Editing Minecraft modding (section)

==Official support==
In 2012, Mojang said they were starting work on a repository for ''Minecraft'' modifications.<ref name="MojangHelp">{{Cite web |url=https://help.mojang.com/customer/en/portal/articles/979212-minecraft-mods |title=Minecraft mods |publisher=Mojang |access-date=10 February 2016 |archive-date=21 October 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181021190724/https://help.mojang.com/customer/en/portal/articles/979212-minecraft-mods |url-status=live }}</ref> Their help website lists video tutorials that teach the player how to install and play ''Minecraft'' modifications.<ref name="MojangHelp" />

''Minecraft''{{'}}s creator [[Markus "Notch" Persson]] admitted in 2012 that he was initially skeptical of mods, fearing that the user-made content would threaten his vision for the game.<ref name="NotchVG247">{{Cite web |url=https://www.vg247.com/2012/08/01/notch-minecraft-mod-used-to-threaten-my-vision-minecraft-creator-speaks/ |title=Notch: 'Minecraft mod used to threaten my vision' – Minecraft creator speaks |last=Cook |first=Dave |date=1 August 2012 |website=VG247 |publisher=Videogaming247 Ltd. |access-date=10 March 2016 |archive-date=21 October 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181021153100/https://www.vg247.com/2012/08/01/notch-minecraft-mod-used-to-threaten-my-vision-minecraft-creator-speaks/ |url-status=live }}</ref> Persson says he came around, as he claims to have realized that mods are "a huge reason of what ''Minecraft'' is".<ref name="NotchVG247" /> In some cases, authors of mods even ended up getting a job at Mojang,<ref name="GuardianHQTour">{{Cite web |url=https://www.theguardian.com/technology/2017/feb/08/meet-the-blockheads-a-rare-glimpse-inside-minecrafts-hq |title=Meet the blockheads: a rare glimpse inside Minecraft's HQ |last=Stuart |first=Keith |date=8 February 2017 |website=The Guardian |access-date=27 April 2017 |archive-date=21 October 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181021151512/https://www.theguardian.com/technology/2017/feb/08/meet-the-blockheads-a-rare-glimpse-inside-minecrafts-hq |url-status=live }}</ref> and some in-game features, such as pistons and horses, were originally from mods.<!--ref=Minecraft Wiki-->

In 2016, Mojang announced their official support for mods for the Bedrock version of ''Minecraft'', where they are known as "add-ons".

=== Education ===
[[File:Minecraft in school.jpg|thumb|''Minecraft'' is a game which is occasionally used in schools worldwide for educational purposes.]]
''Minecraft'' mods are credited for being a gateway for children to pick up coding and programming.<ref name="verge">{{Cite web |last=Popper |first=Ben |date=15 September 2014 |title=Why parents are raising their kids on Minecraft |url=https://www.theverge.com/2014/9/15/6152085/why-parents-love-minecraft |website=The Verge |publisher=Vox Media |access-date=5 September 2017 |archive-date=8 November 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171108035034/https://www.theverge.com/2014/9/15/6152085/why-parents-love-minecraft |url-status=live }}</ref> Several educational projects have been created to further encourage students to learn coding through ''Minecraft'', including LearnToMod,<ref name="Wired">{{Cite magazine |last=Finley |first=Klint |date=18 August 2014 |title=New Minecraft Mod Teaches You Code as You Play |url=https://www.wired.com/2014/08/learntomod/ |magazine=Wired |publisher=Condé Nast Publishing |access-date=11 February 2016}}</ref> ComputerCraftEdu,<ref name="GamasutraTeaching">{{Cite web |last=Wawro |first=Alex |date=6 July 2015 |title=TeacherGaming mods Minecraft to teach basic coding skills |url=http://gamasutra.com/view/news/247888/TeacherGaming_mods_Minecraft_to_teach_basic_coding_skills.php |access-date=27 April 2017 |website=Gamasutra |publisher=UBM |archive-date=10 March 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160310003156/http://gamasutra.com/view/news/247888/TeacherGaming_mods_Minecraft_to_teach_basic_coding_skills.php |url-status=live }}</ref> and Minecraft: Pi Edition,<ref name="PiEdition">{{Cite web |title=What is Minecraft: PI Edition? |url=https://minecraft.net/en-us/edition/pi/ |access-date=27 April 2017 |website=Mojang |archive-date=15 February 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130215014728/http://pi.minecraft.net/?p=68 |url-status=live }}</ref> all of which are offered free to teachers. Programming classes utilizing ''Minecraft'' were also started by the University of California, which aims to teach children aged 8–18 how to program applications.<ref name="Wired" /><ref name="Thoughtstem">{{Cite web |title=Minecraft Modding Classes – ThoughtSTEM |url=http://www.thoughtstem.com/minecraft |access-date=27 April 2017 |website=ThoughtSTEM |archive-date=17 June 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170617105602/http://www.thoughtstem.com/minecraft |url-status=live }}</ref><ref name="Fox8children">{{Cite web |date=11 November 2014 |title=Is Minecraft good for kids? |url=http://myfox8.com/2014/11/11/a-parents-guide-to-minecraft/ |access-date=27 April 2017 |website=Fox 8 |publisher=Fox |archive-date=30 April 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170430142005/http://myfox8.com/2014/11/11/a-parents-guide-to-minecraft/ |url-status=live }}</ref>

In 2011, "[[MinecraftEDU]]" was created as a paid mod sold to schools that enabled the teaching of a wider variety of subjects including language, history and art.<ref name="MinecraftEdu">{{Cite web |title=Minecraft: Education Edition |url=https://education.minecraft.net/ |access-date=27 April 2017 |publisher=Mojang |archive-date=9 August 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180809030053/https://education.minecraft.net/ |url-status=live }}</ref> In January 2016, Microsoft bought it and turned it into a separate edition of Minecraft called "Minecraft: Education Edition".<ref name="Fox8children" />

In ''The Parent's Guidebook to Minecraft'', author Cori Dusmann denotes that homeschooling and ''Minecraft'' make for an interesting match, as creating simple mods can be an "illustration of scientific principles," to which homeschooling providers are receptive.<ref name="ParentsGuidebook">Dusman 2013, p. 214</ref>

The idea of introducing Minecraft into school curriculums was resisted by [[Tom Bennett (author)|Tom Bennett]], who serves as an adviser to the British government. According to Bennett, Minecraft was a gimmick, and schools would do well to "drain the swamp of gimmicks" and resort to just books for teaching.<ref name="TimesMCEdu">{{Cite web |last=Griffiths |first=Sian |date=20 November 2016 |title=Schools adviser puts block on Minecraft lessons |url=https://www.thetimes.co.uk/article/ca49b94c-ae9f-11e6-aaa6-0a2ee8f5b58e |url-access=subscription |access-date=27 April 2017 |website=The Sunday Times |publisher=News UK |archive-date=28 April 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170428051643/https://www.thetimes.co.uk/article/ca49b94c-ae9f-11e6-aaa6-0a2ee8f5b58e |url-status=live }}</ref> Bennett's condemnation was rebutted by a number of journalists for ''[[The Guardian]]'', who thought that ''Minecraft'' in schools was a worthwhile innovation.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Scott-Jones |first=Richard |date=21 November 2016 |title=Government schools adviser says Minecraft is a "gimmick which will get in the way of children actually learning" |url=https://www.pcgamesn.com/minecraft/schools-adviser-dismisses-minecraft-gimmick |access-date=27 April 2017 |website=PCGamesN |publisher=Network N |archive-date=28 April 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170428142506/https://www.pcgamesn.com/minecraft/schools-adviser-dismisses-minecraft-gimmick |url-status=live }}</ref>

=== Influence on ''Minecraft'' itself ===
Mod developer Dr. Zhark added horses to the game through the ''Mo' Creatures'' mod. Later on, he helped Mojang adapt horses for use in standard-issue ''Minecraft''.<ref>{{Cite tweet |number=319937646673674241 |user=jeb_ |title=Minecraft (PC) has hit 10M! As promised, a subtle hint on the main 1.6 feature (thanks @ebbakier): :D |author-link=Jens Bergensten |date=5 April 2013 |access-date=12 February 2016 |first=Jens |last=Bergensten}}</ref><ref>{{Cite tweet |number=319938276003827712 |user=jeb_ |title=Also big thanks to @DrZhark, the creator of Mo' Creatures, that have assisted us to make it happen! |author-link=Jens Bergensten |date=5 April 2013 |access-date=12 February 2016 |first=Jens |last=Bergensten}}</ref> Pistons were also originally a part of a mod made by another developer, Hippoplatimus, but they impressed ''Minecraft''{{'}}s creators so much that they added the feature to the main game.<ref name="Gamasutra">{{Cite web |url=http://www.gamasutra.com/view/feature/134958/minecraft_intellectual_property_.php3 |title=Minecraft, Intellectual Property, and the Future of Copyright |last=Lastowka |first=Greg |date=17 January 2012 |website=Gamasutra |publisher=UBM |access-date=27 April 2017 |archive-date=10 March 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160310013501/http://www.gamasutra.com/view/feature/134958/minecraft_intellectual_property_.php3 |url-status=live }}</ref>

Mojang also admitted that they admired all of the work done on server-side modding API Bukkit. In 2012, the Swedish company ended up hiring the lead developers of the project.<ref name="packtpub history" />