Minecraft was originally built in Java as a game in 2009, but exploded in popularity among kids and teens by 2012. Microsoft bought it in 2014.

In the game, you control a blocky character and are able to create and do anything you please by "mining" materials in a procedurally generated world.

Turns out that Minecraft has been used by schools for almost a decade now to teach coding, math, and engage students in new ways. There are already dozens of starting guides on education.minecraft.com.

There are sample lessons, tools, and all of these can be used online so kids can log on from home.

Example Lesson: Loops.

In this lesson, kids are put into an area as a Minecraft character complete with all the powers Minecraft characters have: the ability to use tools, construct objects, and etc. -- all using the controls and graphics they are already familiar with. The lesson can be done in scratch-style pseudo-code or Python depending on the skill level of the child. They are then instructed to build things in Minecraft, but instead of using their inventory, they use coding principles.

There are many reasons why these types of lessons have been so successful. Firstly, most of the kids already know how to use the platform since they play Minecraft on their own anyway. It's not only a familiar setting, but an exciting one, and they can take the skills they've learned for programming purposes as well as in-game purposes.