The second is a Minecraft gamer using Minetest for the first time.īefore deploying Minetest at the library, I installed the game on my home computer and spent some time learning the game. The first is a teacher who explains how he uses the game in his classroom. Here are a couple videos showing the game.

There are several mods, or game extensions available for free.

The game can be played as a single-player, or if you are adventurous you can setup a local server.

The game is played using a keyboard and mouse, so no special controllers needed.

The game can be played on Windows, Linux, OSX, and FreeBSD.

Minetest provides several advantages over Minecraft: The developers describe Minetest as “an infinite-world block sandbox game and a game engine, inspired by InfiniMiner, Minecraft and the like.” The game visuals and game play are very similar to Minecraft and anyone who has played with Minecraft will almost immediately be able to play Minetest. And then the cost of acquiring a game system, television, extra controllers, and the games themselves.Īnd then I ran across Minetest, a Minecraft clone. In other words, we could not provide streaming or server-based gaming due to limited bandwidth. The games played would have to be limited to either single-player or whatever the game is setup to provide. Every square inch of space that we do have must be flexible to other uses, limiting availability. We do not have a space that we can dedicate entirely to a gaming area with a large screen and sufficient seating. Our biggest challenges are space, bandwidth, and cost. Passive learning through gaming is a trend and something that does fit in a library.Īt my small rural library we have long discussed adding a game system and gaming to our youth programming. Gaming in the library is not usually considered a STEM activity, but Minecraft turns that idea on its head. In many ways the game is a graphic version of Legos.

Mods, or add-ons, provide additional building resources, alternative gaming scenarios, and bad guys. This game with it’s low-tech looking graphics provides opportunities for world-building and problem solving.

Minetest steam games minecraft