Top 5 ways in which Minecraft Education Edition is different from Minecraft

Minecraft Education Edition was released on November 1, 2016, and has been a hit in educational institutions all over the world. Unfortunately, it's not as well known as the two other editions of Minecraft, Java and Bedrock Edition.

Minecraft Education Edition is different than either edition, although it is most similar to Bedrock in a couple of ways. The difference between Education Edition and Java Edition might appear minimal, but there are more variations than similarities. Detailed in this article are the top 5 ways in which Education Edition is different from regular Minecraft.

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Minecraft Education Edition vs Minecraft

5) Pricing

Image via Stone Group

Minecraft Education Edition is priced at a mere $5, per user per year. As of 2017, schools and educational institutions that purchase new Windows 10 devices will receive a free year of the game. However, regular Minecraft is priced at $29.99 for an unlimited amount of time, meaning it does not have to be renewed each year.

4) Differing Blocks

Image via Mojang

In Minecraft Education Edition, there are blocks called "allow", "deny" and "border", which provides educators, or a player with world builder privileges, to limit students access on placing or removing blocks, as well as creating a border in the Minecraft world.

While Minecraft has permission to allow or deny players access, they do not have blocks specifically for that purpose.

3) Differing Items

Image via The Guardian

There are several items that were added to the Minecraft Education Edition so the game is more accessible in the classroom. This includes items like a camera + portfolio and a chalkboard, of which can come in different shapes and sizes. Minecraft does not have items such as this, making it a rather big difference between the two editions.

2) Bedrock vs Java

Image via GamePlayerr

Minecraft Education Edition is coded with C++, making it based around Bedrock Edition. It was coded in C++ to make it more accessible for students who are unable to get a device that supports Java, such as iPads, Chromebooks, etc. Meanwhile, regular Minecraft is coded in Java, meaning it has to run on a higher performing console, such as Windows.

1) Education vs Fun

Minecraft Education Edition is simply for educational purposes, as it is to be used in classrooms. While students are still able to have fun in Education Edition, there are limitations that can be set by educators as to what their students can and cannot do.

Regular Minecraft is known for being a sandbox game that has little to no limitations.