Microsoft, Mojang AB (developers behind Minecraft) and Code.org unveiled a Minecraft coding tutorial for students and educators earlier this week. Specifically created for the third-annual Hour of Code, it's a campaign aimed at broadening student participation in computer science. Held during Computer Science Education Week, December 7–13, this new tutorial is now available at https://www.code.org/mc. 

It introduces players to basic coding within the Minecraft environment. Created by Mojang AB along with Code.org, the tutorial features Steve and Alex from Minecraft and features challenges that will be familiar to the game's more than 100 million players worldwide.

“A core part of our mission to empower every person on the planet is equipping youth with computational thinking and problem-solving skills to succeed in an increasingly digital world,” said Satya Nadella, Microsoft CEO. 

Designed for ages 6 and up, the Minecraft tutorial encourages them to navigate, mine, craft and explore in a 2D world by plugging together blocks to complete all actions and generate computer code. Players are offered a set of 14 challenges, including free play time, to explore coding concepts they’ve learned through the tutorial. 

To date, more than 100 million students across 180 countries and 40 languages have participated in the Hour of Code. This year, the campaign expects to exceed 100 000 events during December 7 to 13, and aims to introduce more students to this field.