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Craft the Web: re-enact the invention of the Web

A game being developed at CERN will guide participants on a unique journey

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A view of CERN in “Craft the Web” (Image: CERN)

To celebrate the 30th Anniversary of the World Wide Web, CERN members and the Minetest community co-designed “Craft the Web”, an open-source gaming experience that lets its players re-enact the invention of the Web. The game will primarily be meant to be played in a classroom setting, with an instructor guiding the students on their journey.

Six key developers of Minetest, an open-source game inspired by Minecraft, accepted CERN’s invitation to collaborate on the project. They gathered at IdeaSquare from 5 to 8 July to work on a first version of the virtual learning platform.

During their stay, the participants got a first-hand understanding of the Laboratory’s role in society and of its computing facilities. They also had the chance to interact with Ben Segal (mentor to Tim Berners-Lee, the inventor of the Web). Ben’s recollections of early data challenges at CERN had a direct influence on shaping the “Craft the Web” design and experience. The developers’ visit to the CERN Data Center showed them how such challenges persist in today’s modern technology context.

Video: CERN

“Craft the Web” was publicly unveiled at the Coding Science conference that took place at CERN between 22 and 24 November. The project is sponsored by the US Mission in Geneva and is still under significant development. If you are interested in participating in the project’s development or evolution, contact craft.the.web@cern.ch.