Video games have long been a subject of debate. Some call them a healthy release or mental break in doses; others call them machines for rotting minds and creating violent children.

Perhaps one of the most overlooked benefits of video games is the cultural education they bring to their players. More competitive video games match players together based solely on skill level, and, while some separate servers by region, others don’t, and you could end up talking to someone on the other side of the world from you. You can meet people who speak other languages, celebrate different religions, enjoy different cuisine and have different philosophies, all from your couch. 

If one was to look a little deeper, they’d see a vast world of educational possibilities, some of which have been altering minds for years in a subtle way. Games usually considered violent, such as Overwatch and Counter-Strike: Global Offensive, force their players to learn fast decision-making and cooperate with people they have absolutely no information about. League of Legends, with its player base of 115 million, and its offshoot game Team Fight Tactics, requires time management of objectives, constant strategy and strategy reforms and money management. Even small indie games such as Celeste have a valuable lesson interwoven in their structure about mental illness.

 Minecraft has always been on the forefront of this conversation with its 126 million player count because it is especially unique in its structure. It focuses on being relatively passive (no killing of humanoid creatures), and it is a breeding ground for creativity with its endless possibilities. Mojang also released a strictly educational edition with immersive maps that all have something to teach, from historical sights to coding. 

But what happens when video games take on political education? This idea is not something that gets a lot of attention, but some video games have political ideals sewn into their composition. A slightly more obscure horror exploration game called Subnautica provides the player with only a knife as a weapon for the entirety of the game. During my playthrough, I was always looking for the upgraded weapon, something that would make survival simpler. After some reading, curious as to why all I ever had was this knife, it became clear that was very intentional of the creator. He was taking a stance that there are other solutions to problems besides using weapons to get out of them; he was arguing for gun control. However, Subnautica is a much smaller game than some of those discussed above; with peak activity being 50 thousand players at once.

 So what would happen if a larger company were to take advantage of this medium? Well, Minecraft just announced its newest addition to Minecraft Education Edition. The new map is called “Good Trouble: Social Justice Movements Around the World.” It is in honor of the teachings of John Lewis, a congressman and Civil Rights activist who died in July of this year. 

There will be debate on whether Minecraft has a right to touch on the issues that influence our society, especially controversial topics. Some will say they should stay in their lane; that their job is fun, not politics; that school is school and games are games. People will say it’s a private sector and any corporation’s main goal is profit. It will be painted as a malicious attempt at manipulating social trends in an attempt to advance the company. Nothing could be further from the truth. Minecraft has been handed a microphone, and it is their right, and more so their obligation, to use it. 

Video games are the largest vein of media consumption. 70 percent of U.S. citizens under 18 play video games according to Theesa.com. It is time to stop stigmatizing and start utilizing.