Minecraft convention makes New Jersey debut in Edison

EDISON - Over the past nine years, you've probably either heard about or played the game Minecraft, especially if you have children.

Now you and your children can bond even more at "Minefaire: The Ultimate Minecraft Experience," which is coming to New Jersey for the first time. The experience, which broke the Guinness World Record for the largest convention for a single video game, will play out  at the New Jersey Convention and Exposition Center (97 Sunfield Ave., Edison) on Saturday, Aug. 4, and Sunday, Aug. 5 from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. daily.

All-inclusive tickets start at $45 and are free for children age two and under. The event is estimated to sell out, with between 14,000 to 16,000 in attendance.

Minecraft, released to the public in May 2009, is a virtual game where players build new worlds, block by block, by mining the resources they find and crafting them into structures that might include staircases, mazes, amusement parks — the only limit is their imagination. The second best-selling standalone video game of all time, more than 122 million Minecraft"units have been sold, only outranked by "Tetris."

DRESSING UP: Meet the NJ author of a new book on cosplay this weekend

Minefaire is the No. 1 Minecraft event in the U.S., an Official Minecraft Community Event, licensed from the game's developer, Mojang.

The event, first conducted in Philadelphia in 2016, is the brainchild of two fathers from Warwick in Bucks County, Pennsylvania. Their idea was to create an event that helps bridge the gap between children who love Minecraft, and parents who may not fully understand the game and its educational aspects.

READ:Review: New Jersey Gamer Con 2018 in Cherry Hill had it all

READ:Seeds to Salad program in Branchburg and Franklin teaches farm-to-table lesson

Why Minecraft matters

“Minecraft was the ‘go-to’ activity for my four kids before dinner, and I realized how much the game was teaching them about topics like agriculture, history, geology and architecture — all without their feeling like they were being ‘taught,’” said Minefaire co-founder Gabe Young. “Kids at Minefaire get to grab their parents by the hand and say, ‘Look what I’m doing.’ As parents, we then have the chance to better understand our children and guide them.

"Parents have a chance to actually see what their kids are interested in — every station has a second chair next to next to the player so they can connect with their parents or siblings," Young added. "That's really what we’re trying to create an opportunity for parents to really bond with their child and when they walk away they're usually pleasantly surprised by how much they got out of themselves."

It's an to connect with and have a blast, said Minefaire co-founder Chad Collins. “We have created a one-of-a-kind Minecraft' experience that introduces like-minded children to one another and inspires the next generation of engineers and architects. We want to ensure our children are building valuable learning skills as they play," he added.

"I think the trickiest part for a parent who grew up in a world filled with limitations is seeing something that doesn't have rules or a very clear objective — it seems kind of strange," Young said. "Minecraft is so open-ended, it's really, really hard to wrap our heads around."

"It's really a kind of open sandbox so they're able to build anything they can imagine," Young said. "There are really no boundaries here and it allows kids to make whatever's in their brain real in this digital form."

Young said that he and Collins quit their jobs to produce these massive events, which they believe are creating real generational impact.

"My dream is that in 20 years I would love it if someone tells us ‘Hey, back then I went to this one thing and it changed my life forever … it changed my path,' " Young said. "Parents are telling us about how motivated their child is in terms of learning how to code or develop or how to produce YouTube videos or they want to be an architect now or an engineer and that they learned a lot about my own child and now they're better equipped to guide my child on how to continue to pursue their passion — those moments are really mind-blowing, that those things are happening."

Minefaire activities

"We know that there are kids who come for different reasons, some of them come to be inspired, some to introduce Minecraft to their parents and some coming just to meet other kids who are just like them," Young said, "sit side by side with them and realize that it's okay to be you."

Children and parents who attend Minefaire enjoy hands-on attractions, including:

• Minecraft Virtual Reality Experience.
• Learning Lab: Hands-on workshops with Minecraft Education Global Mentors who use Minecraft in the classroom.
• Build Battles and Challenges: Participants can compete in live gaming arenas, code within the game and learn to solve problems in creative ways, including parent-child build challenges.
• Minecraft Costume Contest.
• YouTube Meet and Greets: One-on-one with Minecraft YouTube superstars who will share their favorite tips and tricks.
• Nonstop, Live Stage Shows on multiple mega-stages, for all skill levels.
• World’s Largest Official Minecraft Merchandise store, including new, rare and custom items.

Eventgoers also will be able to meet their favorite Minecraft YouTube stars, like JeromeASF, Unspeakable Gaming and more. Kids will be able to show parents why they like their favorite YouTubers. A full list of YouTubers can be found at minefaire.com/newjersey.

Young said some parents might not understand why their kids are listing to YouTubers, but he explained that it is because "these folks are creating content every day, listening to these kids — these kids really feel like they know these celebrities."

"The kids will have, for the first time, an opportunity to meet someone they're usually looking at on the screen and for many of them, it's the best day of their lives," said Young.

"At the Battle Stage kids can have an opportunity to go on stage and compete in different builds — to see who can build the best medieval castle — that's really a lot of fun where every kid will have the opportunity to be up on stage, playing in front of their peers," Young said.

He added, "There are several different LEGO Minecraft attractions — one is an area where kids can build a diorama of a Minecraft world and it’s collaborative where kids can all add elements to it and we have another area, which allows them to build this very massive 20-foot-by-20-foot mosaic; by the end of the day, they'll see this beautiful picture they all work together toward."

"If you have a Minecraft kid then this is the right show and we would love to show you a good time," Young said. 

"We work with a number of foundations and nonprofits like the Make-A-Wish Foundation and some of these kids are choosing to come to Minefaire as the last thing they do with their friends and family before going to hospice," Young said. "My eyes water every time I think about it — that we were able to create an experience that they're choosing over something more traditional, like Disney World."

For more information about Minefaire or to purchase tickets go to minefaire.com/newjersey. For more information about the game go to minecraft.net.