Notes

MakeCode for Minecraft makes Learning To Code Super Fun

A few years ago, my team within Microsoft's research division began to experiment with tools that make it possible for kids to learn how to code within the context of Minecraft, the wildly popular game where players build fantastical virtual worlds out of blocks of digital material, create and play mini-games in the game, and develop the skills to survive monster-filled nights.



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Confused? Iqbalir.Com That's okay. A lot of adults don't understand Minecraft. Even though they think they do, a lot of adults don't know what Minecraft is. It's all about the open-world environment and there are no rules. We want to use this passion to teach children to code Minecraft while they play it. Game playing is the best method of learning.



This research is the result of our TouchDevelop program that we started in 2011 to show people how to program and build applications using their phones' touchscreen. These phones are more robust, visually and sensor-rich than the ones we coded on as children. Our TouchDevelop group wanted everyone to be capable of programming their phones in the same way we could program 8-bit computers.



Then Minecraft was the most popular game played by everyone and we were then compelled to program in Minecraft. The rest is history, as they say.



My students from after-school computer science classes were able to play around with Minecraft programming. It was a wonderful experience. My students were able quickly create code and view the results in Minecraft. They were able to design avatars that could leap 100 feet high, climb mountains, and create rain chickens. This allowed students to run around the classroom shouting out the IP addresses of their servers.



Today, our Microsoft Research and Microsoft MakeCode teams are thrilled to make this learning experience available to everyone through Microsoft MakeCode for Minecraft on Windows 10.



The MakeCode for Minecraft editor has the pixelated style and feel of Minecraft. MakeCode lets visual blocks be coded. It is a drag-and drop interface for beginners as well as it has a JavaScript interface for more advanced users.



Coding using blocks or text, MakeCode teaches the 101 of programming languages, including variables control flow loops, if statements, and functions. Advanced users can advance to more complicated concepts such as fractals, recursion and distributed or object-oriented programming.



The Microsoft MakeCode team also works on other editors that permit the programming of physical things like micro-controllers, such as the micro:bit and the Adafruit Circuit Playground Express. These examples show that programming is directly linked to the creation of something real. This is why most computer programmers begin to code.



Instead of thinking that they are programming, students are actually playing a game and building their next superpower. Minecraft is a game. MakeCode for Minecraft fits the gaming experience of coding into itself. It's worth a look.


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