Minecraft's uncensored library provides virtual haven for press freedom fighters
Reporters Without Borders (RSF) has created a virtual library in the popular video game Minecraft, known as The Uncensored Library
Reporters Without Borders (RSF), a non-profit organization dedicated to promoting press freedom worldwide, has built a virtual library inside the popular video game Minecraft. The library is called "The Uncensored Library," and it houses articles and books banned in countries like Egypt, Mexico, and Russia. RSF and creative agency DDB created the library to provide young gamers in countries with stringent press censorship rules access to material that is otherwise unavailable.
The virtual library is located inside Minecraft, and blockchain cloud storage is used to prevent governments from surveilling its contents. According to senior art director Sandro Heierli, "The offline map is then stored on a decentralized blockchain cloud storage – which is impossible to hack." The library has been downloaded over 200,000 times, making it difficult to take down even for RSF.
The articles and books in The Uncensored Library have been carefully selected by RSF and DDB based on specific criteria. They compared countries with high scores on RSF's World Press Freedom Index against those with high Minecraft usage, as outlined in Google data. RSF is in close contact with the journalists or their families to ensure their safety.
Users can collect, share, and even write their own books in the game. While they can read the books in The Uncensored Library, they cannot change the content of the books on the server. RSF and DDB collaborated with design studio BlockWorks to build the library, which is based on the design of the New York Public Library and took 24 people from 16 countries and 12.5 million "digital Lego blocks" to create.
Also read | Unlock the treasure trove! Minecraft Legends players discover hidden resource trick
This is not the first time that Minecraft has been used to provide disadvantaged communities with a platform. The United Nations used the game to get communities in developing countries to design their own public spaces, and architect Bjarke Ingels has used the game as a model for engaging communities with urban design.
