Nobody likes doing taxes – heck, we’re pretty sure that CPAs don’t like doing taxes and it’s their literal job – so it’s really hard to know how one could gamify the tax filing experience. Regardless, tax filing service H&R Block and survival sandbox Minecraft are apparently going to give it the old college try when the two unveil a collaborative “tax-themed gaming experience” in the form of a special Block City map.
This new map will debut on Saturday, February 3rd, as part of a revival tournament for the Minecraft Competitive League. The map is effectively an H&R Block-branded reboot of the MCL’s original map with custom game modes, models, and characters like the playable Sir Block. This effectively means the map won’t be open to the general public, but it will feature in the aforementioned tournament as well as additional community invitational events, so the map can be viewed during associated event livestreams. Players can also snag H&R Block-themed free cosmetics that can be downloaded in February and March.
The strangeness of mixing taxes and gaming isn’t lost on those behind the cross-promotion, apparently. “Gaming and taxes are an unlikely pairing, which is exactly why we wanted to do this,” said Jill Cress, chief marketing and experience officer for H&R Block. “Many young adult gamers are or will soon file taxes for the first time. Block City and Sir Block are fun and relevant ways to remind them that we are here to help them tackle this challenge and get the best possible outcome at tax time.”
Sure, Jill.
