International press freedom non-profit Reporters Without Borders has created a massive library in Minecraft. The Uncensored Library was crafted in conjunction with Minecraft creation studio BlockWorks and aims to overcome censorship in countries with little or no press freedom. The library itself contains books and articles that were censored in their countries of origin.
Reporters Without Borders (RSF) says that in many countries, free information is hard to come by. Censorship is rife in many countries around the world, with journalists punished with jail time or worse for publishing stories unfavorable to their respective regimes. That's what the Uncensored Library is intended to combat. By crafting a massive repository of books in Minecraft, RSF hopes to both overcome state censorship and to get younger generations interested in politics. You can check out the announcement trailer for the Uncensored Library below:
According to RSF, the library's design follows the neoclassical architectural style prevalent in Roman and Greek architecture. That's fitting, given that it's effectively a digital Library of Alexandria. BlockWorks says that's intentional; this style of architecture "represents freedom of knowledge" and the power of truth to topple authoritarian governments and regimes. The map took Blockworks over 250 hours to construct and was made by 24 builders from 16 different countries (again, rather apposite given the subject matter).
If you'd like to go check out the Uncensored Library, you can do so by inputting "visit.uncensoredlibrary.com" into your Minecraft server address box. It's accessible on any version of Minecraft, so it doesn't matter what platform you're playing the game on. You can also download the map to play offline right here. Visiting that page will also grant you access to more info about the Uncensored Library. If you'd like, you can read the original RSF announcement, too. Be warned: it's pretty long.
Do you think the Uncensored Library is a good idea? What would you like to see in the library? Let us know in the comments below!
