apps for teens

Minecraft in the Library

Minecraft is all the rage these days. Either you know about it or you have at least heard about it and are trying to figure it out. The way I often describe Minecraft to people is "Legos meets Survivor" (meets the Walking Dead -- I throw that in there sometimes to entice zombie fans!). The appeal of the game is that there are no rules (and the fact that the graphics look like they came straight out of an early 90s video game). You can come into the world and build fanciful creations in Creative Mode with an unlimited number of blocks. Or you can take on the challenge of Survival Mode, relying on your own two hands to find resources and survive the dark night. You can even play in your friends' worlds (or they can visit yours) and go on adventures or just hang out and talk.

Whichever path you choose, you are bound to find something that meets your play style.  We are excited to announce that the Minecraft server at the Rifle Branch Library is up and running! This means that participants can now play Minecraft in the same world together at the library and anything they create is saved for future access! This also means that we will be starting a Minecraft Club this summer where teens and families can come and participate in learning about Minecraft, completing creative building projects, and competing in Minecraft battles. Keep an eye out for dates and times. For now, the server will be run at different times as we are still in a testing phase, so please check in at the front desk for details on how to connect. Eventually, we will have set times for open server play and for when it is used in Minecraft Club.
Finally, we have expanded the Minecraft game on to all of our public computers, granting more access to the game, more opportunities to play! So, stop by. Check it out. And Mine On!