November 18, 2031 - As revenue from its classic Minecraft game has fallen, Mojang Studios has announced a beta release of its new Minecraft IRL for its players in Sub-Saharan Africa. Early reviews of the game have been mixed, as creative mode seems to be unavailable for most players and resources are difficult to find.
The beta version, only available in Zimbabwe, Botswana, and South Africa, promises an authentic Minecraft experience brought to life. Instead of imaginary pixels, players encounter real blocks of soil for mining and actual trees for fabricating hand tools. As players progress, they are encouraged to quickly upgrade their pickaxes from wood, to stone, and then to obsidian. Each upgrade increases a player's work efficiency, which in turn increases the chances of finding precious resources like gold, diamonds, and emeralds.
As the beta testing continues, programmers are continually making upgrades to the game in partnership with local governments. Because the game is no longer virtual, the entire map must coincide with local and national boundaries, with each territory having its own unique child labor laws and regulations on mining activity. Concerns have also been raised regarding the working conditions as some players are reportedly suffering from starvation, zombie attacks, and near fatal falls.
As the game development progresses, Mojang Studios insists that Minecraft IRL is a revolutionary step toward merging the virtual and real worlds, and toward creating an economy that works for everyone. They argued that the game provides a unique opportunity for players to appreciate the beauty of Africa while also providing an additional source of income to those players who survive.