A genuine force against censorship has been created within Minecraft by a group called Reporters Without Borders. The project, dubbed The Uncensored Library, is designed to get around the loopholes that exist in countries where censorship is a genuine issue. You see, while the actual journalism might be restricted in these places, Minecraft isn’t. This makes for an incredibly interesting way of getting around potential tyrannical governments.
It’s a fascinating project as well, but not just because of the content inside of it. Not only is it a fully-fledged library with different wings for different countries, but each of the wings has visual representations of the kind of censorship faced in these places. Graveyards mark the journalists who have lost their lives while trying to report on corrupt politicians. Cages, on the other hand, symbolise those incarcerated for trying to do their jobs and bring truth to the people.
It stands as a statement to the importance of independent journalism and sticking to the ideals that are central to it. When a state intervenes in the media, or the media act as a mouthpiece for a dirty or incompetent government, then you never see the world change in a positive way. The Uncensored Library is a great way of allowing this kind of essential journalism to exist, and also as a stark reminder for those of us in countries that aren’t so ill-effected.
If the library continues to be updated then it could well be an essential place for people trying to seek out the truth in places where it is often hidden. That would be a monumental task of course, but even if it isn’t updated, it exists as a stark reminder of the less-than-stellar states that exist in our world. It might be a little bit mature for Minecraft’s traditional audience, but it could also be a useful tool in teaching the younger generations about what actual censorship looks like.
If you want to visit The Uncensored Library then you can do so by booting up version 1.14.4 in the Java edition of Minecraft on PC. Then, head to the multiplayer menu and type in “visit.uncensoredlibrary.com” as the server IP address. It’s worth having a look around if you’re at all interested in the press, but even if you’re not, it’s important to pay attention to these kinds of things. It’s also important to understand why they’re necessary, and just visiting the library and having a look around should help people to do this.