Community Corner

SLIDESHOW: Framingham Brothers Finish 1-2 in Minecraft Tournament

Sam Freedman, a sixth grade student at Walsh Middle School, won the first-ever Minecraft Tournament at the Framingham Public Library Tuesday afternoon.

Sam Freedman, a sixth grade student at Walsh Middle School, won the first-ever Minecraft Tournament at the Framingham Public Library Tuesday afternoon.

His brother, Jack Freedman, an 8th grade student at Walsh Middle, finished in second place. And it was a sweep for Walsh, as Shane Daley, a sixth grade student, captured third place.

The winner of the tournament, for boys and girls in grades 6-12, could choose between a 10-person party at Game Underground, who sponsored the tournament with the library, or a Minecraft Diamond sword.

Freedman chose the sword.

Framingham Young Adult Librarian Marcy Maiorana said she easily filled the first-ever tournament with more than 30 teen boys and girls. The tournament was held Tuesday, April 22 from 1 to 5 p.m.

Wondering what Minecraft is?

Minecraft is a video game in which players create and break apart various kinds of blocks in three-dimensional worlds.

The game’s two main modes are survival and creative.

In Survival, players must find their own building supplies and food. They also interact with block-like mobs, or moving creatures. (Creepers and zombies are some of the dangerous ones.)

In Creative, players are given supplies and do not have to eat to survive. They also can break all kinds of blocks immediately.

While some may look at Minecraft as just a video game, others consider it educational.

Middle school student can create their own 3-D worls and learn lessons about communication, collaboration and digital citizenship from the game, according to Edutopia.

Playing Minecraft helps your child hone his mathematical, spatial, and analytical abilities, according to Joel Levin, a Brooklyn school teacher who created MinecraftEdu to help teachers bring the game into their classrooms. 

For other Minecraft education lessons, click here.




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