--- title: "Isolated by Coronavirus, Schoolkids Hold Graduation In Minecraft" description: "A creative group of elementary school graduates decided to have their graduation ceremony inside Minecraft since schools are out until spring." date: "2020-03-17" modified: "2020-03-17" authors: - name: "Victor Tangermann" job_title: "Senior Editor" link: "https://futurism.com/authors/victor" url: "https://futurism.com/the-byte/isolated-coronavirus-schoolkids-graduation-minecraft" categories: - "Future Society" - "Health & Medicine" - "Medical" - "Pathogens" - "Viruses" tags: - "coronavirus" - "covid-19" - "Japan" - "Minecraft" - "the digest" --- # Isolated by Coronavirus, Schoolkids Hold Graduation In Minecraft ![A creative group of elementary school graduates decided to have their graduation ceremony inside Minecraft since schools are out until spring.]() *\Image: @backyennew via Twitter\* ## Virtual Graduation Since all Japanese schools are closed because of the coronavirus outbreak, a creative group of elementary school graduates decided to have their graduation ceremony inside the videogame Minecraft, [according to *SoraNews24*](). "We all decided to have a graduation ceremony together!" wrote the father of one of the kids on Twitter. https://twitter.com/backyennew/status/1238716760552964098 "They spent all day online together playing games and laughing," he wrote in a [follow up tweet](). "I’m glad they all had fun." ## Blocks and Circumstance The kids built an entire assembly hall, including a stage, seating and even a red carpet for receiving their virtual diplomas, [*GamesRadar* reports](). "The kids are all right," responded an endeared internet commentator. According to *SoraNews24*, the graduation was entirely decided on by the students, not the teachers or faculty. ## Review Bombing Meanwhile in Wuhan, China, the epicenter of the coronavirus outbreak, students decided to rebel instead during their quarantine. They collectively decided to [bombard their remote learning app]() with one star reviews, causing it to be booted from the App Store. In a response, the app, called Dingtalk begged for its life. "Please don’t give me any more one-star ratings," lyrics in an apology video read. "I was chosen for this job and there is not much I can do about it." **READ MORE:** [Japanese students hold graduation ceremony in Minecraft amid school cancellation]() \[*SoraNews24*\] **More on the outbreak:***[Amazon Seeks to Hire 100,000 Workers to Keep Up During Outbreak]()* ## Author I've been at Futurism since 2017, where my role has evolved to encompass design, writing, and increasingly editing. I've always been fascinated by space exploration and advanced transportation, which I've leaned into by interviewing luminaries in those fields while closely following the dimensions of policy and regulation that allow next-generation projects to succeed -- or, sometimes, to fail. I'm also keenly interested in the effects of generative AI on society, policies, and democratic institutions, as well as clean energy, physics and biology, and the vagaries of tech leadership. My work for Futurism has been cited by publications including Ars Technica, Gizmodo, PC Magazine, Jalopnik, Fox News, and the New York Post. I spent my childhood living in locations including Manila, the Philippines, and Geneva, Switzerland, attended McGill University, and now live in Toronto, Canada. Before Futurism I worked at AskMen and a small photography studio. In my free time, I'm an avid gardener, foodie, and craft beer lover, as well as a maker of artisanal hot pepper sauces. I have a magnificent dog named Freida. ### Author social links [Bluesky]()