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Getting More From Minecraft During Lock Down

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We all know how good Minecraft is for building imaginative worlds and going on adventures. In many ways, it's the Lego of a new generation. But, like many games, there is more to this than meets the eye.

Over the years the creative options available in Minecraft have grown substantially. The latest added bees with a focus on how important these creatures are for the real world.

"Each area that bees improve offer countless gameplay opportunities, from sticky surfaces (handy!) to flourishing farms (tasty!). Hives can be harvested for honey, and honey becomes sugar. In Minecraft, as in real life, everything is connected in one harmonious cycle. And in both worlds, it all starts with the bees!"

As well as these official updates there are user created experience you can purchase and download from the marketplace. Of particular interest are maps created by parents, teachers and educators that offer a wide range of ways to interact, learn and create.

To draw back the curtain on this aspect of the game I asked Adam Clarke to create a video introducing his Alphabet Dino Coaster map. This is a huge space, that took Adam and his wife 2 months to create, in which you can find not only dinosaurs and roller coasters but alphabet poems to introduce young children to the different creatures.

To get these maps you just need to go to the Marketplace and download them:

  1. Start Minecraft on Xbox, PlayStation, Switch, PC, Smartphone, Tablet.
  2. Click the Marketplace button
  3. Sign in with your Xbox Live account to purchase content that can be used across different platforms.
  4. Search for the map you would like to purchase.
  5. Click Purchase and add funds.
  6. The map then downloads automatically.
  7. Click Play, then click Create New and scroll down to select the new template.
  8. Click Create World, and then click Create.

You are then ready to start exploring the world you have downloaded. In the case of Alphabet Dino Coaster, you start in a room with a map of the island and some pictures of the dinosaurs you will find.

Out the door to the island proper, you are let on a journey around the map introducing the letters of the alphabet along with each dinosaur. What is really nice about this map is that you can a poem read to you by the creator of the map. It really is a lovely all-round experience for younger children.

"We wanted to create a Minecraft map that was inspiring for young people but also had poetry by my wife, Victoria Bennet, as well as dinosaurs and coasters. I'm hoping it will be a map that people can get a lot of pleasure and joy from," Said Adam.

Other excellent educational maps for Minecraft include:

Avatar for Andrew Robertson
Andrew Robertson
Andy Robertson is the editor of AskAboutGames and has written for national press and broadcast about video games and families for over 15 years. He has just published the Taming Gaming book with its Family Video Game Database.