Games For Change Awards have shortlisted the Seattle Children’s Hospital Minecraft Server, acknowledged as projects transcending into real social impact. It will be announced on June 26 at 6:30 PM ET if this heartwarming project will take the trophy home.
Some could say this is not just any Minecraft server; it is really a world specially created for children undergoing treatment at Seattle Children’s Hospital to take the children away from the stress medical treatment offers and let the kids just… be kids. The ability to build, explore, and have fun in that virtual world means so much to those little patients, even more so when the whole thing is recognized by Games For Change.
Yet, there were, of course, different reactions on Twitter, you know, because it’s the internet. A few avid gamers went on to praise the project: @DreamyMoonGlow said it gave kids “a nice healthy dose of magic.” @kenmcwilliams10 gave a shout-out to Notch, the original maker of Minecraft, for making a game that could be so deep.
And then came the complaints-because what would a Minecraft announcement be without loads of bug reports? Fix them all, @ReyMario64 and @ActingFrost say, from marketplace errors to Happy Ghast mob glitches. @pittsburghpensh, however, do not want any of that. Just fix mining lag, that’s all they are asking for. Priorities, right?
One prompt was taken even darker by @CaffeinePX, who suggested bringing up the somewhat recent controversies surrounding the hospital. Another user @Arvil84097909 shot that down, asserting, “It’s not the time nor the place.” Meanwhile, @ismalbo chimed in with a wink in Spanish, joking that Minecraft “just added a white tree and pink one,” somehow touting it beside Hytale.
The most wonderful story lies in the contrast between what unfolded in response and the meaning of the server to the little kids. Hospitals can be pretty scary, and for those kids, that little bit of logging into Minecraft means a whole lot. So this award or no award doesn’t matter to them. It is the best to get recognized alongside other socially-impacted games.
So, keep a date on your calendars for June 26 to catch whether the Seattle Children’s Hospital Minecraft server brings home the trophy. And hey, maybe take a second to acknowledge that gaming is more than just fun…sometimes it’s healing.
Now, if Mojang would fix that mining lag.
