A Minecraft-themed exhibit is coming to Spokane

The Northwest Museum of Arts and Culture is crafting a new exhibit for the fall that is sure to appeal to game-savvy kids and curious adults.

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“Minecraft: The Exhibition” opens at the Northwest Museum of Arts and Culture in September.

The exhibit was originally created by the Museum of Pop Culture in Seattle in collaboration with Mojang Studios.

“We can’t wait to see what the Inland Northwest community thinks about Minecraft: The Exhibition,” said Lydia Winters, chief brand officer at Mojang Studios in a news release.

The MAC has been trying to get the exhibition “since at least April 2021,” according to Kayla Tackett, the director of exhibitions and collections at the museum.

It will feature engaging activities, such as an interactive “crafting table” and a face off against a Minecraft zombie.

Many of the visuals will be reconstructed from the video game into real life, according to the MAC. “In the exhibition, visitors will feel as if they have stepped inside the blocky world of Minecraft.”

“The MAC really hopes that our guests come away inspired by the creativity Minecraft has enabled around the globe,” Tackett said.

The exhibit will cover an expansive 60,000 square feet, packed with all sorts of interactive trinkets and devices. There will be 15 life-sized mobs, the creatures that engage with players in Minecraft.

Minecraft is a staple in the world of gaming and pop culture, and ranks as the best-selling video game , surpassing Tetris in 2013.

In Minecraft, players play in a “sandbox” open world, where the only limit “is your imagination,” as stated by the game’s trailer.

There are two main modes, “survival” and “creative.” Survival gives players nothing to start out with. Players must fend for themselves and collect resources from the world. Creative mode grants players invulnerability and allows full access to the game’s resources .

The game features an unusual pixelated art-style, serving as a nod to the earlier days of video games. It has unique creatures that have become a cultural phenomenon, such as the “Creeper” or “Enderman,” which have been turned into everything from stuffed toys to parade balloons.

The game was first released 2009, being created by Swedish game developer Markus “Notch” Persson, who sold it to Microsoft in 2014.

The MAC hopes the exhibit will help show attendees how Minecraft “inspires creative exchanges, community creation and social change.”

The exhibit doesn’t just seek to entertain, but also to educate.

“There are lots of examples of things to inspire you. Examples of how people have used Minecraft in the real world to build a better world. I just hope people come away kind of inspired by all of it,” Tackett said. “There are a lot of ways that it makes sense in an educational setting.”

This event isn’t just for children .

The MAC seeks to accommodate parents and other people who have never played the game .

“There are gaming stations where people can try Minecraft if they never have,” said Tackett. “It’s a nice chance for the grown-ups to try to understand something that their kids are really into, and it’s a nice chance for the kids to be the ones with all the knowledge for once.”

The MAC expects attendance will do very well after a rebound from previous events hosted during the COVID-19 pandemic.

“We’re hoping it’s a really highly attended exhibition. We find that it’s a really wonderful thing we can do for the Spokane community,” said Tackett.

Tackett hopes that the event will leave a good impression on the MAC and that it will have people coming back for more.

“I hope that it produces some really warm, fond memories for people” said Tackett.