We’re familiar with the ways that online games, even generally rather innocent ones like Minecraft, can wind up being breeding grounds for some of the nastiest behaviors human beings can conceive of. This isn’t news to anyone reading this, we know. But Father Robert Ballecer is looking to also prove how they can be a positive force as well with an experiment in having an official Vatican server for the game, encouraging players to come together and collaborate in a space that is specifically curated to nip any toxic behaviors in the bud.
Father Ballecer has a background in engineering, so he seems like a natural fit for this particular sort of experiment; if you’re interested in seeing how it works for yourself, there’s information available on his website, although it may be getting hammered by connections at the moment. (Let’s hope it’s the sort of hammering when a lot of people are curious rather than a lot of people trying to kick over sandcastles.) Now go in peace, in the name of the pickaxe, the inventory, and the holy crafting table.
