Getting immersed in a virtual world is par for the course when gaming. Half the fun of playing games is finding one that sucks you in and keeps you hanging around for hours, days, weeks, and in the case of games like Minecraft™, years. Since launching years ago, we’ve been building the worlds of our dreams — taking our big ideas and putting them together, piece by piece.
But while it’s fun to think up a new world and see it appear on-screen, it’s just as exciting to see those worlds (and the characters who live in them) come to life out in the real world. Here are three of our favourite ways video games come to life in our world (and the fun part is, you can get involved with them all)
LEGO Minecraft
If you already love the world-building game, Minecraft, then you’ll enjoy the LEGO® Minecraft™. sets just as much. It’s been around for about as long as the virtual game, which means there are loads of sets to choose from, where you can create almost anything, just like in the game. The sets come with everything you need to bring your dream world to life, complete with creepers, pigs, and even cute little baby sheep to run around The Ruined Portal, Modern Treehouse, and a Pig House.
The best thing about these sets is that the options for what you can create are quite literally limitless, and you can mix and match your favourites to build a complete world. To choose your next set, check out the LEGO website.
Cosplay
Cosplay is not simply “dressing up” and don’t go confusing a great Halloween costume for cosplay, either. The reason we count cosplay as one of the top three coolest ways the virtual gaming world comes to life is down to the commitment of the artists who embody their favourite video game characters.
Once confined to gaming conventions, cosplay has now spilt out onto social media. Here, theatre make-up, DIY costumes, and fantastical characters have all joined forces to create some pretty spectacular creations.
Immersive Theme Park Rides
Immersive game-themed rides are easily one of our top three ways that games have come to life in the real world. Partly because they require little work from us to enjoy, and also because they’re simply a fun time.
Theme park rides have come a long way since Pac-Man Land at Six Flags in Texas gave the classic arcade game the theme park treatment in the 1980s. These days, Universal Studios Japan is the top spot to visit if you’re looking to hop into a video game (or movie, TV show — really, anything) that’s been brought to life in a, frankly, over the top way that only Japanese creatives could pull off.
Other parks like Thorpe Park in England and Carowinds in North Carolina, USA, also do great jobs at bringing video games to life. At Thorpe Park, people aged four and above can settle in for a 4D Angry Birds Adventure before hopping into a car for the King Pig’s Wild Hogs Dodgems. Meanwhile, Carowinds has built a Plants vs. Zombies Garden Warfare: 3Z Arena that combines 3D graphics and moving seats equipped with laser guns, for an all-out battle between plants and zombies for kids and adults alike.
If all this has inspired you to bring your favourite games to life in your home, LEGO Minecraft is the perfect place to start. To see all the sets available, head straight over to the LEGO website. And remember, you can buy multiple sets and put them together to build an entire world of your own.
