Notes

Minecraft: Denmark Replica Disrupted by "cyber Vandals'

Minecraft: Denmark replica disrupted by 'cyber vandals'



Cyber vandals have destroyed an online Denmark that was designed to educate children.



A few pieces of it were blown up, despite a ban by its creators the Danish Geodata Agency (DGA) on the use "dynamite".



At the beginning area, large US flags were put up, along with white, red and blue "America" signs.



The state-owned agency believes that the "vandalism" was intended to draw attention, and claimed the damage had been repaired.



Images showing the changes were first posted on the fan site minecraftforum.net by a user who wrote: “I Americanlized [sic] this place a little."



Chris Hammeken, chief of press at the Danish Geodata Agency, stated to the BBC that only a small part of the agency was destroyed.



"The flags actually appeared right where players begin I believe that the people who placed them there were hoping to attract as much attention as they could."



Hidden 'dynamite'



"Minecraft's about building and rebuilding," stated Mr Hammeken. He described the incident as part Minecraft's "nature" of playing.



Virtual dynamite was used to destroy buildings. It was banned on the Danish server. Users discovered that it was hidden in mining carts and then detonated.
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"It was the players who cleaned up the mess, and then replaced it with green grass or flowers the next day," stated Mr Hammeken.



The city was not "hand-built", but topographical data from Denmark was imported into Minecraft. Minecraft is also available for download for free on DGA's website.



Downloaders can upload the data to their Minecraft server. This will restore the city and safeguard users from attacks.



The replica has been downloaded over 220,000 times since the beginning of this month.



Virtual field trips



The DGA created the replica of Denmark in order to arouse interest in spatial data, with a special focus on teaching children.



Its website explains that there are real addresses in the game. This allows to engage in a discussion on places and their meanings.



The agency has also suggested using the replica as a means to take students on virtual field trips.



"We've discovered that children are more motivated when they have something they know," stated Mr Hammeken. He stated that Minecraft is used in Denmark as an educational tool for a long period.



It is not clear who the "vandals" were or why they targeted Denmark.



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