Move over, Oregon Trail. Minecraft, the popular sandbox game where players build worlds out of 3D boxes, is being used for the first time in an elementary school in Davie, Florida. The game, which has no real end and no way to lose, allows students to use their imagination to build and explore their own worlds.

Matt Munro, a computer science teacher at the elementary school, says that the game allows students to explore engineering interests, while at the same time develops technology and science skills. Munro explains that the gameplay “could raise cognitive learning for students by as much as 12 percent and improve hand-eye coordination, problem-solving ability and memory.”

Minecraft’s gameplay is completely up to the player, who uses the resources provided in the game to build a world of their wildest imagination. Over on their official website, the creators of Minecraft celebrate the game’s many possibilities. “It can be about adventuring with friends or watching the sun rise over a blocky ocean. Brave players battle terrible things in The Nether. Or you can visit a land of mushrooms if it sounds more like your cup of tea.” The official Minecraft trailer below gives a nice overview of the game’s basics and shows off some of the stunning visuals you can create:

If you’re curious to learn more Minecraft (or still really have no idea what it is), the hour long documentary about the game went live on Youtube about a week ago, and is free to watch in its entirety. The game is available as a PC/Mac download from their website, or on your XBOX 360. Recently, the game surpassed the 12 million downloads mark.

image via YouTube