Elementary School students organize graduation ceremony inside a videogame

Due to the Covid-19 pandemic, schools around the world were forced to close and many students did not have the opportunity to attend the traditional graduation ceremonies. But a group of 8 students from an elementary school in Japan were determined not to miss the opportunity to celebrate. So, they turned to the popular block-building game Minecraft to solve the problem.

To host the ceremony, they built a virtual assembly hall, with a stage and seating area for all the guests. There was also a big red carpet for all the students to take their virtual walk to the stage. The ceremony took place just like a typical event: the students’ avatar walked the red carpet in procession and took their seats. A student gave a speech in representation of the class and then, one by one, students went to the stage to receive their diplomas.

The idea came easily to the students since they were already regular players and, during lockdown, they turned to the videogame as a way to keep connected.

One of the student’s father shared images of the ceremony on social media, which quickly went viral. Since then, many other schools have followed the example and hosted their graduation ceremonies in the game, including some of the top universities in the world.

Adapted from: https://www.bbc.co.uk/newsround/51930728
https://www.businessinsider.com/japanese-students-organize-minecraft-vir...

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