Geography lessons become virtual: Danish government creates Minecraft version of ENTIRE country to aid teachers.
The entire country was recreated by government's mapping department
Teachers can also use the Minecraft lesson plans to make education more accessible.
Published at 18:06 EDT on 25 April 2014. Updated at 19:01 EDT on the 25th April 2014.
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The entire country has been recreated by the Danish government in the well-known computer game Minecraft.
The government hopes that it will make learning more enjoyable for students by being the first country to fully integrate into the game of blocks Minecraft games.
It has even created a series of lesson plans for teachers that assist them in navigating the virtual version of their country.
The Ministry of the Environment in Denmark has created a Minecraft model of Denmark for players to explore.
The model that is downloaded is made up of 4,000 billion blocks. It requires 1 Terabyte of storage space.
What is Minecraft?
Minecraft was launched in 2009. At the beginning of the game, players are placed in a 'virtually endless game world.'
They can then explore different terrains, including caves, forests, and mountains.
To get a bird's eye view of the landscape, players can fly high in the air.
Players are provided with blocks and tools to build towns and cities.
As a player progresses they will earn advanced tools and building blocks in various materials.
The game was originally developed for the PC but there are now Xbox 360 and mobile versions available.
The model consists of about 4000 billion bricks, and consumes around 1TB (1000 Gigabyte) for those who want to download the entire country.
'We have constructed Denmark online in Minecraft to allow young people can plant their own forests and create riding school, a lake, wind turbine, biogas plant, and so on,' said Kirsten Brosbol, Danish Minister for the Environment. Kirsten Brosbol, Danish Minister for the Environment.
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"Imagination is the only limit."
"This is our way to connect the digital and natural worlds."
It was founded by Simon Kokkendorf and Thor Bjorn Nielsen from Geodatastyrelsen the Danish mapping arm of the government.
They used publically available information about the country ranging from elevation models to information about buildings and roads, and transformed it into Minecraft's characteristic bricks.
The team also developed an electronic map system so that visitors can easily navigate their own neighbourhood in the model.
They will also be able to look at the natural landscapes and nature as they are in real life.
The Agency said that you can "go for a walk" in the countryside of Denmark. You can also view any place in Denmark in the same way as Google Street View.
Orestad school in Copenhagen has been testing the system for teaching students geography and maths.
Katrin Kristensen, a teacher at Orestad school, explained that in the past, the teacher would lay out an outline of Denmark in the classroom and let the students scribble over the names of the different regions.
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In the future, Danish school children and others will be able to record in the game of plants and animals they've observed or encountered in nature.
"Now Denmark is available right here on tablets for children or computers, advancing the goal of using digital technology to teach.
'We already have good experience using Minecraft in teaching maths for instance.
"With the real Denmark available as an Minecraft world, we will have even more opportunities to stimulate learning.
"Students think it's much more enjoyable when they are working on their own home, street, and the like.'
However the developers have made one change to the game : taking away the ability to use dynamite to blast up areas.