Swedish school makes Minecraft compulsory

Students at the Viktor Rydberg school in Stockholm will be using Minecraft to learn about environmental issues and city planning.

The indie hit from Swedish developer Markus ‘Notch’ Persson is seeing increasing use in classrooms through programs such as the UN’s "Block by Block" initiative.

“It’s their world and they enjoy it,” teacher Monica Ekman told The Local.

“They learn about city planning, environmental issues, getting things done, and even how to plan for the future.”

About 180 13 year-old students will take part in the program inspired by a national school competition called "Future City", which challenges educators to come up with innovative improvements to learning.