles. Developer Mojang continues to provide frequent support and content to the game.

Minecraft is available now on PS3, PS4, PS Vita, Xbox 360, Xbox One, New Nintendo 3DS, Wii U, Nintendo Switch, and PC. Minecraft: Pocket Edition is available now on Android and iPhone.

Read more here: http://www.gamerevolution.com/news/408889-minecraft-helped-simon-pegg-bond-with-his-daughter

Max Brooks’s Minecraft book The Island was a bestseller last year. Now there’s a second official tie-in novel: Minecraft: The Crash.

Amazon Prime Day deals: see all the best early offers right here.
This action-packed thriller centres on Bianca, who ends up in hospital she and her friend Lonnie are involved in a car crash. Almost paralysed by her injuries, she decides to try a new VR version of Minecraft that responds to her every wish. Teaming up with two kids who are also playing on the hospital server to explore its virtual realm. Is Lonnie in there with her too? And can Bianca help him to return to reality?

Minecraft: The Crash is available to buy in hardback, ebook and audiobook formats now. Thanks to publishers Century we have five copies to give away, plus five signed copies of Minecraft: The Island; five lucky winners will get one of each. To put your name in the hat for the chance to win them, simply answer the question below.

Read more here: https://www.gamesradar.com/win-the-new-minecraft-novel-the-crash/

Robert Louis Stevenson’s 1882 classic Treasure Island tells of Jim Hawkins’ adventures on board the Hispaniola, as he and his crew – along with double-crossing pirate Long John Silver – set out to find Captain Flint’s missing treasure on Skeleton Island.

Now, more than a century later, children can try and find it themselves, with the bays and mountains of Stevenson’s fictional island given a blocky remodelling in the video game Minecraft. It’s part of the new Litcraft project aimed at bringing reluctant readers to literary classics.

From Spyglass Hill to Ben Gunn’s cave, children can explore every nook and cranny of Skeleton Island with Litcraft, a new partnership between Lancaster University and Microsoft, which bought the game for US$2.5 billion in 2015 and which is now played by 74 million people each month.

The Litcraft platform uses Minecraft to create accurate scale models of fictional islands: Treasure Island is the first, with Michael Morpurgo’s Kensuke’s Kingdom just completed and many others planned.

Treasure Island by Robert Louis Stevenson.
While regular Minecraft is rife with literary creations – the whole of George R.R. Martin’s sprawling setting for Game of Thrones, Westeros, has been created in its entirety, as have several different Hogwarts – Litcraft is not all fun and games, being peppered with educational tasks that aim to re-engage reluctant readers with the book it is based on.

The lead researcher, Lancaster University English and Creative Writing Department head professor Sally Bushell, calls it “an educational model that connects the imaginative spatial experience of reading the text to an immersive experience in the game world”.

She says, of the Litcraft Treasure Island: “We hope it will motivate reluctant readers – we can say, ‘We’re going to read the book and then at one point, we’ll go play on the ship’. I would have loved it as a kid. It is an empathetic task – you do what the characters did yourself, so you understand why they act they way they did in the book.”

The Treasure Island map in Minecraft.
The Treasure Island “level” has been extensively road-tested by children such as Dylan, whose school is set to adopt Litcraft in 2019. “It’s really fun,” he says. “I enjoyed it because I’ve read the book, but you have to follow rules in that. In games, you can explore. Now I know exactly what the book looked like.

“I like that you get to see the pictures. You don’t have to make them in your head. And I liked the ship, Ben Gunn’s cave and the parrots. And there was that weird pig that kept jumping off that cliff. That wasn’t in the book!” (“That was a game glitch,” says Bushell).

The project, which is featured on Microsoft’s Minecraft education website, is currently being presented to schoolteachers and librarians across the United Kingdom.

Treasure Island in Minecraft.
Dylan, like many nine-year-olds, enjoys books but is more enthusiastic when talking about Minecraft, which he does with the casual expertise that many children have with their favourite games. He’s already made his own Hunger Games world in Litcraft, but couldn’t get some of his traps to work.

This know-how seems to both frighten and impress less tech-savvy adults – which Bushell hopes will not deter schools from adopting it. “The kids know how to do it more than the teachers do,” she says.

“It inverts the relationship: you’ve got kids who know more than the adults. You need quite confident teachers. They’re more worried about it. I want to say, ‘Don’t be worried, because all your eight-year-olds will know how to do this’.”

Libraries are particularly interested in the possibilities of multiplayer, Bushell says, adding that one of the future projects will be Lord of the Flies: “In that case, you want all the kids in there playing out a scenario and asking philosophical questions. We hope they do some reading, then play the game, then do some empathetic writing based on what they did in there.”

Lord of the Flies cover.
The Kensuke’s Kingdom map, based on Morpurgo’s story of a boy washed up alone, is particularly aimed at engaging reluctant readers.

“The library resources we are putting together include audio and in-game reading and writing as well as graphic novels as a step to the full text,” says Bushell. “The resources are designed to encourage them to either return to or connect with the book through the immersive experience.”

Bushell says more literary Minecraft islands will follow. “Treasure Island is the first world for Minecraft but they anticipate a series. Most likely, the next will be The Swiss Family Robinson, The Tempest and Robinson Crusoe,” Bushell says. A recreation of Dante’s Inferno, with a map for each level of hell, is also in development.

But what book does Dylan hope to see next? “The Hunger Games,” he says with no hesitation. “A proper one.”

Read more here: https://www.scmp.com/culture/books/article/2154945/minecraft-does-treasure-island-game-brings-classic-novels-life-new

Minecraft released it’s most recent update on Tuesday, Update Aquatic Phase Two that lets you explore the oceans at greater depths in the Minecraft universe. The update will be on Windows 10, VR, mobile devices, Xbox One and Nintendo Switch immediately.

Microsoft and Mojang launched the first part of the Update Aquatic back in May, but the second phase adds an extensive list of added features and changes to the gameplay.

Autoplay setting: On
Some features include Sea Turtles now being in the ocean for you to protect their eggs, while underwater zombies who lurk in the deep waters called The Drowned will come up to attack you. Bubble Columns give you the ability to create upward or downward bubbles and Conduits can now be constructed underwater out of Heart of the Sea and Nautilus Shells.

A long list of changes includes themed menu backgrounds, undead mobs walking on the bottom of the ocean, improved player swimming at the surface, tridents can become enchanted with Mending and Unbreaking, skeleton horses can now be ridden underwater, and others.

Autoplay setting: On
A major change in this update is that Realms are now available on Nintendo Switch, giving players the opportunity to use private servers like other

Read more here: http://www.ign.com/articles/2018/07/10/minecraft-launches-update-aquatic-phase-two

Minecraft is a bastion of creative ingenuity. Its player demographic is huge – children, adults, students, architects – and there are people from all walks of life with varying levels of skill and creativity who play this game across a number of gaming platforms. Anything you can think of, you can create.

8 amazing Minecraft creations that will blow your mind
1. Minas Tirith

Six million blocks and 20 hours later, this re-creation of Minas Tirith from Lord of the Rings was born. This project is absolutely enormous, and we cannot help but be wowed by the enormous attention to detail the creator put into it, all on his own.

2. Planet Earth

Even our very own Earth exists in Minecraft, albeit at a 1:1,500 scale. Time, passion, a lot of love and fiddly corners were put into this project which, although not as detailed as Minas Tirith, is impressive in its own right… it’s Earth, after all, and you can explore it in Minecraft!

3. King’s Landing

It was only a matter of time before Game of Thrones met Minecraft – one of the world’s most popular TV shows and one of the world’s most popular games were destined to cross paths at some point.

The project itself is astonishing, created over an eye-watering amount of hours by a team – yes, team – of builders who had to submit an application to join the project… it’s very serious stuff!

4. The Eiffel Tower

Although this design is more simplistic than some of the examples we have already seen, this is an example of the painstaking lengths some Minecraft architects go to, to create some of the world’s most iconic landmarks. It is no easy feat to create curved structures in Minecraft, and the fact that someone has gone ahead and built the Eiffel Tower – a windy, angular nightmare – is brilliant. This build even includes the real towers viewpoints and other intricate details… bonus points!

5. Flame Atronach

Image courtesy of Block_Fortress
Fans of Skyrim will instantly recognise this incredibly detailed re-creation of Flame Atronach. This is not just pixel art, this is a full 3D model of the fantasy character. We can only imagine just how long it took to place all those blocks to create such an amazing level of detail.

6. A 16-bit Computer

Using Minecraft’s answer to circuits, logic, and electricity – redstone – this player created an animated, sound-enhanced and color-coded fully functional 16-bit computer. The sounds, animation, and colors help you visualize the computer in action, and get an idea of just what is going on… sort of.

7. The Shire

This blocky re-creation of George R. R. Martin’s The Shire may not be technically correct (hobbits live in holes, not houses) but this creation is still a beautiful attempt at re-creating Bilbo and Frodo’s home. It is part of a wider ambition to re-create, you guessed it, Middle-Earth, and they seem to be doing rather well!

8. Razul

Razul is an adventure map inspired by Skyrim, and if you’re a huge fan of Bethesda’s monolithic game, you will absolutely be able to make the connection due to the Nordic architecture style and fantasy theme. Like many of the creations featured here, it was built single-handedly.

Read more here: https://en.softonic.com/articles/8-amazing-minecraft-creations-that-will-blow-your-mind

Minecraft is a huge game. After each update, Minecraft’s die-hard fans spend endless hours searching high and low throughout the game to find hidden features or glitches which were not publicly announced, or even intended.

There are many hidden “features” in Minecraft, but we have narrowed it down to eight of our favorites – why not give them a try yourself?

8 cool things you probably did not know you could do on Minecraft
1. Torches can be used to destroy sand and gravel en masse
Sometimes, we want to build stuff in the sky. But to get there, you need to first build a pole up into the sky, so you can then build a platform on top of it. Afterward, you’re left with the task of tearing it down, which can be difficult (and dangerous). Thankfully, there is a neat trick you can use to tear down a platform much quicker.

As you may know, sand and gravel in Minecraft are affected by gravity and cannot float in the sky. This means that if there is a tower of gravel or sand and you remove the bottom block, the rest will fall by one. But if you remove the bottom block very quickly and then place a torch in its place, the gravel or sand will cascade down one by one, each being destroyed when it hits the torch, tearing the tower down.

The next time you need to build a tower up into the sky, make it out of sand (or gravel!).

2. Pressure plates can be used to trap water and lava
Two of the most useful – yet most dangerous and irritating – elements of the game, water and lava, like to spread far and wide when they are placed down, and can quickly get out of control. Just tame them with pressure plates – it’s very simple! You can also use signs and fences.

3. Signs can be used to breathe underwater
I’ve lost count of how many times I have died while mining for clay underwater or just forgetting to watch the breath bar. Now I always carry a sign with me when I go under the waves because it lets you stay down as long as you want. All you need to do is to place a sign down against a block while submerged and it will create a pocket of air – easy!

4. Pumpkins make you invisible to Endermen
The Endermen are quite possibly the most irritating mobs in Minecraft. They are absolutely fine until you accidentally look at them, and then they begin to teleport all over the place and intermittently attack you; they are very powerful, and it is an easy mistake to make. However, if you wear a pumpkin on your head (by going to your inventory and placing a pumpkin in your character’s head slot) and look directly at an Enderman, it will not notice and you will be safe from being attacked!

5. The Shining meets Minecraft
In Minecraft 1.11, the Vindicator mob was added, along with an easter egg reference to the Stanley Kubrick movie The Shining. By using a name-tag called “Johnny” to tag the Vindicator mob, it will wield an ax and attack any mob within its radius – this can be very useful at night when you want to save yourself the trouble of taking care of all the zombies and creepers.

Source: https://qph.ec.quoracdn.net
6. Milk a Mooshroom for Mooshroom soup
Just like cows (which can be milked with a glass bottle), the rare Mooshroom cows can be “milked” using a wooden bowl by right-clicking the cow. Mooshroom soup is a very powerful food item and can immediately fill the health and hunger bar. If you can catch one of these Mooshrooms, it can be an unlimited food source!

7. Create an infinite water source
Water is one of the most useful resources in the entire game. It is used for all sorts of gameplay functions – such as brewing potions – and it is very handy to have an unlimited source right at your fingertips, or even in your house. This is very easy to do, and it takes advantage of the game’s water physics, which fills space around a water source block.

Create a 2×2 box and fill each block with a bucket of water. Then when you take some water from it with an empty bucket, the spot from where you took the water from will immediately fill back up and you can do this over and over, and get all of the water you need.

8. Give your tamed dogs a colorful collar
By using one of the many colored dyes available in-game, you can personalize your tamed dog’s collar. Although it’s not such a useful tip, it can be handy to give all of your dogs’ collars different colors so that they can be easily identified, and it looks pretty nice too. To color a collar, just right-click your dog with the dye equipped in your hand.

Read more here: https://en.softonic.com/articles/8-cool-things-you-probably-did-not-know-you-could-do-on-minecraft

Minecraft is fast approaching ten years of being one of the world’s most popular games, with hundreds of millions of active players across all platforms. It has revolutionized the industry and has turned some of its most talented players into multi-millionaires. It dominates YouTube, is on the shelves of every toy store, and it even has its own Lego range.

Some people play Minecraft because it offers a lot of creative freedom; Minecraft has been used by architects and in schools as an educational tool. For others, it’s the adventure; such a vast world can be explored endlessly and provides hours of entertainment.

If you’re late to the party and have only just bought the game, you might not know where to start. The game drops you into a very vast world, and it can be a very confusing game to get started with. Each world is randomly generated from a string of numbers (known as a seed), so no two worlds are the same. Fortunately, once you’re armed with a few basics and a pickaxe, you’ll learn the ropes in now time. So let’s dive into the basics.

The 2018 beginner’s guide to Minecraft
Crafting
Crafting is central to the game, and is used to make all kinds of different objects from the materials you have. Each item in the game – such as a sword – has its own individual crafting recipe. For example, to make a stone sword, you would craft it like this:

Placing a stick below two pieces of cobblestone would make a stone sword. Swap out the cobblestone for wood, iron, gold or diamond to create different variations, diamond being the strongest and most durable.

Before you start crafting anything, however, you will need to build a crafting table, which is made from four pieces of wood. This is a very simple process and can be done as soon as you step foot into your first world.

How to build a crafting table
Locate a tree and then punch out some wood by holding down left-click.
Press the e key to open your inventory and select the wood, placing it into the four boxes next to your avatar. Four oak wood planks will appear.
Click the oak wood planks and drag them to your inventory. The original piece of wood will disappear because you have turned it into planks.
Then, fill the four boxes where you placed your original piece of wood with the four wood planks. A crafting table will appear.
Drag the crafting table to your hotbar (the single line of boxes) and then exit your inventory. The crafting table will appear in your hotbar and you can select it by scrolling. When it’s selected (i.e. it is in your hand), place it on the floor by right-clicking.
You now have a crafting table, which is a 9×9 area that allows you to craft anything in the game; just right-click the crafting table to use it.

It is important to know how to utilize the crafting feature so you’re ahead of the game when it comes to surviving your first night in Minecraft, because you won’t have long until it’s dark and monsters spawn. Speaking of which…

The first night
Your first night in the game is the hardest because you start with nothing. When you spawn for the first time, the in-game time is noon. You only have a short amount of time (ten minutes) to get a basic shelter together in order to survive. If you don’t build a basic shelter, you’ll spend your first night repeatedly getting mauled by mobs – not fun!

To survive your first night, you’ll need to grab yourself some wood to build a basic shelter and create some wooden tools, then hunt down some coal to make a couple of torches. Mobs (monsters) spawn in the dark; you really don’t want to create a shelter and then have a monster spawn inside it!

What exactly are “mobs”?
“Mobs” is the term used to describe Minecraft’s animals and monsters. Mobs can either be passive (such as sheep or pigs) or aggressive, and there are many different adversaries in the game that have the potential to harm you or destroy your creations.

Over the years, mobs have been a huge focal point for the Minecraft development team, and the number of mobs has virtually doubled. However, the mobs you should pay special attention to while you’re still finding your feet are the aggressive ones that can spawn in the Overworld.

Zombies are quite easy to fight; you just need to keep hitting them. Zombies will come after you if you get within a certain radius of them, and they can beat down doors. They are very slow and aren’t a huge threat, but a group of them can be deadly.

Spiders only attack you at night. These pesky monsters have the ability to climb walls, jump and move fairly quickly, though, like Zombies, they are quite easy to kill… most of the time.

Skeleton Archers are a serious threat even for experienced players. This very irritating monster carries a bow and arrow and has the ability to shoot you with it. As a result, these monsters can do damage to you from a considerable distance, and they are very accurate.

Creepers are perhaps the most widely known and most destructive of mobs in the game, especially when you are just starting out. Creepers explode when you get within a certain radius of them and can decimate small bases. It takes them a couple of seconds to explode, but they will chase after you, so just stay well away!

Endermen are the final mobs you need to worry about in the early stages of your Minecraft life. These tall, dark, and slender mobs may look pretty scary… because they are. Endermen are passive… until you look at them… and then you’re going to die, probably, because they have the ability to teleport away from and then back to you, attacking from a different angle. Just keep as far away from them as possible; you don’t stand a chance as a new player!

Mining
As you have probably guessed by the name “Minecraft,” mining is pretty much the most important aspect of the game. When you’ve survived your first night, have a basic set of tools, and know which nasty monsters to look out for, you’re set to begin delving underground and exploring the world beneath you.

The world extends down below the grass by around 100-130 blocks; it is here where you will find all the best resources, treasures, and loot. You’ll find iron, diamonds, and gold, with which you can create more durable tools; and redstone, which is Minecraft’s answer to electricity and can be used to make circuits.

Naturally occurring iron ore can be mined with a stone pickaxe and smelted into iron bars.
It is best to start mining below your shelter, because then you are safe from monsters and you don’t need to run through the wilderness to get home and risk being attacked by a monster. Don’t dig straight down, though, or you may fall into lava or a chasm.

The best way to mine is to dig in a stairway pattern; that way you avoid falling into deadly pits and have a clear pathway to get back home. No matter what method you use to mine, though, always make sure you have a plentiful supply of torches and food; it is dark underground, which makes it hard to see and is the perfect environment in which monsters can spawn and ruin your day!

It is easy to get lost in mining, and people often spend many hours doing it… it is quite therapeutic, and Minecraft’s ambient music only adds to this. Remain vigilant at all times, because monsters do spawn underground in pre-existing caves and dungeons… in fact, it can be just as dangerous below ground as it is above ground.

Now that you have the basics of Minecraft down, take your gaming to the next level with our guides to how to install Minecraft mods and how to change skins in Minecraft.

Read more here: https://en.softonic.com/articles/the-2018-beginners-guide-to-minecraft

Running your own little Minecraft server can be a very rewarding experience. Over time, you may build up your very own community of loyal players, which has the potential to grow in popularity if you play your cards right and run your server well.

Although it sounds complicated, running your own server isn’t as hard as you’d imagine. You do not need much prior technical knowledge to get going. Just keep in mind, you should know the Minecraft game itself very well if you are going to attempt this!

Running your own server gives you complete creative control, and there are hundreds of modifications out there which extend the multiplayer experience beyond simple, vanilla Minecraft survival; this is what has made Minecraft multiplayer servers so popular among gamers.

How to start your very own Minecraft server
1. Decide on a server theme and then choose a hosting provider
The first step is to decide on a server theme, and there are plenty to choose from: factions, prison, classic survival, and towny, among others. Each gameplay theme brings completely a completely different dynamic to the game, but you probably already have one in mind.

When you’ve settled on a theme, you need to choose a hosting provider. You can set up a server on your computer, but this is not feasible if you want to have a public server online 24/7. In addition, hosting a server on your computer requires a fair amount of technical knowledge, and it is much easier to go with a hosting provider, where setting up a server is as easy as clicking a few buttons. There are plenty of Minecraft hosting providers out there, but let’s use Nitrous Networks – a UK-based company – as an example.

You are free to use any provider, but Nitrous Networks has good ratings and their prices are reasonable.

2. Setting up your server
When you have paid for your server and it has all processed, navigate to your server’s control panel. It will look like this (most hosting providers follow a general layout):

Press Start, and your server console (where all the timestamped messages are) will fire up, preparing your spawn area. This will take around 10 to 20 seconds – you can see it is ready when no new messages appear.

To join your server, navigate to your Minecraft game client and direct connect to your server’s IP address.

That’s it – it really is that simple! Although, your new server will be very plain… it is what is referred to as ‘vanilla Minecraft’, that meaning it is the basic Minecraft game. Although it is possible to run a ‘vanilla’ server, they are not as popular as servers like factions, a player-vs-player game mode.

3. Installing Bukkit or Spigot
We recommend installing a Minecraft developer API mod such as Bukkit or Spigot – the two most popular Minecraft server modifications which provide additional functionality and control to Minecraft servers – allowing you to ‘plug in’ additional Minecraft server modifications (called ‘plugins’, such as Factions or Towny) into your server.

Don’t be intimidated by the jargon, installing these are very simple. In your server’s control panel, navigate to ‘Modpacks’ and choose either Bukkit or Spigot, then press Install. That’s it.

At this stage, it does not make much difference which you choose, but Spigot has additional functionality and is further optimized to support larger servers that pull in hundreds of players.

You do not need to worry too much about what Bukkit or Spigot are; they do very little on their own and are developer tools which expose an API which can be used by developers to add functionality to Minecraft servers. This additional functionality is implemented through plugins (and there are thousands), which can be downloaded freely and added to your server.

4. Making yourself an ‘op’
An ‘op’, short for operator, is an administrator on a Minecraft server. These people have access to additional commands and abilities (for example, such as being able to kick or ban players using /kick or /ban, spawn items using /give, or fly using /fly.)

As a server owner, you will want to make yourself an operator because this is the top-level administrative level you can have on a server. It is recommended that you give operator privileges only to yourself and trusted people because some of the commands can wreak havoc on your server and cause irreparable damage.

To make yourself an op for the first time, navigate to your server control panel and type ‘op [name]’ in the input box, replacing [name] with your Minecraft name.

In future, you can type ‘/op [name]’ within your actual server to make additional people operators. But, for first-time use, it must be done on the console.

5. Installing plugins
Plugins bring your server alive, and there are thousands of them. To get an idea of what plugins are and what they are capable of, we recommend installing some and playing around with them.

With the majority of reputable Minecraft server providers, installing plugins can be done through the control panel. Navigate to ‘Plugins’ and begin reading about some of the different ones available. We are going to install a plugin which displays a message to players who join your server. In the ‘Plugins’ search bar, type ‘welcome message’ and install the very first one.

Press View then Install and wait a few minutes. Then, restart your server by navigating to ‘Manage’ and pressing Restart. Your plugin will now be installed. Before the plugin will work, you will need to configure it. This is very easy, and most plugins have a user-friendly file called ‘config.yml’ which allows you to modify its settings.

To access a plugin’s configuration, navigate to the ‘plugins’ folder under the ‘File Manager’ tab, open the plugin’s unique folder (which is usually the name of the plugin) and then click ‘Edit’ next to ‘config.yml’ and follow the instructions provided by the plugin’s developer. It is very easy, and requires no special knowledge.

6. What next?
There are many possibilities with running a Minecraft server, and the best course of action is to just go with the flow, play around with some plugins and figure everything out as you go – you can only learn to run a server by running one, even if it’s just you who plays it to figure things out!

Some of Minecraft’s bigger servers and server networks pull in thousands of unique players per month, and if you create a community which appeals to the general Minecraft community, you could find yourself building a name for yourself very quickly.

Read more here: https://en.softonic.com/articles/how-to-start-your-very-own-minecraft-server

Sometimes you make a username, and realize that it’s not the one you want. For most sites, this is an easy fix, and Minecraft is no exception. Unfortunately, you can’t do it in the Minecraft program. This can cause a bit of confusion for those who are trying to change it quickly. But no need to fret. Below we’ve detailed the steps you have to take to change your name with speed and ease.

Name change rules
Minecraft doesn’t allow you to change your name again within 30 days of you doing it. So keep that in mind when you are thinking of what you want your name to be. This 30-day rule also applies to new accounts, so you won’t be able to change a new account name for 30 days either.

Changing your name
We just verified that this works: The first thing you’ll have to do is go to the Mojang website here. Click “Log in” in the top right corner, and log in using the email attached to your Minecraft account. Once you’ve logged in, you should see your Minecraft account, and your username. Next to your username is the word “Change” in parenthesis. Click this, pick whatever name you want, and then verify the prompt they give you. After that, you should be all set!

So, it’s launched on Xbox One, but when is the Minecraft Aquatic update PS4 release date? The patch launched on Xbox One, Windows 10 and mobile in mid-May, and phase two of the update release in July. However, we’re still waiting to hear about an Aquatic update release date for PS4.

The new content allows Minecraft players to dive deep into the ocean. You can discover marine life, such as dolphins and fish. Under the sea, players will find treasure chests in shipwrecks and a range of different biomes, alongside 3,000 new additions.

Watch the trailer.

The good news is that owners of the Minecraft PS4 Edition will be getting Update Aquatic. In a statement made on the official blog, Mojang said:

Arriving a little while after the initial launch, players on PlayStation 4 Edition, PlayStation 3, Xbox 360, PS Vita and Wii U will all receive the Update Aquatic.

Minecraft Aquatic Update PS4 Release Date Still Unknown
So, the launch of the significant new addition to the popular sandbox game has already come and gone on various platforms. Now that phase two of the patch has released, we’d expect that the Minecraft Aquatic Update PS4 won’t be too far behind now.

Read more here: https://www.psu.com/news/when-is-minecraft-aquatic-update-ps4-release-date/

Ever wanted to explore Treasure Island or pretend to be Robinson Crusoe? Minecraft is now being used to create an ‘immersive experience’ to engage reluctant readers – we see how it plays out

Minecraft of resources … Litcraft’s Treasure Island. Illustration: Lancaster University
Robert Louis Stevenson’s 1881 classic Treasure Island tells of Jim Hawkins’s adventures on board the Hispaniola, as he and his crew – along with double-crossing pirate Long John Silver – set out to find Captain Flint’s missing treasure on Skeleton Island. Now, more than a century later, children can try and find it themselves, with the bays and mountains of Stevenson’s fictional island given a blocky remodelling in Minecraft, as part of a new project aimed at bringing reluctant readers to literary classics.

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From Spyglass Hill to Ben Gunn’s cave, children can explore every nook and cranny of Skeleton Island as part of Litcraft, a new partnership between Lancaster University and Microsoft, which bought the game for $2.5bn (£1.9bn) in 2015 and which is now played by 74 million people each month. The Litcraft platform uses Minecraft to create accurate scale models of fictional islands: Treasure Island is the first, with Michael Morpurgo’s Kensuke’s Kingdom just completed and many others planned.

While regular Minecraft is rife with literary creations – the whole of George RR Martin’s sprawling setting for Game of Thrones, Westeros, has been created in its entirety, as have several different Hogwarts – Litcraft is not all fun and games, being peppered with educational tasks that aim to re-engage reluctant readers with the book it is based on. Lead researcher and head of Lancaster University’s English and creative writing department, Professor Sally Bushell, calls it “an educational model that connects the imaginative spatial experience of reading the text to an immersive experience in the game world”.

An example of Minecraft’s flexibility – users have recreated entire literary worlds, like JK Rowling’s Hogwarts.
She says, of the Litcraft Treasure Island: “We hope it will motivate reluctant readers – we can say, ‘We’re going to read the book and then at one point, we’ll go play on the ship.’ I would have loved it as a kid. It is an empathetic task – you do what the characters did yourself, so you understand why they act they way they did in the book.”

The Treasure Island “level” has been extensively road-tested by children such as Dylan, whose school is set to adopt Litcraft in 2019. “It’s really fun,” he says. “I enjoyed it because I’ve read the book, but you have to follow rules in that. In games, you can explore. Now I know exactly what the book looked like.”

What did he like most? “I like that you get to see the pictures. You don’t have to make them in your head. And I liked the ship, Ben Gunn’s cave and the parrots. And there was that weird pig that kept jumping off that cliff. That wasn’t in the book!” (“That was a game glitch,” says Bushell).

The kids know how to use Minecraft more than the teachers do. It inverts the relationship
Sally Bushell, Lancaster University
The project, which is featured on , is currently being presented to school teachers and librarians across the UK. There has been “an enthusiastic response” to the trials under way in local schools, with plans to roll Litcraft out to libraries in Lancashire and Leeds from October 2018.

Dylan, like many nine-year-olds, enjoys books but is more enthusiastic when talking about Minecraft, which he does with the casual expertise that many children have with their favourite games. He’s already made his own Hunger Games world in Minecraft at home, but couldn’t get some of his traps to work.

This know-how seems to both frighten and impress less tech-savvy adults – which Bushell hopes will not deter schools from adopting it. “The kids know how to do it more than the teachers do,” she says. “It inverts the relationship: you’ve got kids who know more than the adults. You need quite confident teachers. They’re more worried about it. I want to say, ‘Don’t be worried, because all your eight-year-olds will know how to do this.’”

Libraries are particularly interested in the possibilities of multiplayer, Bushell says, adding that one of the future projects will be Lord of the Flies: “In that case, you want all the kids in there playing out a scenario and asking philosophical questions. We hope they do some reading, then play the game, then do some empathetic writing based on what they did in there.”

The Kensuke’s Kingdom map, based on Morpurgo’s story of a boy washed up alone, is particularly aimed at engaging reluctant readers and has just been completed. “The library resources we are putting together include audio and in-game reading and writing as well as graphic novels as a step to the full text,” said Bushell. “The resources are designed to encourage them to either return to or connect with the book through the immersive experience.”

Bushell said more literary Minecraft islands will follow. “Treasure Island is the first world for Minecraft.edu but they anticipate a series – most likely, the next will be The Swiss Family Robinson, The Tempest and Robinson Crusoe,” Bushell says. A recreation of Dante’s Inferno, with a map for each level of hell, is also in development.

But what book does Dylan hope to see next? “The Hunger Games,” he says with no hesitation. “A proper one.”

Read more here: https://www.theguardian.com/books/2018/jul/11/how-minecraft-is-helping-kids-fall-in-love-with-books

Over the past two decades, the Mission: Impossible film franchise has become the reliable, comforting home that’s always ready to shelter Tom Cruise. No matter what turns his career takes, there’s always Ethan Hunt: the dogged Impossible Missions Force operative who always gives 110 percent, perpetually putting himself at risk to secure other people’s safety.

In a different era, Hunt would serve as a sort of Platonic action-hero ideal, and there wouldn’t be any need to dig past the archetype itself. But there’s been an interesting wrinkle in the franchise, starting with Brad Bird’s 2011 take, Mission: Impossible – Ghost Protocol. Hunt has had to face the notion of consequences — and not just the usual ones, where if he fails, some madman might blow up the world. Now, Hunt is facing personal consequences for his actions, as he has to leave behind his wife Julia (Michelle Monaghan) because he can’t sustain a relationship while perpetually globetrotting to save the world.

Christopher McQuarrie’s Mission: Impossible – Fallout builds that core idea into an entire film. Or at least it builds that core idea into a frame for jaw-dropping setpieces and brain-numbing plot twists. The result doesn’t just feel like the sixth installment in a long-running series, it feels like an authentic sequel to 2015’s Rogue Nation, bringing back many of the key characters and storylines to explore whether the ideals of a character like Ethan Hunt even make sense in the modern world. And it explores those ideas while telling an audacious, exhilarating story.

Fallout begins with a new IMF mission: after Hunt captured Solomon Lane (Sean Harris) in Rogue Nation, Lane’s criminal cohorts have reorganized under the name The Apostles, and are trying to obtain some missing plutonium. They hope to create order from the chaos of the world by inflicting massive harm through a series of attacks, and forcing countries to work together as the old world order falls. Hunt puts together a mission to buy the plutonium before The Apostles can get their hands on it, enlisting his usual cohorts: Luther Stickell (Ving Rhames, still the master of deadpan reactions) and Benji Dunn (Simon Pegg).

When things go awry, Hunt suddenly faces a choice: save Stickell, or protect the plutonium. The conflict clearly lays out the central conundrum in Hunt’s character, but IMF director Alan Hunley (Alec Baldwin) spells it out for the audience anyway: Hunt’s inability to prioritize the greater good over a single life may make people see him as a hero, but can also lead to the world becoming much more dangerous.

THE SAME CHARACTER TRAITS THAT MAKE HUNT A HERO MAY ALSO LEAD TO THE WORLD BECOMING MUCH MORE DANGEROUS.
With the CIA no longer confident in Hunt’s abilities, agent August Walker (Henry Cavill) is assigned to team up with Hunt to get the plutonium back. That sounds like a lot of setup, but it isn’t even Fallout’s first act. The movie is packed with plot reversals, and new characters arrive at every turn. The Crown’s Vanessa Kirby shows up as the White Widow, an arms broker who can help Hunt procure the missing plutonium. Angela Bassett plays no-nonsense CIA head Erica Sloan. Harris’ Solomon Lane returns as a key figure, and so does Ilsa Faust (Rebecca Ferguson), the MI6 agent who infiltrated Lane’s network in Rogue Nation. All of this is a lot for audiences to keep track of, and at a certain point, there are so many plot micro-turns that it becomes easier to stop trying to make sense of it all, and let the story wash by on the way to the next action sequence.

Photo: Paramount Pictures
That’s where the film really makes a statement, because Mission: Impossible – Fallout merges the franchise’s big-budget spectacle with an utterly ferocious style of action filmmaking that far surpasses what McQuarrie executed in either Rogue Nation or Jack Reacher. It’s filled with gasp-inducing motorcycle chases, kinetic car sequences, and bruising, brutal combat. When called into action, Cavill’s Walker is so savage a fighter that he’s hard to watch at times, whether he’s landing pummeling body blows or bashing his opponents into a bathroom sink. Many of the action beats just feel meaner than the industry standard, whether it’s Hunt taking a bruising tumble across pavement after being thrown from his motorcycle, or the relentless, violent gunplay that peppers so many scenes.

MERGES THE FRANCHISE’S BIG-BUDGET SPECTACLE WITH AN UTTERLY FEROCIOUS STYLE OF ACTION FILMMAKING
It sometimes feels like Fallout is more action reel than movie. The fight sequences are arresting, but they stretch out at such length that they can’t always maintain energy. What makes them constantly watchable, however, is the sheer variety — McQuarrie stages so many different kinds of action sequences in so many different locales that Fallout begins to feel like a James Bond film. The gorgeous IMAX visuals help as well. McQuarrie and cinematographer Rob Hardy pop into the immersive, 1.90:1 IMAX aspect ratio throughout the film, and the footage they capture with the IMAX cameras is stunning, particularly during a climactic helicopter chase above the snowy mountains of Kashmir.

Those IMAX cameras are particularly effective in capturing the sheer audacity of Cruise’s stunts. He’s made a personal trademark out of performing his own film stunts as often as possible, especially in the Mission: Impossible series. The actor famously broke his ankle during the filming of Fallout, and yes, the shot where he sustained the injury is in the finished film. (The Graham Norton Show featured a more gruesome breakdown earlier in 2018.) Cruise’s dedication is surprising, but his commitment to the role makes him almost too grounded of a character, which causes a sense of discordance in the later scenes, where the movie pushes into nearly comical levels of spectacle.

Photo: Paramount Pictures
But no matter how ridiculous the action sequences become, the dedication to that core idea ultimately elevates the film. At one point, Lane warns Hunt that eventually evil will triumph, and the bloodshed that follows will be a result of Hunt’s inability to modulate his worldview — “the fallout of all your good intentions.” Other action films have similarly explored the idea that holding onto an ethos isn’t expedient for a hero — perhaps most notably in Daniel Craig’s take on James Bond. But reframing an American action hero, particularly one played by Cruise, as too heroic to be effective gives the idea a different sense of weight. As a performer, Cruise is known for his steadfast dedication to his work projects. With the more controversial aspects of his public persona, he’s known for his intense devotion to his personal religious beliefs. And as an actor, he’s built a career largely on the idea of being the all-American action star. Fallout channels all of that, using both his performance and everything audiences think they know about Tom Cruise to its benefit. It builds a portrait of a man who’s so resolute in his own beliefs that he pushes people away — even the ones he loves most.

But Fallout is still a Tom Cruise movie, so while the movie shockingly follows through with the implications of its main theme, it nevertheless tees up events so that by the end, all feels right with the world. The door is left wide open for another entry in the series, should everyone involved (plus Cruise’s ankle) think they’re up for another go-round. But should this end up as the series’ final entry, it’s hard to imagine a better, more fitting end than Mission: Impossible – Fallout. It’s hilarious and thrilling. It acknowledges that single-minded devotion is what lets characters like Hunt do what they do, while also admitting it would make them incapable of adapting to any kind of normal life. And it’s the ultimate on-screen expression of Cruise’s own personal dedication to stunstmanship at all costs. In many ways, Fallout feels like a movie about Tom Cruise himself, with a clear message to bring across: he’s a complicated celebrity figure, but he’s still a pretty damn good movie star.

Read more here: https://www.theverge.com/2018/7/12/17566014/mission-impossible-fallout-review-tom-cruise

The history of Hollywood is littered with film projects that waste away in “development hell” for years, or worse, are abandoned altogether, leaving movie-goers to wonder “what if?” Titles like Alejandro Jodorowsky’s ambitious Dune project or Nicholas Cage’s Superman Lives tease an alternate past in which a very different set of films hit theaters. One notable project that dangled in front of fans was the sequel to James Cameron’s Aliens, Alien 3. Initially, the film’s producers approached Neuromancer author William Gibson to write the script; he produced one, but ultimately it never saw the light of day.

Comic Book Resources revealed that Dark Horse Comics will release a comic series starting in November based on Gibson’s screenplay, adapted by Johnnie Christmas, who’ll handle both adapting the script and the art. Dark Horse already has the license for the franchise, and it’s done similar projects in the past, like its adaptation of George Lucas’ first draft of Star Wars, so it’s a natural fit for the publisher.

Image: Dark Horse Comics
Gibson’s script picks up following the events of Aliens, when the USS Sulaco — carrying Ripley, Hicks, Newt, and the remains of Bishop — strays into a Soviet Union-like territory called the Union of Progressive Peoples. Its soldiers board the ship and are attacked by a facehugger, before departing for a space station called Anchorpoint, which is later overrun by the aliens.

But producers weren’t satisfied with the script, and when Gibson wasn’t able to find the time for the requested re-writes, the project went to a variety of other writers; when filming started in 1991, it did so without a completed script. Had Gibson’s original script been filmed, the franchise would likely have taken quite a different turn. Instead, fans got David Fincher’s ALIEN³, the director’s 145-minute major-feature debut that polarized critics and audiences alike. (The director later famously disowned the film.) A fourth installment, Alien Resurrection, also disappointed audiences. A fifth sequel was planned, but never filmed, and 20th Century Fox eventually produced two Alien vs. Predator films (adaptations of Dark Horse’s crossover series), before the franchise went on ice for years, until Ridley Scott returned to the franchise with Prometheus and Alien: Covenant.

Gibson’s original script has floated around the internet for years, so the contents of the story won’t be a surprise to dedicated Alien fans, but its publication will nevertheless bring the story to life for a new audience. If it sells well, maybe we’ll get to see the unfilmed Aliens sequel that Neill Blomkamp wanted to make.

Read more here: https://www.theverge.com/2018/7/12/17565326/william-gibson-alien-3-unfilmed-script-dark-horse-comics-adaptation

A film starring Scarlett Johansson’s Marvel Cinematic Universe character has been rumored for the past few years, but that rumor now seems much closer to reality. Cate Shortland (Lore, Berlin Syndrome) has signed on to direct the long-overdue film, according to The Hollywood Reporter.

Earlier this year, Marvel hired screenwriter Jac Schaeffer to write the script, which is reportedly set before the events of the first Avengers film. THR says Marvel has met with “70 or 75 directors in order to find its ideal candidate,” and that hiring a woman to direct was a priority, with Johansson personally advocating for Shortland.

Johansson’s Black Widow was first introduced to the MCU in 2010’s Iron Man 2, and she has since appeared in The Avengers, Captain America: Winter Soldier, Avengers: Age of Ultron, Captain America: Civil War, and Avengers: Infinity War. She’s expected to feature in the as-yet-untitled Avengers 4 as well. But in spite of her central role in the franchise, the absence of a standalone film is glaring. Her male counterparts — Iron Man (Robert Downey Jr.), Hulk (Edward Norton), Thor (Chris Hemsworth), Captain America (Chris Evans), and Spider-Man (Tom Holland) — have each gotten standalone film treatments over the franchise’s 10-year history, with most of them headlining at least three films.

Marvel’s first female-led film will hit theaters next year: Captain Marvel, starring Brie Larson and directed by Anna Boden and Ryan Fleck. The film got a prominent tease in a post-credits scene for Avengers: Infinity War, and it just finished shooting a few days ago, so it’ll certainly beat Black Widow to screens.

Besides, there’s no release date attached to the Black Widow film yet. But with Marvel’s Phase 3 ending with Captain Marvel and Avengers 4, it’s safe to say that it’ll be part of Marvel’s Phase 4, along with Spider-Man: Far From Home, Guardians of the Galaxy 3, Black Panther 2, and other projects that are currently in the works. The Phase 4 films are expected to begin hitting theaters in 2019.

Read more here: https://www.theverge.com/2018/7/12/17566338/marvel-cinematic-universe-black-widow-cate-shortland-director-scarlett-johansson

As usual, those atending San Diego Comic-Con next week will want to make sure to pay a visit to the Marvel booth, which will be packed with plenty to see and do. That includes the chance to get ahold of a ton of exclusive Marvel merchandise, such as comic book variants, t-shirts, pins, and more!

There will be two special SDCC exclusive variant cover comics available, including the COSMIC GHOST RIDER #1 J. SCOTT CAMPBELL GLOW-IN-THE-DARK VARIANT ($25) and THE LIFE OF CAPTAIN MARVEL #1 PUTRI VARIANT.

Cosmic Ghost Rider #1 SDCC Exclusive
The Life of Captain Marvel SDCC Exclusive
Pin collectors will be very excited by what is available at the Marvel booth with the amazing 2018 line of Marvel Skottie Young pins, including a Fantastic Four Pin Set available for $25. Below are all of the pins, including sets focused on the Avengers, X-Men and villains!

Marvel San Diego Comic-Con 2018 Exclusives
There’s also a couple of different hats, including a Wakanda Forever Dad Hat for $30, plus an Infinity Stone 6-Piece Tumblr Set, a Hallmark Doctor Strange 8-Bit Ornament, the “Marvel’s Runaways” Soundtrack On Vinyl, and a Marvel Character Heads Lanyard.

Marvel San Diego Comic-Con 2018 Exclusives
And of course, there are plenty of the ever-popular Marvel shirts – more than two dozen, in fact! You can get a look at all of them at the bottom of the page! You can also click over to our Marvel SDCC Merch page to get more looks at the items you’ll find in San Diego soon.

All of the Marvel exclusive items will be available at the Marvel booth, Booth #2329, from Wednesday 7/18 (Preview Night) – Sunday 7/22. Quantities are limited.

For more exciting Marvel highlights and news during SDCC 2018, tune in to the Marvel livestream at marvel.com starting Thursday, July 19. Join the conversation using #MarvelSDCC.

Read more here: https://www.marvel.com/articles/culture-lifestyle/marvel-san-diego-comic-con-exclusives-sdcc

Last year Microsoft rolled out the Minecraft Better Together update – one of its most substantial yet with a reworked engine, cross-platform multiplayer, and the Minecraft Marketplace. Minecraft’s Nintendo Switch version just saw the update one year late, bringing long-awaited unification between several platforms. This allows Xbox One and Nintendo Switch players can play together too, joining a growing library pushing cross-play between the duo.

Continue for a breakdown on using cross-play between Xbox One and Nintendo Switch versions of Minecraft.

See Minecraft for Xbox One at Amazon See Minecraft for Switch at Amazon

Setting up Minecraft cross-play for Xbox One

Preparing cross-play on Xbox One is straightforward, thanks to relaxed content restrictions over other platforms. And with direct Xbox Live integration on the console, you’ll be ready to go after installing the game. Xbox One users should ensure “Minecraft” is used, rather than the incompatible “Minecraft: Xbox One Edition.”

Open the Microsoft Store on Xbox One.
Select the Search title.
Type Minecraft.
Select Minecraft from the available titles.
Download Minecraft. This will be a free download for existing Minecraft: Xbox One Edition owners. For new buyers, the game is priced at $19.99.
Open Minecraft.
After completing the above steps, your Xbox One is primed for Minecraft cross-play with other systems.

Setting up Minecraft cross-play for Nintendo Switch

Cross-play on Nintendo Switch brings a few additional hurdles to overcome, due to limitations of the console. Without native Xbox Live integration, you’ll need to sign into a Microsoft account. Furthermore, the lack of an integrated browser means you’ll need help from a mobile or PC. Like the Xbox version, Nintendo Switch users should ensure “Minecraft” is installed, rather than the incompatible “Minecraft: Nintendo Switch Edition.”

Open the Nintendo eShop.
Navigate to the Search tab.
Search for Minecraft.
Select Minecraft from the available titles.
Download Minecraft. This will be a free download for existing Minecraft: Nintendo Switch Edition owners. For new buyers, the game is priced at $29.99.

Open Minecraft.
Select Sign In For Free when prompted to sign into your Microsoft account.
Navigate to https://aka.ms/remoteconnect on your PC or mobile.

Enter the unique code displayed on-screen.
Sign into your Microsoft account. A confirmation screen will be displayed. Your Xbox Live profile will appear on your Nintendo Switch shortly after.
Select Let’s Play to complete the process.
Minecraft is now linked to Xbox Live and ready for cross-play with other systems.

How to create Minecraft cross-play games

The process to create cross-play sessions is the same as any other Minecraft multiplayer game – set up your world and you’re ready to go. For those with an existing Minecraft Realm from other platforms, these steps can be ignored.

Select Play from the main menu.
Choose Create New under the Worlds tab.
Select Create New World to start a fresh game.
Navigate to the Multiplayer subsection.
Check multiplayer is enabled.
Select Create once you’re ready to play
Your Minecraft world will now start and be open to other players.

How to join Minecraft cross-play games

Using Minecraft’s Friends tab is a quick way to see active games and join sessions. Navigating to this section will breakdown which online games are joinable across compatible platforms.

Select Play from the main menu.
Press RB to access to Friends tab on Xbox One. Press R to access to Friends tab on Nintendo Switch.
Select an active game to join.
On Xbox One, games will be split between joinable friends and joinable Realms. On Nintendo Switch, games are sorted by Nintendo Switch friends, Xbox Live cross-platform friends, and joinable Realms.

Over to you
If you’re yet to jump into the world of Minecraft, make sure to check out our ultimate guide for a full breakdown of mechanics. The game is available on both Xbox One and Nintendo Switch, priced at $19.99 and $29.99 respectively.

Read more here: https://www.windowscentral.com/minecraft-cross-play-guide

A generation of influencers and entertainers have emerged in the digital age. Joyce Fegan profiles Jack Septic Eye, Little Kelly and some of the other young stars who’ve tapped into the lucrative new world.

1) Jack Septic Eye

Worth more than €2m at only 28 years of age, Sean William McLoughlin is Ireland’s number one YouTuber.

Operating under his alter ego, Jack Septic Eye, Google which owns YouTube, lists the Athlone man as Ireland’s most popular YouTuber.

He posts about video games, as well as uploading videos of comic sketches, including a recent one where he makes pizza out of playdough. This video amassed 810,000 views after just one day online.

Overall, he has 19.1m subscribers to his JackSepticEye channel. His total views stands at a staggering 9,503,190,109. Views for his videos in general usually average out at around 1m or 2m, with one recently reaching 7.3m views, as it starred actor Ryan Reynolds.

He is popular on social media too, with 5.6m followers on Instagram and 4.68m fans on Twitter.

While he had been busy building his platform from 2012, and getting more serious in 2013, it was not until last year that he came to national prominence when he was interviewed for RTÉ documentary, Ireland’s Rich List, where his net worth was listed at €2.5m. He also found himself on Ireland’s 30 under 30 rich list. The Athlone gamer’s Twitter bio states: “Dreams absolutely come true but they take time, dedication and patience.”

2) Daithí De Nogla

This 26-year-old Limerick man recently filed accounts showing his company had an income of more than €1m. YouTube officially lists him as having the second most popular channel in Ireland. David Nagle, his real name, posts mostly video game tutorials.

On YouTube, he has just reached 6m subscribers, having started out in the online world in 2012. In total, all of his videos have amassed 929,963,502 views. One day after posting, a video of his can have as many as 327,000 views, while views for all of his uploads averages out at about 200,000 to 400,000. He is also massively popular on Instagram, with 1.8m followers.

While his company cracked the €1m, he has said he is not that interested in money. Accounts show that he pays himself a wage of €33,800 a year, as that is what he needs to live on. He also bought himself a bungalow “in the middle of nowhere” but admitted that it has “good fibre optic connections.”

The Limerick man had been studying Early Childhood Care and Education in the Institute of Technology Tralee, before dropping out to pursue his YouTube channel full-time.

3) Scott and Ryan Fitzsimons

Twin brothers Scott and Ryan Fitzsimons run the YouTube channel Tiny Turtle & Little Lizard, where they chart their Minecraft adventures. Minecraft is a creative video game where players can build virtual worlds using blocks.

The millionaire brothers have 3,688,311 subscribers to their channel. Accounts for the 27-year-old identical twins shows they paid themselves €4.1m between 2015 and 2017. Originally from Co Meath, in 2016, the pair shared a pay-pot of €2.215m million — or €1.1m each.

The joined the video-sharing platform in 2012 and so far their videos have been viewed 2,207,617,369 times. Their videos have an average of around 100,000 views each with some amassing as many as 500,000 views.

The brothers also run an Instagram page alongside their channel which has almost 300,000 followers. On it, they share photographs of trips to the British Virgin Islands and the Caribbean. There is also a recent photo of one of the brothers test-driving a Ferrari.

Back in 2014, just two years after the brothers uploaded their first video, Scott described their endeavour as “just a hobby” in the beginning and outlined their hopes for the channel.

“We played it, we enjoyed uploading it and some of the stuff clicked more and people started enjoying it. You could easily notice what people wanted to watch rather than just what you wanted to play so if you got a good combination of both.”

The twins’ younger sister Kelly is also a YouTube star with her own Minecraft channel.

4) Brian Hanby

In fourth spot is Terroriser, real name Brian Hanby, with 2,582,021 subscribers to his gaming channel. The 29-year-old Dubliner also has his own line of merchandise to accompany his online brand.

His gaming videos average out at having around 200,000 to 300,000 views each and overall his channel has had 234,796,504 views since he started it in college. The gamer is also popular on social media, where he has almost 1m followers on Instagram and 994,000 on Twitter.

His previous employment included working for Subway covering the festival circuit for them and also baking bread in Sandyford Industrial Estate.

“I used to work in Subway,” he says. “I used to hate my job. It was a lot of stress. I did all the Subways for Electric Picnic and Oxegen one year. I worked in the Sandyford Industrial Estate baking bread for a whole summer. I’ve worked shitty jobs for so long, it’s nice to be doing what I love now. I’m grateful.”

While Brian dropped out of his original course in Dublin Institute of Technology, he did return to education.

5) Kelly Fitzsimons

At age 22, Kelly Fitzsimons already has €60,000 in her pension fund and, over the last two years, she has earned more than €850,000 from your YouTube channel, Little Kelly Minecraft.

Her creative video channel has more than 2.5m subscribers at present after she join the platform just under three years ago. From Ashbourne, Co Meath, Kelly is one of the highest earning people in their 20s in Ireland and paid herself almost €350,000 last year.

Her older brothers, Scott and Ryan Fitzsimons, are behind the popular YouTube channel, Little Lizard & Tiny Turtle, which also creates Minecraft videos.

Since she went live at the end of June 2015, her videos have amassed a total of 1,350,303,587 views. Some of her most popular videos have as many as 1m and 2.3m views each. She also runs several other channels, including a vlog about her life with her fiancé David.

The YouTube star has also been outspoken about abuse online, creating videos about bullying and posting reassuring content about how to deal with such behaviour on her Instagram page. Her Instagram account boasts more than 300,000 followers alone and it charts her personal life, which includes life in Ireland and travelling for work.

6) Chris O’Neill

At age 28, Chris O’Neill’s channel OneyNG is the sixth spot from the top. He is the first non-gamer to make it on to the list. Instead of video games, the Wexford man has been busy creating animated cartoons for the last number of years.

Some of his animation cartoons have had 27m views, 30m views and even 42m views. In total, all of the videos on his animation channel have had 444,285,568 views.

The 28-year-old YouTuber, while not very active on his OneyNG channel at the moment, currently has 2.1m subscribers.

More recently, he has been uploading gaming videos to another channel called OneyPlays.

This channel while not at the top of the list has 537,620 subscribers of its own. Many of the videos on there receive up to 300,000 views each.

The Wexford YouTuber started out online in his late teens and has said that he makes “a good living out of it”. He described the life of a YouTuber as “pretty good” and that “it all pays for itself”. While his net worth is not known, nor how much he takes home as a salary, he has been busy travelling the world for conventions and talks within the industry.

7) Carina Elliott

From nurse to YouTube Minecraft star, Carina Elliott runs her own YouTube channel, Little Carly Minecraft. Having only joined the platform in August 2015, her channel now has 1,377,248 subscribers.

In total her videos have been viewed a total of 581,744,084 times.

Originally from Swords in Co Dublin, she plays the long-lost sister of Little Kelly Minecraft (Kelly Fitzsimons) online, even though the two are not related in real life.

Some of her Minecraft videos have 2.3m views on YouTube. She has recently created a new YouTube channel, Little Carly Plays, which currently has more than 30,000 subscribers, with all of the videos on the new venture having a total of 1,528,768 views.

Meanwhile on Instagram, the YouTube star has 254,000 followers. Similarly to Kelly Fitzsimons, Carina has spoken out about mental health and bullying.

In a recent post called ‘Talking Makes us Stronger’, the online entertainer said: “Talking to a friend, family member, teacher or grandparent can be extremely helpful in these [bullying] situations.”

Carina married Kodaline drummer Vinny May in 2017, after the pair had been dating for several years. The pair got engaged in New York in 2014.

8) Vlad Mare

Limerick teenager Vlade Mare runs the successful YouTube channel VladTeeVee. He currently has 1,263,633 subscribers to his channel.

The 19-year-old was born in Romania and moved to Ireland at a very young age. Since joining the video sharing platform in July 2015, his videos have been viewed a total of 151,594,926 times.

He says he uploads “videos everyday based around the newest trending topics such as top 10s, top 5s and 5-minute crafts”.

More specifically, the teenager has posted videos about the latest online trend, such as the Laurel and Yanny audio trick that went viral last month.

A video posted seven months ago, called ‘Don’t Judge Challenge Compilation Reaction’, has had 1,196,129 views.

9) Stephanie Lange

Stephanie Lange is the first non-gaming woman to enter the list. The vlogger is a professional make-up artist, so as well as posting video tutorials about make-up, she uploads content about her day-to-day life, including her struggles with anxiety.

Stephanie currently has 1.2m subscribers to her channel. Overall, her videos have been viewed 124,631,037 times on YouTube.

The Irish-based, Australian-born vlogger has had several of her videos go viral. One called ‘Foundation Dos and Don’ts’ has amassed 3.2m views, while one titled ‘Why I hide my ugly face behind make-up’ has had 888,128 views. Other popular videos include one about eyebrow hacks and about make-up for your face when you have just woken up.

The 30-year-old vlogger also posts advice videos following on from questions her fans have sent in. She has covered topics such as infidelity.

Stephanie started out posting videos in January 2013 and she is now repped by former model Andrea Roche which runs a model and influencer agency. The vlogger is also a hit on Instagram with 182,000 followers. Her exact earnings from the channel are not known but it is understood that it is her main source of income.

10) Brian McManus

Brian McManus runs Real Engineering, which has 1,105,637 subscribers and counting.

Having joined YouTube in September 2013, his videos have been viewed a total of 55,312,233 times. The 28-year-old engineer from Galway quit his job in the oil industry in 2016 to focus on online content creation. It is estimated that he earns approximately €80,000 from his online channel.

Recent videos include ‘How to solve the housing crisis’. This video alone has been viewed 349,000 times since it was uploaded one week ago. A video he put up three months ago about the ‘Truth of wireless charging’ has been viewed 1.2m times.

Surpassing 1m views per video is a common occurrence for the engineer. Brian narrates each of his videos and attracts sponsors such as such as Skill Share. Having worked as a porter in a Galway hotel just eight years ago, he now runs Junto Media Ltd, which is described as a “production studio that specialises in the creation of entertaining and informative content for a growing online audience”.

11) Sinead Cady

Cork-based vlogger Sinead Cady takes 11th spot on the YouTube list. The make-up artist is solely a beauty vlogger and her channel, the Make-up Chair, boasts 1m subscribers on YouTube.

In total, her make-up tutorial videos have amassed 127,479,233 views since her channel began in 2010. She is also popular on social media, with 50,000 followers on Instagram and 60,000 on Facebook.

One video in particular has gone viral, where she demonstrates a beginners eye make-up tutorial. So far it has had 12m views. While her earnings from the channel is not known, she previously told the Irish Examiner that she did not start out with a business venture in mind.

“I didn’t set out to create a business. I actually only started to get into studying makeup but it’s my full-time job now,” she says.

While the channel is now her full-time work, it has not been without its challenges as she had met ‘trolls’ online.

“You can’t control what is said online,” she says. “People make up stories about you and post things that can hurt deeply. When people make assumptions about you without even knowing you, that’s hard to deal with. I’ve learnt to be pretty private now, but I have met amazing people through YouTube; they make it worth it.”

12) David May

Engaged to Little Kelly Minecraft, aka Kelly Fitzsimons, David May co-runs YouTube channel Sharky & Scuba Steve. His channel currently has 954,628 subscribers.

It is part of the Little Club family, the Minecraft empire created by Kelly’s older brothers Scott and Ryan, who feature in third place on this list. The Little Club family has a host of characters in the Minecraft world it has created.

David’s own channel has been active since July 2015. His videos have amassed a total of 424,768,562 views in that time. One of his videos from 2017, has been viewed 2,849,438 times.

Sharky & Scuba Steve is just one of his online endeavours. Last February, he and Kelly set up their own channel, Kelly and David Vlogs. So far it has nearly 30,000 subscribers, having only posted three videos.

One of which is of their new adventure, where the young couple chart their move from Ireland to a different country, which they have not revealed. David said they moved in January in a “last-minute” decision and because they wanted a change of “routine.”

In a recent media interview the YouTube star described the running of the online channel as “demanding job” because of the length of time spent indoors.

“It’s a very demanding job. An average office day can be 12 or 14 hours and that can be a half day sometimes depending on the days you do,” says David.

13) Adam Beales

At only 18 years of age, this head boy from St Columb’s College in Derry has literally just finished school, but his YouTube channel, TheNewAdamb99 is already closing in on 1m subscribers.

Officially, he has 949,072 subscribers to his channel, which hosts videos of pranks and regularly stars his little brother Calum.

Based in Co Derry, Adam has also brought out his own range of merchandise, which includes hoodies and T-shirts, as well pop-sockets to attach to the back of smartphones. All of the merchandise is branded with his channel’s logo.

So far, his videos have been viewed a total of 85,796,811 times.

They include single videos of him driving through a carwash for the first time and spray painting his white runners pink and blue. A video of him pranking his little brother, pretending to be the police, has been viewed more than 600,000 times.

In another business move, he has just opened his channel up to “sponsors” where people can pay £4.99 a month for access to exclusive live streamed videos. He films all of his videos and edits them from his bedroom in his parents house. He taught himself how to shoot and edit video.

While his earnings are unknown, he has made a video about his net worth where he Googles himself to see wha the media has been writing about him. One source suggested the 18-year-old was earning around €80,000 a year, a suggestion Adam laughed off.

In a recent interview with the Irish Times, he was described as originally having dreams to study at Oxford or Harvard. However, he has opted to study at a university in Ulster so that he can continue with his fledging vlogging empire.

14) Barry Maguire

With 933,418 subscribers, Barry Maguire’s channel Donut the Dog, is also part of the Little Club Minecraft family, which stars Scott, Ryan, and Kelly Fitzsimons.

The former firefighter is also in a relationship with Lithuanian-born model Irma Mali, who had previously dated Danny O’Donoghue from The Script.

Barry’s YouTube channel was created in August 2015, and so far his videos have been viewed a total of 412,953,843 times. One of his videos has received 4,728,849 views alone.

He charts his life on two Instagram accounts, with the one dedicated to YouTube avatar Donut the Dog, having 171,000 followers. In January, he posted a photograph of himself in his old work uniform captioned with: “One of my last few days serving as a firefighter.”

The rest of his Instagram profiles his life as YouTube star with images from various trips around the world and him taking part in adventure sports. He also posts shots of himself with Scott and Ryan Fitzsimons, describing them as the “masterminds”.

15) Conor Power

Conor Power is yet another member of the Little Club Minecraft family. His character is Little Donny and his channel of the same name has 870,313 subscribers.

His channel was set up in October 2015 and so far all of his 1,701 videos have been viewed a total of 357,821,708 times.

Very little is known about this member of the Little Club family, other than that he is married to ‘Little Leah’, another of the show’s characters.

Little Leah is Vicky Power in real life. Her YouTube channel has 526,423 subscribers.

Read more here: https://www.irishexaminer.com/breakingnews/lifestyle/features/from-beauty-vloggers-to-minecraft-irelands-top-youtube-earners-853790.html

In celebration of the 10th anniversary of Apple’s iOS App Store, Sensor Tower has shared a list of the apps and games that have spent the most time in the #1 spot of the store’s various charts. Looking at the period of time from July 1, 2010 to July 5, 2018, Sensor Tower’s researchers found that a total of 30,000 unique apps have achieved #1 status on the free, paid, or top grossing charts in at least one country.

Image and charts via Sensor Tower

Honing in the data a bit more, Sensor Tower found 422 apps that hit #1 on the top free iPhone apps chart in the United States during this period, and of those apps, Facebook Messenger spent the most days at #1 with a combined 317 days. Worldwide, WhatsApp earned the top spot with a combined 1,783 days at #1 for free iPhone apps. Popular apps in both the U.S. and worldwide for these charts included Snapchat and YouTube.

Looking at the amount of days at #1 for paid iPhone apps, Minecraft had the most days both in the U.S. (847 days) and worldwide (1,645 days) App Stores. Games were popular in the U.S. on the paid iPhone apps chart, also including Angry Birds (311 days), Heads Up (225 days), and Where’s My Water (47 days), but globally there was more of a mix with apps like Facetune (1,501 days), Afterlight (1,312 days), and 7 Min Workout (1,134 days) rounding out the top four spots under Minecraft.

Clash of Clans spent 805 days at #1 on Apple’s top grossing iPhone apps chart in the U.S., coming in far ahead of the second place app Candy Crush at 278 days. The only non-gaming apps on this chart were Pandora (202 days), Netflix (172 days), and Spotify (61 days). Worldwide, Clash of Clans held onto the top spot with 1,900 days, while Spotify also remained in the top ten with 1,047 days spent at #1.

The App Store officially launched on July 10, 2008 with 500 apps for iPhone 3G owners to download, 75 percent of which were paid downloads. Over time the App Store grew and expanded, introducing in-app purchases, apps for the iPad, subscriptions, revamped interfaces, and more. Most recently in iOS 11, Apple introduced editorialized content on the App Store’s home page with articles and features that highlight new and interesting apps and games every day.

For more on the ten-year anniversary of the iOS App Store, be sure to check out our retrospective that dives into the big events that hit the App Store over the past decade.

Read more here: https://www.macrumors.com/2018/07/10/whatsapp-messenger-minecraft-popular/