This week in video games, December 5, 2016: Minecraft in schools, Watchdogs 2

by Blaine Kyllo on December 5th, 2016 at 4:22 PM

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This week, two more reasons to love Minecraft; first, though, why you'll want to give Watchdogs 2 a chance.

Finding the warnings in Watchdogs 2

On one level, Ubisoft's Watchdogs 2 is a clever, open world game in which players become computer hackers, injecting a bit of anarchy into a corporate system that is showing its evil side.

Marcus Holloway is the protagonist here, and the setting moves from Chicago to San Francisco, but the premise is much the same: the city has installed a "Central Operating System" or ctOS, a connected surveillance system that is being exploited.

Marcus and a network of young hackers aim to rectify things.

Armed with a computer and a bunch of tech-based tools, Marcus can take on dozens of operations that ultimately support his efforts. You'll decide what kind of Marcus you want to play, too, choosing between being stealthy, being tricky, and being aggressive.

But on another level, the game serves as something of a warning to us all. Because as it's been made clear by the developers and by real-world hackers and security experts, this stuff is more authentic than you want to believe.

Maybe that's the best reason of all to play Watchdogs 2. Beyond the simple joy of running around the Bay Area being mischievous, you're learning a bit about what could happen to you one day.

Watchdogs 2 Gameplay

Minecraft moves into classrooms

Minecraft is a phenomenon. Often referred to as being digital Lego, the game/building tool/exploration toy is now available on nearly every digital platform you can imagine, from computers and game systems to smarphones and tablets.

And Microsoft, which owns the franchise, has now opened Minecraft up to educational institutions.

Minecraft: Education Edition is now available in 50 countries at the cost of only $5 per user per year. Microsoft also has licensing discounts available for educational institutions.

In addition to the regular features, the new edition includes a classroom mode that gives educators control over world settings and lets them communicate with students, give them in-world items, and even teleport them.

A website provides support for teachers and instructors. At that site are lesson plans and opportunities to collaborate and connect with other educators.

Minecraft: Education Edition

Celebrate Computer Science Week with new Minecraft Designer

It's Computer Science Week, and available now at Code.org is a new free tutorial that uses Minecraft to teach the critical thinking skills that are at the core of coding and programming.

Minecraft Hour of Code Designer is available in 50 languages.

Rogue One comes to Star Wars Battlefront

Releasing tomorrow (December 6) as an update to Star Wars Battlefront is Rogue One Scarif:

It includes four new maps based on environments from the upcoming film (Rogue One: A Star Wars Story is in theatres on December 16), and introduces Jyn Erso and Orson Krennic as playable heroes.