Coding with Minecraft

INTRODUCTION

“Just three more diamonds, and then I’ll stop,” I remember telling myself while playing Minecraft. I needed the diamonds for a new pickaxe. I needed the pickaxe to mine more obsidian. I needed the obsidian to make a Nether portal. I needed to go to the Nether to pick up lava. And I needed the lava for . . . what did I need the lava for again? Oh, right. I was sculpting a giant phoenix statue in the side of a mountain, and I wanted to make lava pour out from its eyes and beak. Two hours later, I was still playing, unable to pry myself away from the task at hand.

Minecraft is an addictive game. It has sold over 107 million copies, making ...