Times are tough, I know. COVID-19 has almost every industry shut down and almost all humans (aside from the heroes in healthcare, food services, and other essentials) stuck at home. Queue every nerd making, “Finally, my time has come!” remarks. Don’t worry, I’m the same. It is important to focus on the good that comes out of people in times of crisis. In one example, Xbox is offering free Minecraft content to help with isolation.
Phil Spencer release a blog post titled “A Message to the Gaming Community on What we’re Doing to Help Today” on the Xbox website. The post takes note of how this pandemic has impacted people. Spencer urges how important it is to remember that “we’re all living and learning through this together.”
With hundreds of millions of kids at home due to coronavirus-related school closures more kids are going online to spend time with their friends, explore online worlds and learn through play. Families are trying to navigate the need to help their children with distance learning and balance that with taking time to have fun. That’s why we announced today that we are adding a new Education category to the Minecraft Marketplace with free educational content players and parents can download.
As much as we all love to pretend to hate learning, I find this move beautiful. Minecraft has always been an avenue for creativity, and could even teach you complex circuitry. With children stuck home from school, parents need all the resources for both entertainment and education they can get. The new free Minecraft content includes exploration of the International Space Station, coding basics, and marine biology.
Even in home isolation, sitting in front of a screen all day isn’t a good idea. I say this knowing full well I am guilty of just that. Family settings can set screen time limits, content filters, communication settings, and more to help parents achieve balance at home.
You don’t have to be close to be kind, and seeing large companies like this offer even small ways to help sets a good example. Spencer finishes the post by stating, “Stay safe and be good to one another.” and I agree. If you can stay home, do so. Have to head out? Maintain social distancing. If you’re stuck in quarantine, play some games and learn some stuff!
We’re going to try to keep dishing out positivity and news, so keep up to date on gaming news and reviews at Informed Pixel. Want to speak to the team and interact with other gamers? You can do so over on the Informed Pixel Facebook page or on the Informed Pixel Twitter account.
WASH YOUR HANDS!
