As the coronavirus disease-2019 (COVID-19) forced schools, colleges, and universities to shut their doors, some students thought to rebuild the communities they miss through a video game.
LSCampusCraft, the Minecraft version of the Ateneo de Manila University (ADMU), is created by LoyolaGaming, an independent organization founded by Ateneo students.
The Minecraft version of the campus features iconic structures and places like Arete, MVP Center for Student Leadership, JGSOM Building, Rizal Library, Red Brick Road, and the Church of Gesu.
It was reconstructed by a team of 80 students and alumni.
The platform allows students to interact and meet in a virtual Ateneo campus.
Since its beta launch in January, at least 470 students have registered with 89 active users playing the first week alone.
Minecraft is a sandbox video game which lets players explore a blocky, procedurally-generated 3D world with infinite terrain, and may discover and extract raw materials, craft tools, and items, and build structures.
The video game is playable on multiple platforms, including tablet, game consoles, laptop, or personal computer.
In August, the University of Santo Tomas conducted a virtual campus tour in its own Minecraft server for around 12,000 freshmen students.