virtual space Archives

AppWizard

January 22, 2026

Why Minecraft remains relevant in the digital age

Minecraft is a widely used digital environment that has remained relevant for over a decade, characterized by freedom, creativity, and user-driven exploration. It began as a sandbox game with simple mechanics, allowing players to build, mine, and survive in a block-based world. Over time, it evolved into an open-ended platform where players can design cities, recreate landmarks, and invent new game modes through modifications and community creations. The game fosters creativity by allowing infinite variation in construction, encouraging players to engage in architectural design, engineering, art, and storytelling without rigid goals. It has become a powerful educational tool, enabling experiential learning across various subjects and promoting collaboration, spatial reasoning, and critical thinking among students. Minecraft also cultivates digital literacy and technical skills, teaching basic programming concepts and systems thinking. Its multiplayer environments facilitate global collaboration, forming online communities that develop social norms and creative cultures. The game serves as a canvas for cultural expression, allowing players to recreate real-world elements and fostering cross-cultural understanding. Additionally, Minecraft supports digital storytelling through various media forms, appealing to multiple generations and maintaining engagement through regular updates and community contributions. It nurtures a diverse ecosystem of creators and educators, generating economic activity through custom content and educational programs. Players experience psychological benefits such as stress reduction and a sense of agency, while social interactions foster friendship and empathy. However, Minecraft faces challenges related to moderation and safety, necessitating community oversight and guidance. Its emphasis on user agency and creativity provides insights into the future of virtual worlds, influencing education, design, and digital culture.

AppWizard

January 18, 2026

New York City Has Been Under Construction in Minecraft at 1:1 Scale for 5 Years – It Covers 700 Square Kilometers

The Build The Earth project team is working to recreate New York City in a virtual environment at a 1:1 scale, covering approximately 700 square kilometers. A team of 50 to 80 Minecraft players collaborates on this project, focusing on accuracy and detail, with many areas undergoing multiple reconstructions. The project aims to evoke genuine emotional responses from users by creating a virtual space that resonates with authenticity.

AppWizard

January 5, 2026

5 Essential Productivity Apps Every Android User Should Start Using

Focus Friend is an app developed by Hank Green that helps users maintain concentration by temporarily locking distracting applications during focus sessions, which can last from five minutes to two hours. Users earn in-app currency by focusing, which can be used to purchase furnishings for their virtual Bean Friend's space. If a session is ended prematurely, the user's earnings are lost. Files by Google is a file management app that allows users to back up files directly to Google Drive, declutter storage by suggesting deletions, and includes a document scanner. However, it lacks advanced organization tools like tagging and color-coding. Adobe Scan is an app that transforms physical documents into PDFs by capturing them with a phone's camera. Users can edit, rotate, and annotate scanned images, but some features require a subscription. Notein is a note-taking app that allows users to create plain notes and checklists, with formatting options and calendar integration for reminders. It currently lacks support for images or drawings. Todoist is a task management app that combines tasks with calendar functionality, allowing users to prioritize tasks, set due dates, and add sub-tasks. Some features require a Pro subscription. All featured apps have over a million downloads and a minimum 4.5-star rating on the Google Play Store, ensuring they are user-friendly and effective for productivity.

AppWizard

December 3, 2025

Wait and build: Slipknot’s Clown launches ‘Minecraft’ realm

Shawn "Clown" Crahan, the percussionist of Slipknot, has launched a Minecraft world called Vernearth, inviting fans to explore his creative environment. A preview of Vernearth was shared on Slipknot's TikTok. The band recently celebrated the 25th anniversary of their debut album with a reissue in September and announced a catalog deal with HarbourView Equity Partners in November.

AppWizard

November 25, 2025

D&D’s new turn based tactics PC game should be a delight – but without VR, I’m not finding the fun

Demeo x Dungeons and Dragons: Battlemarked is a cooperative multiplayer strategy game set in D&D's Forgotten Realms, available on Steam, PlayStation 5, and Meta Quest, primarily designed for virtual reality (VR). The game features turn-based strategy gameplay with players choosing from various D&D classes and species, represented as virtual miniatures. It is not a virtual tabletop or a direct adaptation of D&D 5e rules. The graphics are low in polygon count but rich in character, and the game emphasizes quick play sessions without the discomfort of VR-induced nausea. The control scheme reflects its VR origins, requiring players to pick up and place figures, which feels cumbersome on a flat screen compared to other games. The game is set to release on November 20, and the reviewer notes that their experience has been limited to single-player due to illness in the office.

Winsage

September 3, 2025

Meta Quest: Microsoft Adds Windows on Arm Support to Mixed Reality Link App

Microsoft's Mixed Reality Link app now supports Windows on Arm PCs, allowing users of Arm-based devices like the Surface Pro 11 to connect with Meta Quest 3 and Quest 3S headsets. This update, rolled out around August 29 via the Microsoft Store, enables users to stream their Windows desktop and create a multi-monitor setup with up to three virtual screens. Initially launched for x86-based PCs in December 2024, this expansion to Arm reflects Microsoft's commitment to feature parity across its hardware ecosystem. The update strengthens the partnership between Microsoft and Meta, aiming to establish mixed reality headsets as essential tools for work and leisure. The Meta Quest 3S, recently launched, is designed to make VR technology more accessible, and includes an "Xbox Edition" bundle with an Xbox controller and Game Pass subscription. This update positions Microsoft strategically in the spatial computing landscape, targeting mainstream consumer and prosumer markets while maintaining Windows as a core productivity hub.

AppWizard

August 10, 2025

Wrexham University gamers build Wrexham Eisteddfod on Minecraft

A team from Wrexham University has created a block-by-block replica of the 2025 National Eisteddfod in Minecraft to provide an immersive experience for those unable to attend the festival. The project, which took about three weeks to develop, has attracted 50 to 60 participants from Wales, England, and Ireland since its launch. Players can explore a virtual village featuring performance stages and craft stalls, and contribute their own designs. The National Eisteddfod is Europe's largest cultural festival, and the developers aim to promote the Welsh language in a playful environment. The server will remain active for another month, encouraging creativity from players of all ages. Minecraft, the best-selling computer game of all time, has been utilized for this project due to its accessibility and popularity.

AppWizard

June 25, 2025

HOW DISGUISE BUILT OUT THE VIRTUAL ENVIRONMENTS FOR A MINECRAFT MOVIE

A Minecraft Movie, directed by Jared Hess, utilizes 3D voxel art to create its unique visual style, moving away from photorealistic graphics. The production involved a collaboration with Disguise, led by Dan Lemmon, and features a cast including Jason Momoa and Jack Black. Talia Finlayson, a Senior Unreal Artist at Disguise, emphasized the integration of the Virtual Art Department (VAD) throughout production, allowing for real-time live-compositing of the Minecraft world using Simulcam. Set designs were created in Rhinoceros 3D and transformed into interactive environments with Unreal Engine, incorporating assets from talented artists and the game itself. Flexibility was crucial, enabling rapid iteration based on feedback, with adjustments made to accommodate filming needs, such as removing a second story from a building. The design process considered practical aspects like camera movements and stunt choreography, ensuring cohesion with the Minecraft aesthetic. The use of Simulcam allowed for the merging of physical and virtual environments, enhancing production efficiency and creativity.

AppWizard

June 24, 2025

Is your Android phone safe? ‘Godfather’ malware targets 500 Android apps

Cybersecurity firm Zimperium has reported a new variant of the Godfather malware targeting around 500 Android applications, mainly in banking, cryptocurrency, and e-commerce sectors. This version uses virtual spoofing to create deceptive replicas of the user's phone environment, misleading users and security measures. The malware installs a malicious "host" app that scans for banking applications and downloads counterfeit versions that operate in a concealed virtual space. When users access their banking apps, they interact with these fraudulent versions, which record sensitive information such as PINs, passwords, and two-factor authentication codes. It can also remotely control devices, execute money transfers, and exfiltrate confidential data. Most affected applications are based in Turkey, but the malware has the potential to spread globally.

AppWizard

June 21, 2025

Godfather Android trojan uses virtualization to hijack banking and crypto apps

Zimperium zLabs has identified a new version of the GodFather Android trojan, which uses on-device virtualization to hijack legitimate banking and cryptocurrency applications. This malware creates a sandbox environment on the victim's device to run actual applications while intercepting user input in real time, allowing for complete account takeovers and bypassing security measures. The current campaign primarily targets Turkish banks. The GodFather malware employs ZIP manipulation and obfuscation techniques to evade detection, concealing its payload within the assets folder and using session-based installation methods. It utilizes accessibility services to monitor user input, automatically grant permissions, and exfiltrate data to a command-and-control (C2) server via Base64-encoded URLs. The trojan leverages open-source tools like Virtualapp and Xposed to execute overlay attacks, virtualizing applications within a host container. It scans for specific banking applications, downloads Google Play components into a concealed virtual space, and creates a deceptive environment to execute genuine banking applications. When users access their legitimate banking apps, GodFather redirects them to counterfeit versions within its virtual space, capturing their interactions. The malware employs advanced hooking techniques tailored to banking applications, intercepting network connections and capturing sensitive information. It can also compromise lock screen credentials by displaying fake overlays. GodFather supports a wide range of commands, allowing attackers to simulate gestures, manipulate screen elements, and steal sensitive data while remaining hidden from users and security tools. The malware targets over 484 popular applications, including banking, cryptocurrency, e-commerce, and social media platforms, with a current focus on a dozen Turkish financial institutions. This discovery marks a significant advancement in mobile malware capabilities compared to previous threats.