Notes

British Museum to be Digitally Recreated In Minecraft

British Museum to be digitally recreated in Minecraft By Joe Miller Technology Reporter



23 September 2014



The video game Minecraft will recreate the British Museum in London, complete with all of its exhibits.



The project is part of the Museum of the Future scheme, which aims to expand the institution's appeal.



Many real-life companies have created maps in the Minecraft universe which includes Ordnance Survey and the Danish government, who aim to make children aware of their work.



This week, Minecraft was purchased by Microsoft for $2.5bn (PS1.5bn).



A spokeswoman for the museum said the project was at "an initial stage of planning" and that the "build" had not yet begun.



She explained that the company was looking to recruit volunteers to assist in the "construction".



The British Museum



The first national public museum in the world, founded in 1753.



The most visited tourist attraction in the UK.



Nearly six million people visit the museum each year and contains eight million items



The natural history collection was relocated to South Kensington in 1880s, which would later become the Natural History Museum.



Its instantly recognisable Great Court, designed by Lord Foster is the biggest covered public space in Europe



One employee of the British Museum posted details about the project on Reddit and requested volunteers.



He received a warm response from Minecraft fans from all over the world.
MINECRAFT JAVA


Initial stages



The first step will involve digitally creating the Great Court and facade of the building.



The institution hopes that this stage will be ready before the public debate titled changing public dialogues around museum collections in the digital age. The debate will take place on the 16th of October.



Ovum's Ovum gaming analyst Ed Barton told the BBC that the British Museum's move towards Minecraft will make it "perceived to be a fun activity" and could be an educational tool for the younger public.



"It's the digital equivalent of building the British Museum in Lego," he said. It must be constructed brick by brick.



He said that the institution should be commended for crowdsourcing it "as this transforms it into something that is collaborative" and can further engage young Minecraft fans.



He said, "What an awesome project it would have to be to build the Elgin Marbles out of Minecraft."



People who are interested in donating to the British Museum's work can sign up on Reddit.



Minecraft Denmark replica 'attacked"



7 May 2014



British Museum - Museum of the Future


Website: https://minecraft-java.org/