For people in most countries, it can be easy to take freedom of information for granted and forget how many governments censor the information their people are allowed to access. To combat this, an advocacy group has devised a way to let people in these countries access that censored information, all thanks to a rather unconventional platform: Minecraft.
Reporters Without Borders is a non-profit organization that works to protect the rights of journalists across the globe. Teaming up with Blockworks, a company that specializes in designing custom experiences in Minecraft, they have created The Uncensored Library, a map that takes advantage of the in-game ability to write virtual books and offers hundreds of books republishing “forbidden articles” that have been censored by various governments, featuring works by journalists who have been harrassed, jailed, and even killed for calling out injustices.
As odd as it may sound at first, it’s worth pointing out that video games are a fairly common target of government censorship, and even Minecraft has nearly been banned. More importantly, though, Minecraft is widely available even in these countries and, better yet, not controlled like the rest of their media, as The Uncensored Library’s website is keen to point out.
“In many countries, websites, social media and blogs are controlled by oppressive leaders. Young people, in particular, are forced to grow up in systems where their opinion is heavily manipulated by governmental disinformation campaigns," a statement on the site reads. “ But even where almost all media is blocked or controlled, the world’s most successful computer game is still accessible. Reporters Without Borders (RSF) uses this loophole to bypass internet censorship to bring back the truth – within Minecraft.”
It’s going to be interesting to see how things unfold from here. It’s possible that oppressive regimes won’t notice that the Library exists among the countless maps available in Minecraft, but it’s just as possible that this act of protest could lead to them trying to ban Minecraft, adding it to the list of games that have been banned by governments. Whatever happens, RSF seems ready to fight it out. “Together with the ever-expanding gaming community, we will show the world that the truth will never be silenced!”
Starting today, which fittingly happens to be the World Day Against Cyber Censorship, Minecraft players can explore the Library, which takes the form of a temple-like neoclassical building made up of 12.5 million blocks and constructed by 24 Blockworks builders over the course of three months. Right now, there are around 200 books full of controversial information available, but there is room for the Library to grow with time, as more journalistic works are censored around the globe.
Minecraft is available on Mobile, PC, PS4, Switch, and Xbox One.
Source: The Uncensored Library