Imagine growing up with your mother telling you to stop playing video games, and then discovering that you have acquired such a useful skill that the United Nations hires you as a video game expert.
That’s exactly what happened to Eugenio Gastelum, who grew up in Mexico playing Minecraft through the night with his friends and now uses his gaming skills to help the United Nations redesign urban spaces. “It’s the best job in the world,” he says, describing his journey from gamer to game-changer.
Minecraft is not only the best-selling video game of all time, it is also a surprisingly effective way to visualize a three-dimensional environment and design urban spaces. Block by Block is an organization that allows Minecraft players to turn neglected urban spaces into vibrant places that improve quality of life for local residents. Thanks to Minecraft people of all ages, backgrounds and education levels can quickly change their environments by integrating the game into urban design plans.
From Kathmandu to Kosovo, Minecraft and Block by Block give neighborhood residents the training, tools and platforms to participate and contribute their ideas in a collaborative process that helps develop inclusive, sustainable cities.
Thanks to Block by Block partnering with UN-Habitat to use Minecraft, people of all ages, backgrounds, and education levels can quickly change their environments by integrating the game into urban design plans.
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