Mojang continues to celebrate the season, with the free Minecraft Winter Gifts Bundle now available to download on the Minecraft Marketplace.

This contains 13 packs from community creators, which are the Winter Wonders Skin Pack (Minecraft), Hollydale (Blockworks), Snowball Warriors (Pathway Studios), Christmas Jumpers (57Digital), My Snowy Journey Skin Pack (Toya), Lucky Present Survival (Jigarbov Productions), Ginger and Alaska (Visula), Snowstorm Simulator (Snowstorm Simulator), Norse Mythology Bonus Skins (Minecraft), Santa’s Gift Hunt (Polymaps), Ugly Jumper Contest (Razzleberries), The Lost Civilisation (Blockception) and Ready Sleddy Go! (Noxcrew).

“Starting today until 3rd January 2019, you can download the Winter Gifts Bundle from the Minecraft Marketplace. This completely free bundle is stuffed with worlds, skins, texture packs and more, all from your favourite community creators!” Mojang explains.

“Don’t forget to check out Catastrophic Pandamonium while you’re visiting the Marketplace. Catastrophic Pandamonium is a fantastic and free new adventure map starring cats and pandas, so head over to the Minecraft Marketplace to check out both of these great gifts. Happy holidays!”

The immersive game-based platform is being used to help students develop 21st century skills, writes Balqis Lim

MOHAMMAD Aliff Othman begins to choke up as he talks about his students’ development.

That’s how passionate this 29-year-old teacher is in making a difference in the children’s life.

A Geography subject teacher, Aliff uses Minecraft: Education Edition in his classroom to explain certain topics during a lesson.

He says that instead of “chalk and talk”, Minecraft is very good to engage students in class. It also boosts the students creativity and enhances their 21st century skills, he adds.

Minecraft, developed in 2011 by a Swedish company Mojang, is a game that allows players to build with a variety of different blocks in a 3D procedurally-generated world.

After acquiring Mojang in 2014, Microsoft also bought over MinecraftEdu that was developed by TeacherGaming, and launched a new version of Minecraft in 2016 that’s dedicated to learning. It’s called Minecraft: Education Edition.

MINECRAFT IN MALAYSIA
MRSM Tun Mohammad Fuad Stephens in Sandakan, Sabah was the first school in the country to adopt the Minecraft: Education Edition.

Aliff, who was teaching at the school, first learned about Minecraft: Education Edition last year while attending a Microsoft Education Exchange event.

On returning to Malaysia, he gathered some students to try it out.

“As I am not a gamer, I had my students teach me the technical parts of playing it.

“These students were the naughty ones but instead of punishing them, I gave them this task,” says Aliff, who is now a certified Minecraft Global Trainer.

Students using Minecraft in class.
At the first Minecraft workshop held recently, he was invited as an instructor.

The workshop was a joint effort by Microsoft Malaysia, National STEM Centre and Digital Classroom, a teacher community. A total of 70 teachers from different schools and backgrounds participated in it.

MINECRAFT IMPACT
Since Aliff started using Minecraft in classroom, he says a learn-with-each-other environment was also created.

“Today, teachers are no longer “kings” in the classroom who know everything. The students learn from their peers. The teachers too learn from their students.

“I truly believe in this outcome. Most importantly, the teacher-student relationship is now strong.

“Besides enhancing creativity and skillset, Minecraft makes the learning more powerful as the students feel like they ‘own’ the learning,” says Aliff.

Students with their AR creation.
Meanwhile, a science teacher at SMK Jenjarom, Selangor, Abd Rahman Ali Bashah, sees Minecraft as having big potential in developing the STEM (science, technology, engineering and mathematics) skills.

He plans to form a team with his students when school reopens next year.

“In STEM, we encourage students to create something based on a real situation. It’s a hands-on approach. For example, students can design a building or a bridge to solve problems.

“These lessons blend concepts from science and engineering through creativity and critical thinking,” says Rahman.

A creation by one of Aliff’s students.
For Aliff, the students’ engagement in class is more important than merely good grades.

“Yes, getting A in exams is important but how meaningful is the grade? Via the STEM and Minecraft approach, I can see that my students’ engagement in class has increased. They are now bolder in taking risks.

“They are not afraid to try new things now and they also have better understanding of the subjects,” says Aliff.

The Microsoft Showcase School now has teachers using Minecraft in their lesson activities.

About 2,000 Minecraft licences have been acquired by not only MRSM Tun Mohammad Fuad Stephens but also other MRSM schools nationwide.

STUDENTS PERSPECTIVE
Students who have tried out Minecraft say it an exciting and engaging learning platform.

Form Five student Amirul Hafiz Zulazli from MRSM Transkrian in Penang enjoys playing the game but he has only tried the original Minecraft game and not the educational version.

“We don’t have it at school because our teachers think it’s just a game and hardly educational.

“But I think otherwise. This game is a great way for people to explore their creativity. I hope our teachers will allow Minecraft to be used as a learning tool in our lessons,” he says.

Nor Sofea Alyea Mohd Shairani, 11, concurs.

“I started playing Minecraft since early this year and I believe the game helped me in my Science subject.

“A lot of thinking and planning need to be applied into designing my virtual world. The canvas is so vast and limitless. I also collaborate with my friends to construct the buildings,” she says.

Minecraft is used as a hands-on activity to relate to certain topics.
According to Aliff, deploying Minecraft is not an easy task. It’s a long process which needs the support from school, he adds.

He laments that teachers nowadays are still preoccupied with grades and sceptical about Minecraft as a teaching tool.

“Minecraft is not about getting As in exams. It’s for the development of students. It’s not something that can be measured. Anyone can teach but experience itself cannot be taught unless we give students the space and opportunity to try and explore it themselves. That is more valuable than any ‘A’,” says Aliff.

“If teachers are afraid about the students getting attached to the game, they can treat it as a reward when the students behave well in class,” he adds.

MINISTRY’S PARTICIPATION
Anita Adnan, the teacher engagement manager at Microsoft Malaysia’s Education Segment, says Minecraft: Education Edition is an open world game that promotes creativity, collaboration and problem-solving in an immersive environment.

This sets it apart from other games and the only limit is the children’s imagination, she says.

“Children today are very digital literate. Using books and giving them homework are not enough. Teachers need to catch up with current trends and technology.

“Minecraft can also be embedded in ICT programmes or curriculum, suggests Anita.

Aliff teaching a group of educators at the Minecraft workshop.
The collaboration with the National STEM Centre will see Microsoft having a more structured plan where they will help 2,000 schools to try out Minecraft.

National STEM Centre head unit Dr Ihsan Ismail says the collaboration is aimed at creating awareness about Minecraft in public schools.

“With Minecraft, we hope to instill students’ interest in maths and science. Although a proper module has not been finalised, there is a possibility that Minecraft will be used as one learning tool.

“At this early stage, we want to encourage teachers and students to use it so that the ministry can monitor and evaluate its impact. If the outcome is positive, we may extend it to all,” he says.

Netflix’s Minecraft: Story mode, an interactive TV reworking of Telltale Games’ episodic Minecraft adventure, is now available to stream in full. It marks the last Telltale project to be completed in-house, prior to the studio’s closure.

When Telltale announced that it had laid off the vast majority of staff earlier this year, it noted that “a small group of 25 employees [would be] staying on to fulfil the company’s obligations to its board and partners.” Netflix later confirmed that, while its Stranger Things project with Telltale was dead, Minecraft: Story Mode was “still moving forward as planned” at the studio.

That work is evidently complete, and, following the release of an initial batch of episodes last week, the full five-episode run of Minecraft: Story Mode is now available to Netflix subscribers. Netflix’s version of Story Mode pares the game’s first season back somewhat, focussing on key cinematic sequences and more binary choices compared to the originals.

If you’ve not yet experienced Story Mode, it’s worth a look, even if you’ve only a passing interest in Minecraft. It’s a warm, witty (and obviously family friendly) tale of everyday heroes battling against an ancient evil, full of likeable characters and rollicking adventure – not bad at all considering its almost story-free source material.

With Minecraft: Story Mode now complete, that just leaves Telltale’s final season of The Walking Dead to go – although remaining work on this project is now being handled by an external developer. Massive redundancies at Telltale left the season’s future uncertain, despite several episodes already having been released at the time.

Since then, however, Skybound – founded by Robert Kirkman, creator of The Walking Dead comic series – has stepped in to complete the game. Release dates for the two remaining episodes, which are being developed by at least some of the original team, are due soon.

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Minecraft port developer 4J Studios has announced they’re no longer updating the legacy console versions of the sandbox game.

The game will no longer get updates on the PlayStation 3, PS Vita, Xbox 360, and Wii U. The long-running sandbox game will continue to get updates on PlayStation 4, Xbox One, PC, macOS, Linux, iOS, Android, and Nintendo Switch.

The last update for the game on those platforms, The Nightmare Before Christmas Mash-up Pack, just dropped this week. It remains unclear if further updates are coming to the game’s Nintendo 3DS port, which Other Ocean Interactive ported.

Watch new footage of YouTuber Stampy Cat making 10 cakes in Minecraft in under four minutes.

Stampy was taking on Fastest time to make and display 10 cakes in Minecraft survival mode (PC Edition) at our London HQ ahead of his appearance in Guinness World Records: Gamer’s Edition 2019.

Stampy, a.k.a Joseph Garrett, is a YouTube star who has made a name for himself in the Minecraft world with series such as Stampy’s Funland and My Lovely World.

Boasting over 9 million subscribers and almost 7 billion views on his channel, Stampy wanted to add something new to his list of accolades.

Already a record-holder with Most viewed Terraria video (9,736,410 views) on his video entitled Terraria Xbox – My First Night [1], Stampy decided to set a brand new record, combining his love of Minecraft and cake.

StampyCat – Fastest Time to Make 10 Cakes – article 2

The successful attempt took just 3 minutes 51 seconds, but contrary to what the title would suggest, it was no piece of cake!

Lots of forethought went into the attempt to ensure it went efficiently, resulting in a quick time. Stampy placed all the elements out methodically and used pits to spawn his skeletons and cow into to stop them moving during the attempt.

“Spawning them in so they’re just roaming around the land would not be a very fast idea… because then I’ll be trying to make 10 cakes while a skeleton is running around and shooting me!” he explained.

StampyCat – Fastest Time to Make 10 Cakes-3

The two-time record breaker also wrote the introduction to Gamer’s Edition 2019, in which he discusses his records and what you can find in the fact-filled book.

“As I am literally obsessed with videogames, I was so excited when I heard that they [Guinness World Records] wanted to me be involved with this book!”

We’ve written this article to announce to the world that Minecraft has come with a last-minute fix update for PS4. We found out what’s new with this update and we thought you’d like to hear about it, too.

The holiday update for PS4
The 4J Studios have released a new update for Minecraft PlayStation 4 edition. Just last week they have released the holiday update for PS4 and on some other platforms, too. Then they have come with a follow-up update that’s available now to download on PS4. Also, 4J Studios announced that they’d support the game into the new year on numerous platforms.

What are the patch notes that come with the update for PS4?
Patch 1.84 – change log, from the date of the 21st of December of 2018. They came with a fix for a crash that takes place when loading a world or simply exploring an existing world. They also came with a fix for Salmon, Tropical Fish and Pufferfish dropping Cod when they get killed.

These are all the patch notes for this update. 4J Studios will continue to support Minecraft PlayStation 4 Edition, Nintendo Switch and Xbox One into the new year. Other systems, such as PS3, PS Vita, Xbox 360, and Nintendo Wii U will not receive any future updates – or at least, not that we know of so far.

On what devices is the game available?
The game is now available on many devices, like PS3, PS Vita, PS 4, PC, Nintendo Switch, Xbox One, Xbox 360 and smartphones around the world. And it’s understandable, since it’s the most popular game from the entire world, that has sold millions of copies around the world.

Minecraft Dungeons will take players to various locations that, of course, sport that signature Minecraft block art style from canyons to swamps and the expected mines. In these various places, players will hunt down new loot like weapons and items to take down hordes of enemy mobs, including some new creatures never seen before.

You will have the option of playing Minecraft Dungeons by yourself and taking on the countless enemies alone or teaming up with up to three other friends for a full team of four players. According to the official announcement, the levels that you will explore with your team will be widely varied as you journey to save all of the villagers and take down the poorly named Arch-Illager.

Minecraft Dungeons will take players to various locations that, of course, sport that signature Minecraft block art style from canyons to swamps and the expected mines. In these various places, players will hunt down new loot like weapons and items to take down hordes of enemy mobs, including some new creatures never seen before.

You will have the option of playing Minecraft Dungeons by yourself and taking on the countless enemies alone or teaming up with up to three other friends for a full team of four players. According to the official announcement, the levels that you will explore with your team will be widely varied as you journey to save all of the villagers and take down the poorly named Arch-Illager.

Minecraft Dungeons is being developed by Mojang itself, though, the team behind it is a smaller dedicated team based in Stockholm, Sweden. The official announcement came with a reveal trailer, which you can view above. Unfortunately, the announcement trailer doesn’t seem to show any actual gameplay so it remains to be seen if the title will play from the traditional third-person/first-person viewpoint or go for the traditional isometric perspective.

However, it does seem from the initial trailer that there will be some sort of class system that players will choose from. We see the traditional sword-wielding fighter as well as a heavy duty hammer-wielding character and some sort of wizard. Minecraft Dungeons is the latest spin-off game in the series, joining Story Mode from the now-closed developer Telltale Games.

The final Minecraft update for Wii U, Xbox 360, PS3, and PlayStation Vita will release this week. It is a bittersweet moment for all players as 4J Studios is ending all support for those last-generation platforms. The update will arrive today, December 18, for some platforms and tomorrow, December 19, for other platforms. All of the other platforms are also receiving the update, too.

The final Minecraft update for those systems is The Nightmare Before Christmas update. The update brings spooky goodies like a Nightmare Before Christmas mash-up pack, fixes for various crashes as you would expect, and more. In addition, it also brings the end of support for those platforms. However, 4J Studios gave no word on online support so we expect the servers to remain online for the time being.

If you haven’t upgraded your Minecraft game from those older platforms to their newer counterparts, now is a great time. This is especially true given that the same update will be also released on PC, Xbox One, PS4, and Nintendo Switch this week. If you’re wondering what the exact update versions are for those older platforms, we’ve got those as well.

For Xbox 360 players, it is known as Title Update 73. On Wii U, it is known as Title Update 42. Finally, on PS3 and PlayStation Vita, it is known as version 1.82. Interestingly enough, there was no information given on future support for the Nintendo 3DS version of Minecraft. That version was released after all four of the ill-fated versions so it remains to be seen what will happen to it.

On a more bittersweet note, 4J Studios also tweeted out a photo of the studio packing up all of their PS3, Xbox 360, Wii U, and PlayStation Vita development kits. Now that support for those versions is done, it seems there is no need for the kits anymore.

Last gen Minecraft players will soon be a thing of the past as PS3, Vita and much of the last generation of consoles will start lagging behind. The release of Minecraft onto consoles was a shaky one due to its already large community on PC. Mojong, however, pushed forward and released it on all major consoles in the last generation.

It proved to be enough of a success to warrant them releasing it to the current, as well. However, the world of technology is always changing. This has led to the last generation of console slowly fizzling out of the mainstream.

Microsoft, the parent company of Mojong, announced earlier this year that the now-released Update Aquatic was going to be their last big effort to bring the older generation up-to-date. According to a blog post by Minecraft staff, the older generation consoles make up very little of their user-base and they are not going to put resources in a small number, even if they want to.

Although we’d love to keep bringing new content to all our players forever, the older generation of consoles now make up less than 5% of our active players, so we’ve made the difficult decision to focus our efforts to support players where they play Minecraft the most and where we plan to add new features . . .

This doesn’t mean you can’t play it, it just means that no new conntent will be added.

What do you think? Is it sad to see this go or do you just not care because of all the consoles it’s on?

Creative mode, to launch on 6 December, will let gamers construct and play in their own environments without fear of attack

Keith Stuart

@keefstuart
Wed 5 Dec 2018 16.29 GMT Last modified on Wed 5 Dec 2018 16.31 GMT
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Fortnite Creative mode
Fable of the reconstruction … Fortnite Creative mode. Photograph: Epic Games
The hit video game Fortnite is to get a Creative mode, allowing players to design and play on their own islands.

In a major addition to the title, the new mode lets players fly freely around the environment, placing scenic elements, then designing their own mini-games to play with friends.

Developer Epic Games is launching the new option, named Fortnite Creative, on 6 December.

Best known for its free online multiplayer mode, Battle Royale, in which 100 players land on an island and shoot each other until only one remains, Fortnite has become one of the most successful video games of the last decade. With more than 200 million players worldwide, the game makes around $300m a month for its developer, most of that from in-game purchases of skins and emotes.

Set to be available from the main Fortnite menu in addition to the current modes, Save the World and Battle Royale, Creative gives players a choice of island shapes, before giving them access to their own private landscape; using a simple drag and drop interface, they can populate the landscape with a variety of pre-made buildings and scenic objects. It’s then possible to set up a range of mini-games, such as deathmatch shoot-outs and obstacle courses, to play with friends who have been invited on to the player’s server.

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Player-made worlds can be saved to memory and shared with friends. A hub at the outset will also provide access to selected worlds built by other members of the community.

The mode provides an extension to the popular Battle Royale Playground option, which allowed players to land on an island with friends and mess about, making their own objectives. It is similar to the creative mode in the block-building game Minecraft, in which players can similarly create their own buildings and landscapes without worrying about being attacked. It may well answer criticism from some parents that Fortnite concentrates too heavily on killing other players.

For the first week, only those players who purchase a Season Seven Battlepass will have access to the new mode; from 13 December, it will be free for all.

Since the launch of Fortnite Battle Royale in September 2017, developer Epic Games has regularly updated the game, adding new modes and scenic features for every three-month “season”. Creative mode is the biggest change in the past year, and is likely to be highly popular with the game’s vast YouTuber and Twitch streamer community.

Minecraft has received one last-minute hotfix update for the PS4. Here’s what new and fixed in this update.

4J Studios has released a brand new update for Minecraft PlayStation 4 edition. Last week, they released the holiday update on PS4 and other legacy platforms and announced that they were cutting all support for them going into the new year. They have now followed up the holiday update with a small hotfix that is available to download now on the PS4.

Minecraft-Feature-1024×576

Minecraft update version 1.84 patch notes can be viewed in full below. They fix a critical crash with the game.

Minecraft Update Version 1.84 Patch Notes For PS4
Change log for Patch 1.84 – December 21st 2018

Fix for a crash that would could occur when loading a world or exploring an existing world.
Fix for Salmon, Pufferfish or Tropical Fish dropping Cod when killed.
That’s it for the patch notes. Minecraft PlayStation 4 Edition along with the Xbox One and Nintendo Switch will continue to get support from 4J Studios heading into the new year. The legacy systems like the PS Vita, PS3, Xbox 360, and Nintendo Wii U are not going to get any future updates.

Minecraft is available now on a variety of devices including the PS4, PS3, PS Vita, Nintendo Switch, PC, Smartphones, Xbox 360, and Xbox One. It is one of the most popular games worldwide and has sold through millions of copies.

Sad news today if you own Minecraft on Xbox 360, PlayStation 3, PlayStation Vita, or Wii U, as the most recent update for the game will be the last. 4J Studios, the company the developed the game for consoles way back when it was released a few years ago, announced that The Nightmare Before Christmas Mash-up Pack they released on Tuesday will be the last update for the game, as they’ve packed up all their dev kits and posted a tweet letting owners know they were done.

View image on Twitter
View image on Twitter

4J Studios
✔
@4JStudios
As we pack up our Xbox 360, PS3, PSVita and WiiU development kits, we’re getting all nostalgic 😢
Please share some of your best memories over the past six and a half years of Minecraft on these consoles!

3,008
6:29 PM – Dec 18, 2018
1,100 people are talking about this
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The company made no mention about the servers or the upkeep or management moving forward, which for us means they will probably keep maintaining them as long as there’s a large enough audience still playing the game on those consoles to justify it. So, on the one hand, you’re getting no more updates for that version of Minecraft, but on the other hand, it’s not going away for now.

Since May 2012, when the Xbox 360 version first released, console players have been exploring the ever-expanding world of Minecraft.

And what a six (and a half) years it’s been. Minecraft on console opened up the sandbox game to millions more players who didn’t have access to a PC.

But console-versions porter 4J Studios has now implemented the final update for the PlayStation 3, PlayStation Vita, Xbox 360 and Wii U versions of the game. It’s the end of an era.

Sort of. You can still play the game, same as always. The studio took to Twitter to announce that The Nightmare Before Christmas Mash-up Pack will be the final content update for last-gen devices. It will roll in either today or tomorrow.

Another tweet, and your replies that proceeded to hit us right in the feels, asked fans to “share some of your best memories over the past six and a half years of Minecraft on these consoles!”

From making portraits of your kids to reminiscing on the game’s original tutorials, here’s a few notable replies:

Bring part of the games development was….nice 😥 Still remember the reveal at e3 and people going crazy. At least I did 😀
– Kaplan (@Kappische) December 19, 2018

My favorite creative world on my 360 with portraits of my 5 sons, pirate cove and red stone testing base. pic.twitter.com/d2TINlLUJd
– B.F.S.R. (@mobilescreen) December 18, 2018

The iconic dispenser glitch, when we had no creative that thing was a hero :eyes::joy:
– Scott (ECKOSOLDIER) (@eckoxsoldier) December 18, 2018

Some of your best old tutorials there was the best and the classics and i am proud of how far this game has came thanks to @4JStudios @Mojang pic.twitter.com/VH74FnM4f9
– SHAD0WDEM0NYourGamer (@reecejohnston7) December 18, 2018

Console edition wasn’t the first or the last version I played but it’s my favorite and I have so many good memories. Playing with past friends, minigames like glide, getting up early for updates on TUesdays, working on my survival world, building this 64×64 cauldron pixel art pic.twitter.com/qYhLQUtgWV
– Kacee (@CowzerOwzer7) December 18, 2018
In total, there’s been 73 updates for Minecraft on Xbox 360 since its launch, with over 21 million players picking it up on that console alone.

In the summer, Microsoft announced that Minecraft had over 91 million active monthly users – crazy numbers. I suppose it is the second most sold/played game ever. Behind only Tetris, no less.

It will be interesting to see how, if it all, the final last-gen update affects the game’s player base. But remember, it’s not going anywhere. It’s simply found its final state. Which, still, is pretty sad

What do you think about this news? Do you play Minecraft on old consoles? Will you be sad to see those last-gen updates end? What’s your favourite memory? Let us know.

Now may be the time to jump back into Minecraft as new rounds of free content and deals are launched for the holidays. Players can now obtain the new adventure map Catastrophic Pandamonium for free from the Minecraft Marketplace which showcases the newest update features including pandas, cat designs, scaffolding, the latest mob, and more.

Also available now are new Holiday Bundles that offer discounts and deals on many items in the Minecraft Marketplace. Finally, on December 25th, players can get a free Winter Gifts Bundle that includes free maps, skins, and worlds, so don’t forget to sign in for all of this content.

All offers expire January 4th at 10:00 AM PST and are only available on these versions of Minecraft–Xbox One, Windows 10 Edition, iOS, Android, and Nintendo Switch.

Though my ten-year-old’s obsession with Minecraft first took hold three years ago—back when Minecraft was all the rage—I have to hand it to him. He’s sticking with it, despite the imperialist hegemony of Fortnite. What’s more, he’s not a fan of the newer game. “Too much violence,” he says, despite his affection for Nerf guns and laser tag.

The Minecraft connection began when some of my friends came by with an iPad and a teenager. “While we catch up,” my friends said, “Henry [their kid] can show Gus [my kid] all the stuff he’s building in Minecraft.”

It sounded innocent enough—not like the kind of thing that would destroy the very fabric of our family.

“Hey dad,” Gus asked the next day. “Can I download an app? It’s only $4.99.”

Coincidentally, his aunt had just sent him an iTunes gift card, so who was I to say no?

Five minutes later, he was laughing at the iPad. I felt good. For once I had done the right thing. I had allowed him his freedom. Little did I know that would be the last normal conversation my son and I would share before I lost him forever, literally down a mineshaft.

Hours later, he remained unmoved on the couch, still chuckling at the device.

“What are you watching now?” I asked.

“Still playing Minecraft!” he shouted over the din in his earbuds.

I choked on my coffee. What would my wife do when she caught wind of this? We had not discussed whether or not downloading Minecraft was okay.

I began formulating my arguments. My first line of defense would be to deny culpability: “I didn’t know what he was downloading!” No good. What parent lets his kid download something without knowing what it is?

Better to play the nostalgia card. “Let’s not overreact here,” I’d mansplain. “Don’t forget—you had an Atari 2600 growing up. And when I was seven, I had some weird triangular Coleco thing. I spent my childhood days rotating a giant knob in order to hit a green square with a rectangle. And I turned out fine!”

As is often encouraged in parenting books that I’ve read the jackets of while waiting for my family at the mall, it’s best to show some interest in your children’s activities. So I took a seat next to Gus on the sofa.

“Wow!” I said, “Looks cool. Kind of pixellated and retro-y. Yet futuristic.”

“Want to see my house?” Gus said. “That’s my bed…”

A bed? In a video game? How raunchy does this game get?

“Why do you need a bed?”

“Duh. So I can sleep.”

This explained nothing.

“Do you have to make the bed? Wash the sheets?”

“Of course not, dad!”

That’s when I realized something. Even though this was his first solo game of Minecraft, he seemed to know everything about it.

“Gus,” I asked, not wishing to appear dumber than I already did. “Didn’t you just download Minecraft this morning? How do you know all this stuff?”

“Reading, dad! They have books in the library. Plus, we play it at Noah’s.”

I breathed a big sigh of relief. The fault was not entirely mine! I could pin the rap on the Damaskes—a family so adorable nobody could ever stay mad at them for anything.

“So, what’s your score?” I asked him.

“There is no score.”

“How do you know who’s winning?”

“Nobody wins in creative. You just play.”

“How many lives do you have left?”

“I said I’m in creative!”

“What does that even mean?”

“It means you just build stuff!”

“How many blocks do you get?”

“As many as you want. Want to play?” he asked.

Truth be told, I did want to play. But I held back. Because, like a professional gambler or an obsessive collector (my grandfather and father, respectively), I had stopped playing video games after I flunked out of med school thanks to Prince of Persia (Mac version, 1993).

Friends with similarly addicted children have tried to be reassuring. “It’s not as bad as other games,” they say. “It’s social, at least. Sort of. And… creative!”

Our house is now full of Minecraft paraphernalia—books, Legos, night lights, swords, and stuffed animals. One stuffed animal just looks like a giant green erection, testicles and all. Thousands of years from now, the plastic action figures will be dug up by future archaeologists who will rack their brains trying to unravel their significance.

It’s overwhelming—and I haven’t even mentioned the videos.

One morning, Gus was using the iPad when a new voice filled the room—an Englishman’s voice. I got a creepy feeling.

The horror…
Enlarge / The horror…
“Guys?” I asked from the kitchen, “Are you, like, playing Minecraft over the Internet?”

“I’m watching a video.”

“A video… of Minecraft?”

“Yeah, this guy’s awesome! His name is DanTDM.”

Actually, DanTDM is apparently so awesome that if you type “Da” in the YouTube Search Bar what you see first is “DanTDM.” I clicked, a sinking feeling rising from my bowels, and read:

“The Diamond Minecart. 1,706 videos. 9,251,825 subscribers.”

“Holy f**k!” I said reflexively. “Minecraft | 5 Secrets About DanTDM!! has 21 MILLION views! How the hell did he get 21 million views?”

“By being awesome, that’s how!”

“Sorry, I just. I can’t. I don’t. I’m not sure how to process this.”

I looked back on everything I’d done and suddenly realized my life was nothing more than a series of thwarted efforts: getting thrown out of medical school, moving to LA, getting laid off by the National Lampoon, then moving back to Boston and finding six years of digital comedy wiped clean from the website, as if it never existed. When all I ever had to do was play video games!

So here’s the big question: is my boy technically “addicted” to Minecraft? Let’s look at the risk factors, as enumerated by Medical News Today.

1. Person takes the substance and cannot stop. Things have gotten so bad that our only effective punishment is withdrawal of Minecraft. Such threats result in everything that occurs with addiction: “moodiness, bad temper, poor focus, a feeling of being depressed and empty, frustration, anger, bitterness and resentment.”

2. Symptoms of insomnia accompany withdrawal. On weekends, Gus wakes up before sunrise to play Minecraft or watch Minecraft videos.

3. Addiction continues despite health problem. Gus’s thumb is blistered and sore as a result of playing. Nevertheless, he chooses to suffer.

4. Social and/or recreational sacrifices accompany addiction. The other night Gus stated he would much rather stay home by himself playing Minecraft than see his sister perform at their school—though this should come as no surprise to anyone.

5. User diligently maintains a good supply. Gus is hyper-vigilant about plugging the iPad in at night to ensure it will be fully charged come morning.

6. User takes risks to acquire substance. The boy frequently steals the iPad, without asking, to sneak in a game of Minecraft.

7. User needs substance to deal with problems. Gus’ happiness is directly proportional to the time spent playing Minecraft.

8. Obsession with substance. It’s all he talks about. He literally counts down the minutes to the time he’s finally allowed to play: “Ten minutes till Minecraft!”

9. User seeks solitude and acts in secrecy. On more than one occasion, Gus has hidden beneath a blanket, secretly indulging in Minecraft. Given a choice, I feel confident he would much rather hang out with Minecraft than with either one of his parents (though, again, this should come as no surprise to anybody).

10. User denies having a problem. Far from being a problem, Gus sees Minecraft as a solution. Perhaps the solution… to boredom, interpersonal relationships, you name it.

In fact, Gus is better equipped to survive in the Minecraft world than in the real one. Which leads me to my latest theory: some sort of higher power is behind all this—some alien presence or non-physical entity who is totally in charge and who knows exactly what’s going on. And these virtual worlds are training camps for the youth, preparing them for the day when the planet becomes uninhabitable. When this time comes, the physical world will be replaced by a virtual one… and everyone will live in individual Life Pods™, where all our basic biological needs will be taken care of: nutrients and water and oxygen in, waste and CO2 out.

Immobility will be the trade-off for immortality. These kids will be the last generation to inhabit the Earth—since no one will be able to have actual sex—but they will live forever, together in their addictive virtual kingdom, just like in Minecraft creative.

Following an announcement earlier this year, Microsoft and Mojang have followed through on bad news for owners of Minecraft on older game systems. Yesterday marked the end of development on the popular game’s “legacy” branch.

That means if you still play Minecraft on the game’s first-ever console port platform, the Xbox 360, this week’s 1.83 patch is the last one you can expect to ever receive. The same goes for owners of the game on PlayStation 3, Wii U, and PlayStation Vita.

Most of the game’s modern versions, ranging from iOS and Android to PC and “current-gen” consoles, were unified in a shared-codebase manner by primary developer Mojang earlier this year. This version originated from a “Pocket Edition” codebase and later became known as the “Bedrock” edition. The aforementioned legacy platforms, on the other hand, remained in the development hands of independent Scottish studio 4J. Microsoft’s relationship with 4J began in the Xbox 360 era with ports of classic Rare games Banjo-Kazooie and Perfect Dark (which were ported from their original N64 versions, owing to Microsoft’s current ownership of those franchises).

4J confirmed the final-patch news on Tuesday morning by posting an image of its older-console development kits unplugged and arranged against a wall. “As we pack up our Xbox 360, PS3, PS Vita, and Wii U development kits, we’re getting all nostalgic,” the tweet read.

This patch includes the same new “mob” characters that can randomly appear in Bedrock versions of the game (including cats and pandas) along with other bug fixes. Thus, this appears to be the last time anyone can expect feature parity between current-gen and last-gen versions of Minecraft.

4J has not announced whether it will continue supporting the Minecraft franchise as a developer, and neither the studio nor Microsoft immediately replied to requests for clarification. Sources indicated to Ars Technica that 4J’s relationship with Minecraft will continue but did not elaborate.

This is the second major branch of the game to be shut down by Microsoft, following the shuttering of its Windows Phone and Windows Mobile versions in 2017.
We can estimate up to 4.5 million Minecraft players will be left in the cold by this update, based on information provided by Mojang’s original announcement. At that time, the developer indicated that “less than 5 percent” of players play on these platforms, and the game is currently up to roughly 91 million monthly players.

Minecraft’s original early access period included a “buy it once, own it forever” promise, and that persists, thanks to back-end work at Mojang’s site to support the game’s original buyers between 2009-11… but only if they redeemed a permanent voucher for a version on Windows 10. Buyers of the game’s Xbox 360 version originally had a free-upgrade path to claiming the game’s license for use on Xbox One, but that temporary upgrade offer has since expired. And the current-gen version supports cross-play on nearly every platform imaginable, save one.

Gamevice, the makers of industry-leading mobile controllers, announced today that a special Gamevice Minecraft Bundle for iPhone is now available for $89.95 on Amazon.com and select retail stores in North America. The Gamevice Minecraft Bundle includes a special edition carrying case and a code to download Minecraft on iOS. Gamevice enhances the Minecraft mobile gaming experience, bringing console control to your mobile device. The Gamevice controller creates seamless cross platform gameplay between iOS, PC and consoles, as it enhances the experience on your iPhone.

“Minecraft is one of the greatest games of all time and playing Minecraft with Gamevice puts mobile players on equal ground with PC and console players. said Phillip Hyun, CEO, Gamevice. “Gamevice offers low latency and precision control, delivering a console quality experience to more than one thousand different games including Mojang’s masterpiece.”

The Gamevice Minecraft Bundle is available for iPhone X, iPhone 8/8 Plus, iPhone 7/7 Plus, iPhone 6s/6s Plus, and iPhone 6/6 Plus and is now available for $89.95 on, Amazon.com and select retail stores in North America.

Gamevice gives players latency-free control over their mobile experience, along with console precision, highly responsive buttons and joysticks in a comfortable and ergonomic design. Gamevice is an all-in-one entertainment hub that works as a controller for more than 1,000 mobile games, DJI’s Spark drone, and Sphero’s SPRK+ and Star Wars Droids, and is now available at Gamevice.com or select retailers.

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The developers of Minecraft are planning a refresh of the textures in Minecraft, and have just released version 3.3 for those who wish to try it. The new textures give the game a slightly more natural look, thanks to its lead designer Jasper Boerstra.

Minecraft textures are getting a refresh to give it a more natural look.

While the post doesn’t tell us what all is changed with version 3.3, the textures are available to download for anyone running the Java edition of Minecraft. Mojang also plans to release the textures on the Minecraft Marketplace for anyone running the Bedrock edition.

Minecraft’s new textures are available on the Java Edition now, with Bedrock Edition coming soon.

For those unfamiliar, the Java Edition is the original edition of Minecraft, playable on any computer running Windows, macOS, or Linux with Java installed. Microsoft later released the Bedrock Edition for Windows 10, Xbox One, and even the Nintendo Switch, which bring cross-platform multiplayer to Minecraft players on Android and iOS.

Boerstra says that the new textures will eventually replace the default ones in Minecraft, while the older version 2 textures will still be available for free for those who might feel a bit nostalgic. If you’re interested in trying the new ones, Mojang has written step-by-step instructions on how to download and apply them in the Java Edition.

With a host of innovations launched this year, it’s an exciting time for Taiwan, a country known for efficiency and production. The opening of Amazon’s latest innovation center in Taipei this past August, combined with the country’s tech-savvy spirit, have created an invigorating atmosphere for product designers and manufacturers.

Some of the best new innovations in information and communications technologies will be showcased at CES 2019 through the efforts of Taiwan Excellence. CES attendees visiting the booth — LVCC, South Hall 1 #20636 — will see the latest advancements in smart transportation, smart home, smart healthcare, and gaming.

Highlights of the Taiwan Excellence Pavilion
When it comes to mobile gaming, the ROG phone gets all the glory. Developed by multinational Taiwanese company ASUS, the ROG phone takes gaming performance to the next level. Incorporating the world’s fastest 2.96GHz speed-binned Qualcomm® SDM845, and an innovative GameCool vapor-chamber cooling system, the ROG Phone gives you the edge you need for total domination.

And then there’s the MSI Optix Gaming Monitor. Want to check your ammo, health, or power stats? No problem. This monitor is housed in a beautiful 27” curved VA display for maximum viewing pleasure, with built-in RGB LED’s on the front and support of SteelSeries GameSense.

Ever seen an “underwater drone”? You can with the Seadragon XLR. It’s an ROV system that utilizes interchangeable, modular components residing on a single, intelligent network. It provides a flexibility that sets the Mission Specialist ROV series apart from current technology in the Remotely Operated Vehicle industry.

Need amplified listening and noise reduction to identify subtle heartbeat abnormalities? This new Digital Stethoscope provides detailed sound recordings, amplifications, and visuals. The POCT Analyzer includes an embedded mobile device that transmits data to the cloud and point-of-care facilities enabling advanced data management.

See what Taiwan ICT Industry has in store for 2019
And before CES begins, Taiwan Excellence will host a press conference — “The Future is Smart: Taiwan Innovations for 2019 & Beyond” — at the Mandalay Bay South Convention Center, Level 2, Lagoon K, in Las Vegas from 4 p.m. to 5 p.m. on Monday, January 7th, 2019. The event provides early access to some of Taiwan’s most innovative companies’ spokespeople and their products, as well as the opportunity to hear from senior officials from TAITRA. Media representatives are encouraged to register in advance or to request for one-on-one media interviews here.

Four Taiwan Excellence award-winner companies will present the latest technology and products — from high-tech retailing to IoT smart devices.

Cyberlink will introduce “FaceMe — the world’s top cross-platform AI facial recognition engine”
ELECLEAN will present “Directly turn water into sanitizer — the world’s first green disinfectant generator”
Innolux will share “New Display, New Retail,” an electronic shelf display
Thunder Tiger Corporation will showcase its underwater drone, the Seadragon XLR underwater ROV (Remotely Operated Vehicle)
Each product showcased at CES is a recipient of the Taiwan Excellence Award. This Award was established in 1992 by Taiwan’s Ministry of Economic Affairs to recognize and honor both innovation and value among Taiwanese products. It recognizes exceptional products for their robust performance in the following areas: R&D, design, quality, and international marketing. The award winners epitomize Taiwan’s unique ability in using innovation to create added value in the design and manufacture of cutting-edge products.

Whether you’re in Taiwan, the U.S., or anywhere else in the world, Taiwanese representatives are always looking for smart, driven companies that seek partnerships and alliances to forge new growth opportunities.

The government of Taiwan is supporting the country’s new innovative ecosystem by encouraging entrepreneurship and startups, assisting universities and researchers to secure funding, building relationships with R&D innovation circles globally, and building a culture of innovation among children with programs like those found at Hsinchu Science Park or kids’ innovation contests at the new Taiwan Design Center.

Taiwan Excellence will showcase this leadership at CES, January 8-11, 2019, bringing the country’s latest innovations to the booth for leaders in the tech and electronics space to see and interact with. Attendees can visit Las Vegas Convention Center, South Hall 1, #20636. Learn more here.

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The Minecraft Marketplace continues to draw in more people than ever with free content. That led to yet another huge spikes in downloads for the month to 2,255,888. That’s up from 1,351,438 in September. While many people are downloading the free promotional worlds and experiences, that should get people used to the idea of using the store. And creators could see even more sales in the future as a result.

As with September, a lot of the free content in October came from The Minecraft Team’s MineCon Earth fan event. That’s where the developer introduced its Grid Runners mode. It’s also where Jigarbov launched the free MineCon Earth version of Abstraction. On top of those, The Minecraft Team also launched the Purple Parrot Party Palace, which is also free.

So the download numbers continue to climb for the Marketplace. We’ll have to see if that increases spending.

Top 10 most downloaded
Click to view slideshow.
Grid Runners — Noxcrew
Abstraction: MINECON EARTH — Jigarbov Productions
Purple Parrot Party Place – Minecraft
City Mash-Up — Everbloom Studios
Horror House — CubeCraft Games
Aquatic Life — Cyclone Designs
Immersion: Chicago — Shapescape
Millionare Mansions — Noxcrew
City Life — PixelHeads
Zombie Apocalypse — PixelHeads
Top 10 highest grossing
Click to view slideshow.
City Mash-Up — Everbloom Studios
Immersion: Chicago — Shapescape
Aquatic Life — Cyclone Designs
Millionaire Mansions — Noxcrew
City Life — PixelHeads
Zombie Apocalypse — PixelHeads
CampCraft — Blockworks
Farms – Shapescape
Mine Zoo – Cyclone Designs
Pirates of the Caribbean — Minecraft
See you again soon.