[dropcap]I[/dropcap]t seems the euphoria of Minecraft is still alive and kicking, or to better to put it, is kept alive and kicking by its never-tiring mod community. Minecraft, the sand-box indie game that received critical acclaim back in 2009 when it was released, still finds many players and admirers who just can’t have enough of it. We have witnessed multiple user-generated content varying from elements taken from different themed media like Portal to The Hunger Games and even Pokémon. So you might wonder apart from the ton of mods, various texture-packs, custom maps and skin packs, what else could anybody do that could take Minecraft even further than it has come. The answer lies in the bizarre technology of Quantum Physics.
qCraft is a recently released mod in Minecraft that is generating a buzz of interest. No wait, this is not some fluffy content released by some super nerdy Minecraft-fan who also happens to watch “The Big Bang Theory”; this is a mod that has come from an unlikely source which is less known for its contribution to gaming. We are talking about the Google Quantum AI Lab which has surprised the gaming populace, albeit in a positive way, about what happens when you bring quantum physics into the world of Minecraft.
qCraft allows players to experiment with quantum physics using the game’s world allowing an even newer way to play and enjoy the game. Hence it walks on the borderline of being both fun and educational at the same time. Minecraft has long been used to build some tremendous things like the Starship Enterprise, calculators, printers or a super-sized Mario, but never had anyone thought of throwing the quirky world of quantum physics into the mix.. until Google that is. The Google Quantum AI Lab Team has added various characteristics of the Quantum world like superposition, entanglement and observer dependency characteristics through new blocks which the player is able to traverse with.
The Team said that they got this idea to get kids to learn and appreciate quantum physics and pay more interest in science. The Team thinks that the next big wave of scientists are going to come from the breed of gamers who are smart, creative and very open to newer ideas. With millions of players spending a lot of time in Minecraft right from digging caves to fighting monsters to building space shuttles, the AI Lab Team thought it would be a fun way of doing their bit to science in the name of experimentation and discovery. Furthermore they state that qCraft may not be a perfect simulation yet, but it sure is a fun way for users to experience quantum mechanics outside of thought experiments or thick textbook examples. The Team’s post ended with them saying that they don’t even know the full potential of qCraft and what can be made with it, but they’re excited to find out what Minecraft’s players discover with it.
Apart from being available as a direct install for Windows PC and Mac, qCraft is also available as part of the mod packs FTB Unleashed, Tekkit and Hexxit.
Here’s a video of the gameplay in qCraft
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nD-iVXglyTQ