Xbox is adding free educational content to Minecraft for students stuck at home

This will make homeschooling a bit more interesting. 

Schools have closed down globally due to the current Covid-19 pandemic, but that doesn’t mean that learning has stopped completely. Most schools are exploring online options to continue educating kids at home, and Xbox is stepping in to help out in their own way. 

Xbox just announced that a new Education category is coming to the Minecraft Marketplace. This free content involves a partnership with NASA, allowing players to explore the International Space Station. Players can also learn to code with a robot, visit famous landmarks in Washington D.C., build 3D fractals, learn about marine biology and much more.

Xbox head Phil Spencer penned the announcement for Xbox Wire, stating:

I have previously stated that I believe gaming has a unique power to bring people together, to entertain, to inspire and connect us, and I believe that’s even more true under these unique circumstances. Many are looking to gaming to remain connected with their friends while practicing social distancing, and we are seeing an unprecedented demand for gaming from our customers right now.

The Education category is now available for free download, and will continue to be available for everyone to try out until June 30, 2020. Honestly, it seems like a great way to let kids play games at home and still learn something while doing so. Minecraft is pretty timeless, after all.

At this point, Covid-19 has caused movie premieres to be postponed, major events to be cancelled and employees to work from home.  It's best that we all stay home, stay safe and flatten the curve for now.

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