Students turn to Minecraft during the pandemic

“College students re-create campuses and plan virtual graduation, on ‘Minecraft’: Displaced Berklee College of Music, Boston University, and Emerson students are turning to the video game during the coronavirus pandemic.”

Students created new “Minecraft” servers for their college community or took to social media to invite classmates back to dormant realms, where players can freely build ecosystems or battle foes. There, students — left without real-world classrooms, dorms, and dining halls to socialize in — are spending time together virtually.

“It’s a fun way to, at the very least, interact with each other,” said Ralph Drake, a junior visual media arts major at Emerson who launched the school’s “Minecraft” server on March 13. “It’s collaborative at a time when we are so separated.”