Minecraft is a sandbox videogame where the player can build, create, and survive in order to explore the environment. The blocky terrain is procedurally generated, creating a virtually neverending explorable world. Players have the option to customise the playing experience by choosing one of three different game modes, affording different types of play. Players can choose to focus on survival (survival mode), which requires them to gather the world’s resources to feed, house, and defend themselves. Alternatively, a player can choose to focus on building their own environment in creative mode, where unlimited resources are provided. Worlds made by other players can be accessed through the adventure mode, where player-made worlds can be shared.
The game was released in 2011 by Mojang Studios, and has since risen to be the best-selling video game of all time. The game has also been applied to educational contexts, training skills like math, leadership, and ecological imagination through the Educational Edition. In contrast to the regular Minecraft, the Educational Edition offers several Education-specific game features (like the camera and note-taking options), an in-game coding companion, a chemistry resource pack, and a library of lesson plans.