You finish all your assignments for the night and need a way to unwind, so you log into your account and load into the ASU Minecraft server. You are greeted with green grass, mountain terrain and everyone in your class building homes within — chatting about everything but academics.
The School of Earth and Space Exploration Undergraduate Council created a Minecraft server for their school to bring together students for a fun way to de-stress and connect.
The council gathered funds and sent an inquiry in Discord to gather thoughts on starting a SESE Minecraft server in November 2024. The community responded with an overwhelming yes.
"The whole idea of doing the Minecraft server was to bring together both online and in-person students where we can interact with each other and play a game," said Chloe Haramis, a senior studying astrophysics and an event coordinator for the SESE undergraduate council.
To join the server, you must first be on Discord with the SESE Undergraduate Council and access a Google Form. You then fill out your name, major, Minecraft username and agree to the server rules. If you're approved, you can access the server.
"It kept me in contact with a lot of the people ... because it was just a way to hang out over break and during finals week with those in SESE," said Hayden Ferrell, a former astrobiology major and a junior studying mechanical engineering.
Most students within the SESE community only interact with each other during classes or if they need help with research, so when it comes to hanging out casually, the Minecraft server has been a welcome escape.
"It's very nice to be able to play with other people and communicate and build things collaboratively like the Nether highway; it's huge," said Roman Goralski, a junior studying astrophysics and computer systems engineering.
The Nether highway is a mix of tunnels and flat terrain built in the Minecraft Nether. The players created it to fast-travel between everyone's homes, which were hundreds of blocks away.
Though initially considered a space for academic activities, the Minecraft server does not involve studies to keep students engaged and give them an outlet free of worry from classes.
"There were a couple of talks about doing fun things on the server, like SESE Olympics and stuff like that," Haramis said. "It's mainly for students to log on and create their own adventure. We didn't want to have it too structured where people felt like they couldn't do anything, but we didn't want to have no structure."
Students enjoy the server during their breaks between study sessions. With all activity in Survival mode, players use the Nether highway to connect houses and live in different biomes, such as cherry tree and flower biomes.
"My favorite part of the server is that I got an entire cherry biome to myself where I built a little hobbit hole," Ferrell said.
Curious about the contents of the server? The State Press was granted a guided tour of the world's signature locations and builds, and these are the top five most impressive.
Top five Minecraft server builds
5.
Right outside the cherry biome and across a mountain from No. 2 is a beautiful pagoda with a running waterfall connecting it.
4.
Surrounded by bamboo and plains, this two-sided home has a water fountain and a large Nether portal underneath its foundation.
3.
Towering over a bamboo wall and dark oak trees lies a wizard's home and tower, including lanterns, chimneys and all the potion-making supplies a wizard could need.
2.
In a mix of the flower biome and the cherry tree biome lies a fantasy-esque creation of a waypoint, a castle and a tower.
1.
Tucked away in a mountain crater lies a giant mansion with a large underground villager trading post and a main entrance to the Nether highway.
Edited by Andrew Dirst, Abigail Beck and Alysa Horton.
Reach the reporter at ksaba1@asu.edu and follow @KylieGirlWrites on X.
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Kylie is a senior studying political science with a minor in english literature. This is her third semester with The State Press. She has also worked at The Arizona Capitol and in Ireland.
