Organizations have adopted Minecraft for various programs. One interesting new project sees a Vatican Priest propose a Minecraft server dedicated to peace. The aim of the server will be to help to thwart toxic language and behavior online. Father Robert Ballecer says he wants a place where gamers can play together without worrying about hate speech of content. It is worth noting Ballecer is not just spouting a dream. He has a background working in Silicon Valley and wants to create the Minecraft hate-free environment. Minecraft was not the only option Ballecer had in mind. He took to Twitter to give people a choice of games that could become the safe haven for gamers. Alongside Minecraft, he added Rust, Team Fortress 2, and Ark: Survival Evolved.
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64% of his follower choose Minecraft. Interviewed by Rome Reports (via VG24/7), Ballecer said he wants to promote healthy online relationships. “It’s not about the technology, it’s not even really about the gaming,” Ballecer told the outlet. “It’s about getting people together who can then maybe move those relationships to the real world.” “At first, there were a lot of people who were very hesitant. Because you see this guy in a collar talking about the latest offerings from Google, or how you run fiber optics across the Atlantic. And they didn’t understand, they said, ‘Wait a minute, these two things don’t go together.’ But after a time, they realized, ‘Okay, he knows what he’s talking about, he just happens to be a priest.’ And ultimately, that was the ministry I was trying to do.” The new Minecraft server is now in testing and Ballecer wants users to provide feedback. It is open to all users with a paid Minecraft account.
