Here’s a heart-warming story after a month of cynicism and scorn; players are putting together a Minecraft server for children to enter on Easter to participate in an Easter Bunny hunt. Due to the threat of COVID-19 spreading, some users are concerned that kids won’t get to participate in the annual tradition of hunting for Easter eggs, and are taking to the quintessential sandbox of Minecraft to offer the favored pastime in a modern setting. This isn’t the first time Minecraft is being used recently to bypass restrictions in the real-world; from the Polish government opening a Minecraft server for children to using the title as a means to convey censored great journalistic works, the sandbox is being used now more than ever to bring new experiences to a society that finds themselves, for the time being, trapped indoors.
A user by the name of ChayceTheGreat on Reddit is the mastermind behind this effort that is inviting children the opportunity to explore a specially constructed world for kids on April 12th; the server is already purchased, but it’s starting to dawn on them the scale of work that is necessary for the idea to come to fruition.
To that end, they’re asking for help from the Minecraft community at large; they need builders and staff on hand during log-in to help escort kids around the map and ensure bad actors are dealt with before they dampen the experience for others.
If you fancy yourself a particularly capable builder, or if you’re willing to spend some time helping children in Mojang’s genre-defining Minecraft, then ‘Minecraft Gamers Against Corona’ is desperately looking for your help. If you find yourself more apt with coding, making sense of syntax and numbers than building blocks, they’re looking for developers as well. You can offer to volunteer through their Twitter profile.
We are looking for builders for our group! We are hosting an Easter event on the 12th and need as many volunteers as we can get!! Please message if you can! We need guides for when the event goes live! We need builders and coders too! pic.twitter.com/c2YapNG2aa
— Minecraft Gamers For Children's Hospitals (@GamersCorona) April 4, 2020
If you have children that would like to participate in this heart-warming Easter Bunny hunt on Minecraft, their Twitter profile is your best bet for easy to understand instructions on logging your child in so they can participate in the festivities. Parents are encouraged to sit next to their kids while they’re searching for Easter Bunnies and become part of the experience; note that you’ll need a unique Minecraft account in order to log into the server, along with online capabilities. The Easter Bunny himself will be making an appearance, and the server will be open all month to ensure that everyone has an opportunity to participate.
Wanna help out during this crisis? Come help us host free events for kids in Minecraft! We have a discord with a personal server to host events in! #Minecraft #COVID19 #coronavirus #HealthyAtHome #volunteer #staysafe #SpreadJoyNotGerms pic.twitter.com/C8ijVrX9DC
— Minecraft Gamers For Children's Hospitals (@GamersCorona) April 4, 2020
Minecraft Gamers Against Corona is hoping to use Minecraft in the future for the length of the pandemic to get children interacting with each other, with other events in the works currently such as a Mother’s Day building competition. They are also planning on streaming the Minecraft building on Extra Life to help raise money for children in hospitals around the world.
Of course, for such lofty ambitions to be realized, they are desperately looking for support and help within the gaming community. From financial donations to ensure that the server can handle all of the kids logging in and enjoying themselves, to volunteers to help administrate and plan this event and forthcoming ones, every iota of support can help ensure that children don’t miss out on the fun traditions due to global concerns.
