A CROSBY Ravensworth couple have released a book based around the popular video game Minecraft.

The game is construction-based, with players able to use virtual building blocks to create whatever they wish. Notable examples of things made by Minecraft gamers include a virtual space shuttle, the Taj Mahal, and even a working virtual computer.

Adam Clarke, co-author of ‘Unofficial Minecraft Life Hacks Lab for Kids’, said Minecraft gave children “a place where their imagination can run wild and also in a really safe and controlled environment.”

He added: “For younger people it is the most exciting place to be.”

The new book offers children a number of tasks which they can complete - some of these are things that can be done in Minecraft and some are steps to take in real life. Mr Clarke said these tasks focus on things like “community, digital citizenship, and emotional intelligence.”

To the gaming community Mr Clarke is perhaps best known as ‘Wizard Keen’. This is a fictional character from a Youtube video series called Wonder Quest, which is set in the virtual world of Minecraft.

In Wonder Quest, Wizard Keen appears alongside another character named ‘Stampy’, who is voiced by a popular Youtube video creator known online as ‘stampylonghead’ (real name Joseph Garrett). In the videos, Wizard Keen and Stampy have various adventures together.

Co-author Victoria Bennett is a poet and creative activist. She is currently working with the University of Lancaster to produce a Gulliver’s Travels-themed map in Minecraft. In 2015, a map she made for the game - a kind of virtual poem - was covered by the Guardian.

‘Unofficial Minecraft Life Hacks Lab for Kids’ can be bought online on Amazon or at quartoknows.com.