In collaboration with Lambeth and Southwark Libraries
Dream Lockdown:
Minecraft Competition
Build your dream lockdown neighbourhood in Minecraft and be in with a chance to win a laptop!
Competition Details
20th Nov - 20th Dec 2020
Free to submit
Contact:
Hannah Cowan
If we had to do lockdown all over again, where would you want to spend it? What would you change about Lambeth and Southwark to make it a better place for children, young people, and their friends and families to spend lockdown and the ongoing pandemic?
We are a team of researchers at King’s College London and we want to try and make London a better place for young people to live during this time. The buildings, facilities, and space people have in their neighbourhoods affect their wellbeing, and we want to make recommendations on what changes can be made to improve London’s streets for all.
In order to do this, we need your help.
We want you to build your ideas in Minecraft - how can we make Lambeth and Southwark a better place for young people, and their friends, families, and neighbours, during the pandemic?
We will collate entries and the best ones will be showcased in our online Covid-19 Time Capsule and presented to our funders at the Maudsley Charity.
There will also be a host of prizes for the best entries, including a laptop, Minecoin vouchers, and Minecraft build guides.
All entries will receive a certificate from King’s College London for your participation.
Here’s what you need to know
When: The server will be open for 1 month, from the 20th November -20th December.
Server address: dreamlockdown.blockbuilders.co.uk (see 'How to get your plot' below)
Age Range: Anyone aged 6 to 16 years old
Ts&Cs: Open only to young people who live, go to school, or attend a young people’s centre or Library in Lambeth or Southwark.
Prizes: A laptop (first prize), Minecoin vouchers (second prize), and Minecraft build guides (third prize). Winners will be announced by the mid-February 2021.
Consent to research: By building on the Minecraft server, your work will be used as research data by the Utopia Now! research team at King’s College London. If you enter the competition we will also use the answers to your questions about how your Minecraft build relates to your real lockdown scenario as research data. However, all your personal information such as your name or contact details will be removed and we will only be looking at what you have built and answered in those questions in our research. If you have any questions about the research, please email: utopia-now@kcl.ac.uk
How to get your plot:
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Make sure you are using Minecraft Java version (you will need access to a computer or laptop)
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Open Minecraft and load it up on your computer
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Click on 'Multiplayer' and then 'Add server'
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In the server address box add 'dreamlockdown.blockbuilders.co.uk' The server name can be whatever you want! Click done.
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Click on the server you have just added and press join!
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Take a look round the lobby
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When you are ready to build your own Dream Lockdown type '/ws get' then '/ws home'
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When you are ready to submit your Dream Lockdown to the competition see the 'How to take part' section below.
Mental health advice and support
If you are struggling with your mental health then there are resources and places for independent advice. Find out more.
If you have any questions or problems – contact: utopia-now@kcl.ac.uk
How to take part
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Read this information sheet to tell you more about the research.
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Download and complete the entry form.
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Give this information sheet and consent form to your parents and ask for their consent for you to take part. They can type their name/signature if you don't have a printer.
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Email your entry form and your parents’ consent form with the subject title ‘Dream lockdown’ to: utopia-now@kcl.ac.uk
Top Tips
1. Be imaginative, and dream the impossible. If you don’t think your neighbourhood should be made of roads and cars – you don’t have to have them!
2. Think about what would make the neighbourhood better for you and young people in the pandemic. But also think about others in your area – how would you improve your neighbourhood for the whole community? How could you bring different people in the community together in safe ways? How would people interact? What would they do?
3. The competition will be judged more so on creativity and the originality of your ideas than the accuracy or execution of the design. So be sure in your entry form to describe what you have done – why did you build what you built? How will it help people’s lives be better during the pandemic?
4. Take a look round and see what others are building. Are there other plots you would like yours to connect up with a why? This could be shown through a teleportation device or a secret passage – or you could just tell us about it in your entry form.
5. The build mode in Minecraft doesn’t have people in it. But think about what people would do in the space you build. What would they see, smell, hear? And how might this change through the seasons? Can it adapt for summer and winter?