British Museum to be Digitally Recreated In Minecraft
British Museum to be digitally recreated in Minecraft By Joe Miller Technology Reporter
23 September 2014
The British Museum in London - complete with all its exhibits - is to be recreated in the video game Minecraft.
This project is part of the Museum of the Future program which aims to boost the institution's appeal.
Many real-world organizations have created maps in the Minecraft universe, including Ordnance Survey and the Danish government, who seek to make young people more aware of their work.
Last week, Minecraft was purchased by Microsoft for $2.5bn (PS1.5bn).
A spokesperson for the museum stressed that the project was still in "an early planning phase" and that the "build" has not yet started.
She said that the organization was looking for volunteers to assist in the "construction".
The British Museum
The first public museum of nationality in the world, founded in 1753.
The UK's most visited tourist destination
Almost six million visitors a year, and houses eight million items
Its natural history collections were relocated to South Kensington in 1880s, which would later become the Natural History Museum.
Its instantly easily identifiable Great Court was designed by Lord Foster and is the largest covered public space in Europe.
One employee from the British Museum posted details about the project on Reddit and solicited volunteers.
The game received a rousing response from Minecraft fans across the world.
Initial stages
The initial step involves digitally constructing the Great Court and facade of the building.
The museum hopes that this stage will be in place in time for the public debate entitled Changing public dialogues about museum collections in the digital age. The event will be held on October 16th.
Ovum's Ovum gaming analyst Ed Barton told the BBC that the British Museum's move towards Minecraft would make it "perceived to be something fun" and serve as an educational tool for the younger crowd.
"It's the digital equivalent of building the British Museum in Lego," he said. It has to be built brick by brick.
He said that the organization was to be commended for crowdsourcing the project "as it makes it a collaborative thing" and will further inspire youngsters Minecraft gamers.
"What a cool project it is to be asked to construct the Elgin Marbles in Minecraft," he said.
Those interested in donating to the British Museum's project can sign up on Reddit.
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British Museum - Museum of the future