Minecraft player and YouTuber SethBling has created a BASIC interpreter in vanilla Minecraft, making the programming language available inside the game (via Engadget and Motherboard).
The interpreter allows you to compile and run simple programs and scripts. The nuts and bolts behind it all is an extremely large number of command blocks. Right now, SethBling has used it to print text and issue commands to in-game robots (called “turtles”) to perform certain tasks. For example, if you wanted to dig a long tunnel, input a digging script, and the turtles would do all the hard work for you.
SethBling explains that because Minecraft only allows a maximum of 20 commands per second, it’s not possible to write nuanced or complex software inside the game. But If you’re interested in using the interpreter for more simple operations, SethBling has already posted the add-on to his site. Check out the video below, and if you’re familiar with simple BASIC code, you can get started with it right away.
We’ve seen some other intense and complex Minecraft creations, like the mod that allows for video calls in-game. We’ve also learned that the game has sold over 22 million copies on PC and Mac, which may have something to do with some strange Minecraft-related Pornhub searches.
