What is Minecraft?

Minecraft can best be described as a video game with electronic Lego blocks and objects that players use to build virtual worlds. It is inexpensive, accessible on many platforms, and wildly popular, with over 100 million registered users. Young people (and not so young people) play Minecraft at home, and teachers around the world use it to instruct students in such subjects as history, literature and math.

Disclaimer: Building History 3.0 is not endorsed by Minecraft. Minecraft is trademarked and copyrighted by Mojang Synergies AB. 

Can I play Minecraft without making a purchase?

Yes! Minecraft Classic is a free, browser-based version of Minecraft that you can play from any device with a full keyboard. As a throwback to older versions of Minecraft, Classic lacks the advanced features of more contemporary versions, but offers a great way for new players to familiarize themselves with the platform. 

Minecraft for teachers

Most of the activities available on the Building History 3.0 website can be completed using any version of Minecraft. In a classroom setting, students can be encouraged to bring their own devices with Minecraft installed, or teachers can choose to use Minecraft: Education Edition, which is cheaper and more classroom-friendly than commercial versions of the software. 

The company that makes Minecraft, Mojang, has created a reference table that summarizes differences between current versions of Minecraft. Teachers wishing to use Minecraft Education Edition in their classes will find helpful instructional YouTube videos on purchasing and deploying the software. The Minecraft: Education Edition YouTube channel contains dozens of videos for educators demonstrating various aspects of classroom use.