Use of English PRO

Minecraft, (0) THE second-bestselling computer game of all time, was originally created in Sweden (1) ............ a software developer named Markus Persson. The Minecraft game allows players to create (2) ............ own three-dimensional environments out of a massive array of virtual building materials including stone, wood, glass or the useful power-source known (3) ............ 'redstone'. The endless possibilities of Minecraft, from building simple houses to recreations of entire cities or the bridge of the Starship Enterprise, have ensured its popularity. The 'craft' component to Minecraft allows players to mix materials together to create new objects. (4) ............ example, one 'recipe' allows the player to mix together wood and iron ingots to create a track for transporting other items in a cart. (5) ............ are a number of Minecraft modes. Survival mode requires the player to build defences (6) ............ a range of enemies, including the shy but fearsome 'Enderman', while Creative mode has unlimited resources to build. In 2014, the software giant Microsoft bought the game (7) ............ 2.5 billion dollars. One result of this has been the educational edition of Minecraft, (8) ............ encourages teachers to share their own creative ideas.