One of the great things about gaming is that just about anyone can be a part of the video game community, and that even includes Vatican priests. Former tech blogger and current Catholic priest, Father Robert Ballecer, launched the Vatican's very own Minecraft server aimed at players looking for a creative space without the toxic nature that can often come with an online gaming community.
Ballecer, who formerly hosted The Week in Tech on Twitch.tv, began the server after creating a poll on twitter for his 23,000 followers. He asked his followers which of the four games they would like to see a server for: Minecraft, RUST, Ark, and Team Fortress 2. Unsurprisingly, Minecraft won with 64% of the vote, so Ballecer went ahead and created the server.
Now, the Vatican has its very own Minecraft server, where players can join and create friendships while exploring their own creative impulses. In speaking with Rome Reports, Ballecer emphasized that building a relationship amongst players and avoiding toxicity is the primary goal of the server, and he hopes that players can look to the server to provide that positive environment.
Unfortunately, you probably won't be able to find the Pope himself on this server, but it does provide for a rare moment in gaming history in which the Catholic church and video games have gone hand-in-hand. Sure, you might have been able to assassinate Pope Alexander VI in Assassin's Creed II, but the world of Minecraft won't have anything of the sort... unless somebody creates a custom game.
The Vatican's Minecraft server provides yet another milestone for the popular game, which has been experiencing an incredible resurgence for a title that had originally been released a decade ago. With popular streamers like PewDiePie covering the game, as well as new and improved texture packs and biomes, Minecraft has seen it's highest point in years, and it's clear that the comeback wasn't just fueled by nostalgia.
At any given moment, there are reportedly over one million people still playing Minecraft, and it has become abundantly clear that its creative system has been able to stand the test of time. Minecraft doesn't plan to stop any time soon, and will even be releasing a brand new game, Minecraft Dungeons, next year.
Source: Rome Reports