Building campus, one block at a time

04/17/2013

By Kayla Lemay

Comment Staff

Geeks on campus are joining forces to build a virtual Bridgewater State University campus, and are looking for help.

Minecraft, a video game in which the player creates structures made of 3D blocks is played this semester not just for entertainment, but to compete against other students on campus. As a part of Geek Week, hosted by the Adventure Roleplaying Club, the Computer Science club is hosting a Minecraft tournament until the end of the semester.

Zachary Enos and Vanessa Gregory sketch designs of ECC. Kayla Lemay Photo.

According to Computer Science club vice president Kyle Zemke, the goal is to work in teams to create a block-version of any building on campus and the winner receives a 3D printout of their model.

Currently, the only building in the competition is ECC, being built by sophomore Vanessa Gregory, freshman Zachary Enos, and freshman Nick Grisolia, or Team “Titanium Bacon.” They must build and perfect both the inside and the outside of their building in order to win.

“We chose ECC because the shape is cool, and the dining hall and bookstore would be fun to do, and it has the glass dome,” said Gregory.

Originally the group wanted to build the new Conant Science building, but it would have been too far away from the Moakley building already constructed in the digital model.

“Conant is huge, and I’m kind of glad we changed our minds,” Enos said. “I don’t think I have the time for that.”

The Computer Science club’s competition allows the teams to build on a special server created for the competition. The final products will be judged by three of the Computer Science club’s officers: Matthew Ahrens, Kyle Zemke, and Mathew Peltier.

While some teams may take a more structured approach by splitting up the work, team “Titanium Bacon” has a different strategy.

“We’re not really going to split up the work, we’re just going to do a whole collaborative effort,” Enos said.

The team agreed it would take around 6 hours of total work, but Enos said he took plenty of pictures of ECC to aid the team in cutting down the time.

“You can make anything,” Enos said. “ It’s like playing with Legos, except on the computer and without the choking hazard.”

“If everybody picks a building, and we work on the roads and foliage a bit, we could have the entirety of campus built,” Gregory said. “It’d be cool to walk around it.”

Gregory added it’s a great opportunity for beginners because the club is giving free accounts to those interested, saving them $30.

“If you’ve ever wanted to play Minecraft, now is the time to do it,” she said. “Minecraft is a fun, stress-relieving way to be creative.”

Minecraft started out as an indie PC game in 2009, and 3 years later became a widely popular game found on not just PCs, but the Xbox 360, Android phones, and iOS devices like the iPhone.

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