Sydney Opera House will open its doors to gaming fans 2 – 3 July when a special Minecraft invasion will fill the concert hall during the school holidays. The Opera House’s grand Concert Hall and Northern Foyers will be transformed into a Minecraft zone, with devotees able to wander between the main competition on stage and the activities in the foyer. In the Education Zone, kids can show their parents how to play the game.
Minecraft, which has become something of a cult gaming institution since it was launched in 2011, has been lauded by educationalists in the classroom for its learning benefits. The brainchild of Swedish game designer Markus “Notch” Persson, it was later fully developed and published by Mojang. The game attracts more than 120 million members worldwide, and involves players exploring a vast layered online world that can be modelled brick by brick.
Open to ages eight upwards, the Minecraft festival will host a special presentation from Mojang’s Jens Bergensten (lead developer) and Lydia Winters (brand director). Experts in the game will be on hand to hang out with fans and devices will be set up across outside the concert hall, where participants will be able to play on consoles at random.
The two-day extravaganza will also host Australia’s first official “Minecraft Competition”, here holders of top-tier competitor tickets can battle it out as crafters to out-build, out-battle and out-play each other to be named champions. All participants will receive a prize with the winner of the Grand Final for each event taking home an Xbox One 500GB console.
Said Sydney Opera House senior producer for children, families and creative learning, Jamie Dawson: “The Sydney Opera House is about creativity in all its forms. We encourage makers, builders and artists of all kinds. This event is about bringing Minecrafters together to share ideas, challenge each other and to meet the creators of one of the world’s most popular games. And where better to do it than the Opera House.”
Two-day tickets range from AUD35 – AUD55 (€23.28 / €36.58) with a AUD8.50 booking fee.