The first 1/10-scale Ancient Greece map in Minecraft and the SKAI news segment

On 13 February 2016 the first finished Ancient Greece map at a scale of 1/10 inside Minecraft reached the main evening news. The segment aired on SKAI prime time — a moment you do not easily forget when you have built it block by block.

My own capture from the segment — click for a larger view in a new tab.

The segment

On screen, from left to right, Padakoys, Dakouris and Flevasgr presented the world that had been built for the community. Not a small demo with a few sample buildings, but one of the first serious attempts to render Ancient Greece in a real geographical relationship inside a game.

Frame from the SKAI segment as broadcast (source: the video on YouTube).

Why it mattered

For 2016, the idea that the Greek landscape is brought into Minecraft with scale rather than as isolated, artistic representations was something new. The fact that it was built by volunteers from the community, with no studio behind it, and still made it onto television, is perhaps the best part of the story.

You can watch the whole segment here: Ancient Greece in Minecraft — SKAI news report.