- Events including graduations and weddings have been moved online to "Minecraft," "Animal Crossing," and other online games since the coronavirus spread throughout the world.
- College commencements around the country were canceled, and students have been recreating them online.
- Visit Business Insider's homepage for more stories .
UC Berkeley students recreated their campus on "Minecraft" after COVID-19 ended their semester early.
Blockeley
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A typical graduation wasn't possible this year at UC Berkeley, but students came up with a solution. They recreated their entire campus in painstaking detail, and held commencement in the virtual world, "Blockeley."
Mid-semester, colleges across the US switched to remote learning and sent students home. Since then, other schools like the University of Pennsylvania , MIT , and Brown have also been built on "Minecraft."
The block-building game "Minecraft," which Microsoft bought in 2014 for $2.5 billion, has been one of the most popular games worldwide over the last 10 years. As of September, it had a staggering 112 million active players every month, a number that has reportedly grown to 145 million.
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Here's what the "Minecraft" campus looks like.
The virtual Berkeley campus is known as Blockeley.
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Gretchen Knell
Students started the project on March 15, two days after in-person classes were cancelled.
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Blockeley
By March 19, creators posted in UC Berkeley Facebook groups asking for help.
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In mid-April, the project really gained traction, builders told Business Insider.
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At first, there were fewer than five people building in the "Minecraft" server most of the time.
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By April 16, there were between five and 20 people building at all times of the day.
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In a period of five days, students built more than 30 buildings.
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The Campanile clock tower was one of the most recognizable buildings.
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The clock tower is visible around campus as one of the tallest buildings.
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Students recreated other recognizable and important pieces of campus...
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Blockeley
...like the East Asian Library,
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And Memorial Stadium.
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Memorial Stadium is where the college's football team, the California Golden Bears, play.
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It would have also been the location of commencement, as it is every year.
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Builders put together the stadium in "Minecraft" in just three days.
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To recognize the day, even if students couldn't attend in person, UC Berkeley lit up blue and gold lights for students to see on social media.
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Blockeley
On the day of commencement, they adhered closely to what a typical graduation day would look like.
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Source: Berkeley News
Organizers created a Facebook event and invited classmates to the virtual graduation on May 16.
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Blockeley
Students could make "Minecraft" accounts to attend and explore their virtual campus.
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"Pomp and Circumstance" was played.
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Graduates could even jump and symbolize throwing their caps.
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Vice Chancellor for Administration Marc Fisher was in the game to give an address to the graduates.
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Graduates received their diplomas,
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Blockeley
The whole thing was streamed on Twitch for non "Minecraft" players to watch.
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Later that day, the two-day virtual Blockeley Music Festival kicked off in the server.
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More than 40 artists performed, including Lil B and DJ Soda.
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All proceeds from the event went towards an economic relief fund for restaurant employees affected by COVID-19.
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Exploring the virtual campus, students found that even minor details and Easter eggs were present in the game.
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Beloved buildings, like iHouse, had not just accurate exteriors but also faithfully recreated interiors.
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The project was the result of two months of work by more than 100 students and alumni.
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Even the small Kiwibot used for deliveries on campus was included in Blockeley.
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Source: Business Insider
UC Berkeley students are apparently big fans of these little robots when one caught on fire in 2018, students held a candlelight vigil.
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Source: Business Insider
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Falcon chicks at the Campanile also made the cut...
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...as did a llama on Memorial Glade, a nod to the therapy llamas sometimes brought in to help ease student stress.
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Source: Berkeley News
100 buildings were recreated in "Minecraft" for this project.
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Like on other "Minecraft" campuses, the attention to detail on certain buildings and areas show what students care about.
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For example, boba shops were also recreated.
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Even small details, like banners celebrating "150 years of women at Berkeley" made it to the finished product.
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No detail was too inconsequential to leave out, even Berkeley's foggy weather.
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Campus buses also made appearances around the server.
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After commencement, other groups organized their own gatherings in "Minecraft."
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Engineering graduates had a celebration with commentary from the dean and personal slides for each graduate.
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Blockeley
Student-athletes had their own virtual ceremony as well.
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Now, even returning to campus in the fall is in question.
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University of California President Janet Napolitano said a decision hasn't been made yet, but UCs will probably operate in a hybrid fashion in the fall.
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Source: The Daily Bruin
Until then, students at least have a version of campus they can visit.
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