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Xbox is using an interactive single-player Minecraft game to help teach kids about internet safety and cultural inclusion ahead of Global Safer Internet Day.
Whether you’re gaming on a PC or an Xbox Series X|S, being safe on the internet should always be your top priority. Thanks to a new Minecraft game known as Privacy Prodigy, kids aged 7-18 can play and learn about this critical skill.
According to a blog post (opens in new tab) by Xbox, Privacy Prodigy is an “immersive game-based learning experience”, a continuation of the CyberSafe series from Minecraft Education. With this learning tool, kids will be able to understand “how to keep their personal data safe” thanks to challenges that will promote informed decision-making about who should have their information and why.
“Players will also learn strategies for protecting their personal data and ways to mitigate any issues that arise from compromised information”, the post continues. This will hopefully teach students digital literacy skills as well as the complex idea of trust on the internet.
Privacy Prodigy is available on the Minecraft Education Library (opens in new tab). Or, to access this learning experience for free at home, you can log into Minecraft Bedrock for free in the Minecraft Marketplace.
AI helping hand
Communication is a vital part of any gaming experience, and as you usually aren’t interacting face-to-face with another player when online, words can carry a heavier meaning. This is why Xbox also uses an AI and human insights-powered Community Sift platform to classify and filter content from images, messages, and videos.
The Community Sift feature helps specialists determine “what language is offensive and what is simply gaming slang or part of one’s culture”, said Xbox. This way, as children learn how to be better online, Xbox is also trying to improve their digital footprint and make the learning environment safer.
Minecraft to the rescue, again
Minecraft promotes creativity thanks to its blocky builds and wild, unpredictable adventures. Teaming this lovable game with a productive educational experience is a no-brainer to make learning fun and engaging for the younger generation.
Minecraft Education is developer Mojang’s game-based platform that allows players to approach problems and new learning from different perspectives within the familiar world of Minecraft. For example, Mojang promotes an hour of code that encourages players to learn programming skills to escape puzzle-filled rooms. Another exercise has you exploring five various Minecraft worlds and experiencing life as the different animals that inhabit them with added information from the BBC series Frozen Planet II.
The 500+ lessons, immersive worlds, and challenges are a great way to make learning fun for a new generation of kids. Adding internet safety to this long list of educational activities is a great way to engage and promote safe digital interactions for children of all ages.