Over the winter break of 2023, a group of design students got together to create a Minecraft server where fellow design students can show off their creative talents while having fun with old and new friends. I’m a design student who joined shortly after the server’s creation, but there’s been a lot of growth in just a few short months. The design program is filled with all sorts of creative minds and it’s fun to see that creativity expressed in places other than the classroom. Whether it’s making elaborate builds, farming for materials, setting up shop, or simply yearning for the mines, there are endless possibilities as to what can be accomplished with just a bit of creativity and passion.

When you first join the server, you’ll spawn in Magneson Square which was created by James and Evy Migaldi. From the vibrant structure at the centre of town (named after design professor Nicole Magneson, you can see the beautiful spawn area encircled by icy mountains and cherry wood trees. It’s quite the beautiful spawn area considering the fact that the world was randomly generated. As you walk around town, you can see the diversity of creative styles in everyone’s base. From Jesse Roma’s comfy oak cabin near town and the cave club’s cozy cave up the mountain to Katie’s magnificent giant tree in the valley, there’s no doubt that everyone on the server has their unique style.

There’s also a shopping district with many stores and resources such as Evy’s villager trading center, Nathan’s Mini Market, James Pincock’s infinite iron farm, and Forrester Toews’s Walmart. In the market, you can also find Nathan’s dazzling cartography museum made with cherry wood and a glass dome resembling a globe (as close to a globe as you can get in Minecraft). There you can get a sense of how big and beautiful the town is, and see new places that you may want to explore. The server has the Montague station which was made by Evy. The train station is named after John Montague, another one of MacEwan’s design professors. It’s a central hub that leads to everyone’s base and connects the whole server together. It’s also connected to a post office where everyone has their own mailbox in which they can send and receive items from others.

There are currently four moderators on the server: Jesse Roma, James Pincock, Forrester Toews, and Evelina (Evy). They’re in charge of making sure everything on the server runs smoothly, and that the community continues to blossom. As one of the moderators, Jesse  Roma has been happy with how the community has grown so far. 

“It originally started as an idea between friends,” Roma says. “We just all happened to be design students and the idea blossomed from there! We thought, ‘why not open it up to design students?’” 

He’s very proud of all the players who create the amazing builds and gather the materials needed for others to create their builds. 

“We would love to expand the town with different little buildings and areas to really sell the city feel of it!”

Overall, the design program’s Minecraft server is a great place for students to become a part of a creative community of like-minded people and make some new friends to hang out with after class. With so many breathtaking and unique creations that have been made on the server, it’s difficult to capture everything in a short article. With the Ender Dragon now defeated, the community is looking forward to other Minecraft challenges like killing the wither and storming some ocean monuments. Whatever the future holds for this server, it’s bound to be filled with creativity and fun.

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Cover photo by Nathan Lee