On November 2, 2013 the Orange County Convention Center in Orlando, Florida hosted a completely sold-out convention whose attendees were enthusiasts of the game Minecraft and its players. The main idea behind the annual convention is to create a meeting place for the large community of members who participate with the video game.

Lydia Winters hosted this year’s event, where people attended from all over the globe. Lydia took the stage during the opening ceremony to provide insight into the company behind Minecraft, Mojang. Lydia announced how Mojang is also responsible for the creation of the games Scrolls and Cobalt, which is a third-party game. She further revealed how there are two teams working on the Minecraft game, one team for the Minecraft game that is for the PC and one team working on the pocket edition version. The teams were present at Minecon and were introduced on stage. Markus Persson was also present; he is a Game Developer and creator behind Minecraft.

A video presentation was aired, displaying the environment of a new game, which is a collaborative effort between the creative team behind Google Creative Lab and Dan200, a player in Minecraft, to create QCraft. Qcraft is a game that brings quantum physics into the game of Minecraft.

Another video was presented, this time it covered Twitch, which is a new feature that is coming to Minecraft. This feature provides one-click broadcasting of Minecraft to twitch, as a live stream.

Minecraft parody music videos were aired, including a live performance by a band with lead vocals by Sky. A sneak peak of the music video performed by Sky was also shown followed by the official release worldwide.

Lydia also presented to the audience the creators behind a program called Block By Block. The United Nations Habitat collaborated with the creators behind Minecraft to make the program possible. The program makes use of parks, public pavements, public squares, skate parks and everything that makes a city livable. Block By Block uses Minecraft essentially as a communication tool to connect local communities in the city, especially in developing countries. Locations of specific real life cities have been painstakingly recreated in-game for the players to explore.

There was also a Diamond Deposit Scavenger hunt where participants had to go from booth to booth at the convention center to check out the items that they are offering. While there, the booth attendant will punch your card to indicate that you came by. When all the holes on the card are punched through, the cards are placed into a bin to be randomly chosen for a prize.

Mindcrack was present for a panel discussion. Mindcrack is a Let’s Play server that was formed in October of 2010. The panel held a question and answer segment where the community was polled to submit questions.

Multiplay created Hunger Games maps specifically for Minecon attendees. There was a tournament area for the games at the convention and a video trailer was presented to showcase the epic builds that will be in the Hunger Games tournament. The names of the maps are Basileum Castle, Fonsurbem Citadel, Pirate’s Retreat and The Battlements of Shakour, with Hallowed Mansion as a Mincraft parkour map created by Fire UK.

Everything that the many players of the game enjoy about Minecraft has been essentially taken into the real world for this convention. Many gamers who attended did so dressed in custom costumes to resemble characters from within the game. Minecon gatherings are great to provide an opportunity for the players of the game to meet others whom either they only know from within the game, or who they befriend for the first time from meeting at the convention. It is known as a great way to become introduced to new friends who share a common interest.

The Minecon gathering was live-streamed, displaying the exhibit hall and interviews with popular YouTubers and members of the Mojang team. Largely considered to be one of the most unique experiences for fans of Minecraft, you have an opportunity to meet with other players from all over the world who have come to the convention.

If you attend a Minecon one of the cool items that you are certain to receive is an in-game cape for your character to wear in Minecraft, to display to everyone that you were at Minecon! The 2013 edition of the cape is jade green with a piston fitted on the center.