Latest news with #Minecrafter
The Courier
28-04-2025
- Health
- The Courier
Clowndoctors spread smiles at Ninewells Hospital in Dundee
'Do you like Minecraft?' Dr CousCous asks Dennis. The six-year-old from Montrose immediately lights up. 'Yes!' 'You look like a Minecrafter,' Dr CousCous nods enthusiastically. 'I can tell.' It has been a long night for Dennis, who is sitting in a giant bed at Ninewells Hospital, surrounded by pens and colouring-in books, a juice box and an easter egg. He looks tiny. He was brought to the Dundee infirmary the day before with suspected appendicitis after a fit of vomiting and stomach pain. Since then, he's undergone multiple blood tests and scans to diagnose the issue. His mum Maria is worried. Dennis, who misses his brother and doesn't like the needles, wants to go home. But the visit from the clowndoctors – Dr CousCous and Dr McFlea – has, at least for now, replaced his tears with giggles. 'He says he can't wait to go back to school and tell his friends about the clowndoctors,' Maria tells me afterwards. 'I'd never heard of the clowndoctors before. 'But it's good for kids and it's good for [the adults] as well. It makes everyone laugh.' The clowndoctors, deployed by Scottish charity Hearts and Minds, are professional artists who use clowning in medical, health, play and educational environments. They travel in pairs to hospitals, care homes and other health care facilities across Scotland. They visit the children's ward at Ninewells every week. Six-year-old Ellie, who receives treatment for Inflammatory Bowel Disease at the hospital every month, looks forward to their visits. While she and her big sister Orla are entertained by Dr CousCous and Dr McFlea, I chat to their dad Jamie. He says: 'We've been coming here for just over a year and see the clowndoctors most times. 'They will usually give Ellie a wee activity to do and make jokes.' Laughing, he adds: 'They usually embarrass me, make me sing and that kind of thing.' The family, from Perth, tend to spend two or three hours at the hospital each time. Jamie says: 'She has to get used to having these needles and cannulas and things like that. 'But [the clowndoctors] mean it is something that she kind of looks forward to. 'They just kind of make her laugh and smile when it would be pretty rubbish to be here every month otherwise.' Millie Cassidy, 14, is also well-acquainted with the clowndoctors. The Arbroath High School pupil has been coming to the hospital, where she receives regular infusions for her Crohn's disease, since she was nine years old. 'I enjoy their visits,' she tells me. 'They always try to make me laugh. It's quite nice. It's a good distraction. It helps to lift my mood. 'It kills a bit a time as it can be boring otherwise. 'I am here for about four hours each time. I usually bring games and things.' Millie's mum, Lesley, says: 'We've got our favourites. 'Because we've been coming for a while, it's nice to see the same clowndoctors 'They're always good at remembering who you are.' Indeed, spirits in the ward appear immediately lifted by the goofy clowndoctor duo, who riff off of one another effortlessly. ('Oh, it's the PRESS,' Dr McFlea greets me. Only to be nudged by her companion: 'She's not dePRESSed, silly!') But their clown therapy is not 'just for laughs', says Lucy McGreal, co-artistic director at Hearts and Minds. 'That's a byproduct of it, 'she says. 'But healthcare clowning is a real tool to enable empathy and compassionate curiosity. 'We make no judgments about a young person's experience in the hospital. 'The beauty of healthcare clowning is that we can meet them where they are with no expectations.' This means giving the children full agency, allowing them to end an interaction whenever they want to, or to simply observe. It is evidently an intense role, which requires intense training. Joanne Brown, head of development at Hearts and Minds, explains: 'The clowndoctors are really highly skilled. 'They have usually gone through some kind of performing arts education. 'And then when they come to us, they have a year's worth of in-depth training for healthcare clowning. 'And then once they've 'graduated' from their healthcare training, there's continual assessment and observation of the work.' Scotland's clowndoctors are considered some of the best in the world, I'm told. The team are part of an international network and often meet with similar charities across Europe to share their knowledge. Dr McFlea – otherwise known as Zoe Darbyshire – has been doing the job for 23 years. The visual artist, who lives in Ladybank, says it is a 'great privilege'. 'It's incredible how we're given access to people who are so generous to us – it's like an exchange with the families. 'There are kids I've worked with for a long time, from babies through to the end of life, because Scotland is a small community of hospitals. 'We work across various locations, including schools and hospices, so we see them in different places. We follow the families.' She adds: 'Sometimes they just want us there, and it's not about getting smiles, it's about being their friend with no conditions. 'We are just someone who is neutral they can have a relationship with.' The nature of the job means it can be emotionally demanding at times. It is one of the reasons clowndoctors always work in pairs, and why they are given access to a support facilitator. Dr CousCous – whose name I learn is Colin Moncrieff – has been working with the charity for 15 years. The Glasgow-based actor says: 'We do see kids going through really difficult times. 'There was an occasion when someone resembled the age of a clowndoctor's own child, which was tough, so she stepped out and someone else stepped in. 'There's loads that gets under the wire, so we have to find our own self-care as well. 'There are times we've had memorial sessions, where we have thought about children that have been lost. It gives us time for that reflection.' But he channels this energy into what he does. 'Even if [the children] are going through difficult things and trauma, then we cut through that to be with them in the moment and connect,' he says. Around 20 clowndoctors work for the charity on a freelance basis. Along with their intense training programme – it's not a cheap process. It costs around £28,000 to fund clowndoctors in a children's hospital for one year. Part of this is supported by the NHS, but the rest depends on Hearts and Minds, which is financed by community donations, corporate partnerships and various trusts and foundations. Funding issues mean the charity, which was founded in 1997, has been forced to reduce its output in recent years. While funding at Ninewells – the only hospital that clowndoctors visit in Tayside and Fife – has just been secured for the next three years, the charity can no longer afford to visit institutions it once used to, including in Aberdeen and Inverness, despite repeated requests. The is one reason Joanne's role was created. The former director of Edinburgh Art Festival joined the team last year to oversee fundraising and marketing. She says: 'What I'm aiming to do is develop a funding model for the charity which means that we're not overly reliant on any one area. 'There is a cost of living crisis just now, and those of us who have got pensions are aware that our stocks and shares are in pretty dire situations. 'Each of those things has a knock-on effect on the various bits of funding that the clowndoctors receive. Joanne adds: 'From bake sales to ceilidhs, sponsored walks to school fundraisers – every effort helps. 'Right now, our kiltwalkers in Edinburgh and Glasgow are preparing for their big days. 'We'd love to see a Dundee Kiltwalk Team join them this year on August 17. 'Community fundraising is all about making some noise for the clowndoctors – and having fun doing it.'
Yahoo
31-03-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Jack Black, Jason Momoa enter the Minecraft universe as the video game phenom hits the big screen
LOS ANGELES (AP) — When Jack Black got the call to star in the 'Minecraft' movie, the perks were plenty. He got to work alongside Jason Momoa, reunite with 'Nacho Libre' director Jared Hess and engulf himself into a beloved gaming universe. But before agreeing, Black turned to the real decision-makers: his sons, who are avid Minecraft players. They didn't just give their approval, but practically begged him to take the role. Like his sons, Black has noticed the buzz since the release announcement of ' A Minecraft Movie,' which hits theaters Friday. The actor was already familiar with the video game, having played it occasionally with his sons while preparing for the live-action adaptation. 'My boys were playing it, and I wanted to speak their language,' said Black, who stars as the main protagonist Steve, who becomes an expert Minecrafter after being sucked into the Overworld dimension. His character eventually teams ups with a band of misfits who are mysteriously pulled through a portal into this new realm by a cubic object that thrives on imagination. The film also stars Momoa, Emma Myers, Danielle Brooks, Jennifer Coolidge and Sebastian Hansen. Before his character found himself in the Overworld, Black immersed himself in the Minecraft gaming world alongside his sons. He spent over 100 hours playing the game while on set. 'I put the work in,' he said. 'You got to put the days of work in. Watch YouTube videos to get some tips on how to survive that first night in the Overworld. I was pretty versed in it.' What's the craze behind Minecraft? After Minecraft's 2009 release, it took only two years to reach a million players. Since then, it has sold over 235 million copies across various gaming platforms, cementing its status as a global phenomenon with its blend of creativity, exploration and survival elements. The game's open-ended design lets players carve out their own experience, whether it's surviving against mobs, mining for resources, farming or using block-based structures to craft artistic masterpieces. It has also fostered a thriving multiplayer community where players collaborate to build their worlds together, while its educational applications extend to coding, architecture and problem solving. At its core, Minecraft is a limitless digital sandbox, where imagination transforms simple blocks into everything from cozy homes to sprawling cities. Minecraft creators' gameplay videos have generated millions of pageviews on YouTube. Those are some of the elements that drew Myers and Hansen into the game during their childhoods. 'I played a lot during COVID,' said Hansen, 14, who plays Henry, a shy but creative and intellectual kid trying to navigate his new high school. Once his character gets thrown in the Overworld, he feels comfortable with the environment. 'I played it a lot during my childhood, watching videos and stuff all the time," he said. Myers began playing the pocket edition with her friends around age 10. She said the digital and real-world elements seamlessly complement each other. 'I think it's very versatile,' said the 22-year-old actor who plays Natalie, a character who put her life plan's on hold to take care of Henry, her younger brother. "I think Minecraft kind of forces you to be creative and ... problem solve in ways that you probably wouldn't think of in the first place.' Do video game adaptations really work on the big screen? The road from console to cinema hasn't always been smooth. Many video game adaptations have struggled at the box office, but recent hits like the 'Sonic' series, 'Five Nights at Freddy's' and 'The Super Mario Bros. Movie' have proven the genre's potential. These three films have dominated the box office, with 'Super Mario Bros." raking in more than $146 million during its 2023 opening weekend, according to Comscore. The three 'Sonic' films have debuted between $58-72 million, while 'Five Nights at Freddy's' pulled in more than $80 million. That's a significant leap from other adaptations like 'The Angry Birds Movie 2," which Comscore records show had a lukewarm $10 million opening in 2019. Other attempts such as 'Mortal Kombat ($23 million in 2021) and 'Resident Evil: Welcome to Racoon City" ($5.3 million that same year) struggled to gain traction. Black, who has starred in popular films like 'School of Rock' and the ' Kung Fu Panda " series, said he's never been a part of such a highly-anticipated movie as 'Minecraft.' Is Minecraft just for children? If you ask Hess, it's certainly not. For him, the game is a family affair, woven into his household dynamics as he and his kids frequently explore the Overworld together. That made it an easy sell for him to direct 'A Minecraft Movie.' 'The game is one of my favorite games of all time, and it was such an important part of our family life,' said Hess, 45, who directed films including 'Napoleon Dynamite,' 'Masterminds' and 'Nacho Libre.' The game doesn't have a storyline, so Hess wanted to help create one for the movie based on his knowledge after playing it for hours. 'This world of Minecraft is so bonkers in such a perfect setting for an epic adventure movie that was really ridiculously funny,' he said. 'There's so many places you can go with it. There's no story to the game, so there was a lot of creative license to kind of come up with.' Torfi Frans Ólafsson said he's got thousands of hours clocked in on Minecraft, sometimes playing an entire night until 5 a.m., even if he has an 8 a.m. meeting. He recalled an entire weekend playing with his son, who was 6 at the time. 'I don't think we did anything else,' said Ólafsson, a creative director at Minecraft and a producer of the film. 'We had a mission. We're trying to kill the dragon. It was just a lot of work and he kept messing up. ... But it was a wonderful bonding moment between father and son.' Ólafsson added: 'That's the thing that matters. This game brings people together and creates shared memories and give meanings to things.'
Associated Press
31-03-2025
- Entertainment
- Associated Press
Jack Black, Jason Momoa enter the Minecraft universe as the video game phenom hits the big screen
LOS ANGELES (AP) — When Jack Black got the call to star in the 'Minecraft' movie, the perks were plenty. He got to work alongside Jason Momoa, reunite with 'Nacho Libre' director Jared Hess and engulf himself into a beloved gaming universe. But before agreeing, Black turned to the real decision-makers: his sons, who are avid Minecraft players. They didn't just give their approval, but practically begged him to take the role. Like his sons, Black has noticed the buzz since the release announcement of ' A Minecraft Movie,' which hits theaters Friday. The actor was already familiar with the video game, having played it occasionally with his sons while preparing for the live-action adaptation. 'My boys were playing it, and I wanted to speak their language,' said Black, who stars as the main protagonist Steve, who becomes an expert Minecrafter after being sucked into the Overworld dimension. His character eventually teams ups with a band of misfits who are mysteriously pulled through a portal into this new realm by a cubic object that thrives on imagination. The film also stars Momoa, Emma Myers, Danielle Brooks, Jennifer Coolidge and Sebastian Hansen. Before his character found himself in the Overworld, Black immersed himself in the Minecraft gaming world alongside his sons. He spent over 100 hours playing the game while on set. 'I put the work in,' he said. 'You got to put the days of work in. Watch YouTube videos to get some tips on how to survive that first night in the Overworld. I was pretty versed in it.' What's the craze behind Minecraft? After Minecraft's 2009 release, it took only two years to reach a million players. Since then, it has sold over 235 million copies across various gaming platforms, cementing its status as a global phenomenon with its blend of creativity, exploration and survival elements. The game's open-ended design lets players carve out their own experience, whether it's surviving against mobs, mining for resources, farming or using block-based structures to craft artistic masterpieces. It has also fostered a thriving multiplayer community where players collaborate to build their worlds together, while its educational applications extend to coding, architecture and problem solving. At its core, Minecraft is a limitless digital sandbox, where imagination transforms simple blocks into everything from cozy homes to sprawling cities. Minecraft creators' gameplay videos have generated millions of pageviews on YouTube. Those are some of the elements that drew Myers and Hansen into the game during their childhoods. 'I played a lot during COVID,' said Hansen, 14, who plays Henry, a shy but creative and intellectual kid trying to navigate his new high school. Once his character gets thrown in the Overworld, he feels comfortable with the environment. 'I played it a lot during my childhood, watching videos and stuff all the time,' he said. Myers began playing the pocket edition with her friends around age 10. She said the digital and real-world elements seamlessly complement each other. 'I think it's very versatile,' said the 22-year-old actor who plays Natalie, a character who put her life plan's on hold to take care of Henry, her younger brother. 'I think Minecraft kind of forces you to be creative and ... problem solve in ways that you probably wouldn't think of in the first place.' Do video game adaptations really work on the big screen? The road from console to cinema hasn't always been smooth. Many video game adaptations have struggled at the box office, but recent hits like the 'Sonic' series, 'Five Nights at Freddy's' and 'The Super Mario Bros. Movie' have proven the genre's potential. These three films have dominated the box office, with 'Super Mario Bros.' raking in more than $146 million during its 2023 opening weekend, according to Comscore. The three 'Sonic' films have debuted between $58-72 million, while 'Five Nights at Freddy's' pulled in more than $80 million. That's a significant leap from other adaptations like 'The Angry Birds Movie 2,' which Comscore records show had a lukewarm $10 million opening in 2019. Other attempts such as 'Mortal Kombat ($23 million in 2021) and 'Resident Evil: Welcome to Racoon City' ($5.3 million that same year) struggled to gain traction. Black, who has starred in popular films like 'School of Rock' and the ' Kung Fu Panda" series, said he's never been a part of such a highly-anticipated movie as 'Minecraft.' Is Minecraft just for children? If you ask Hess, it's certainly not. For him, the game is a family affair, woven into his household dynamics as he and his kids frequently explore the Overworld together. That made it an easy sell for him to direct 'A Minecraft Movie.' 'The game is one of my favorite games of all time, and it was such an important part of our family life,' said Hess, 45, who directed films including 'Napoleon Dynamite,' 'Masterminds' and 'Nacho Libre.' The game doesn't have a storyline, so Hess wanted to help create one for the movie based on his knowledge after playing it for hours. 'This world of Minecraft is so bonkers in such a perfect setting for an epic adventure movie that was really ridiculously funny,' he said. 'There's so many places you can go with it. There's no story to the game, so there was a lot of creative license to kind of come up with.' Torfi Frans Ólafsson said he's got thousands of hours clocked in on Minecraft, sometimes playing an entire night until 5 a.m., even if he has an 8 a.m. meeting. He recalled an entire weekend playing with his son, who was 6 at the time. 'I don't think we did anything else,' said Ólafsson, a creative director at Minecraft and a producer of the film. 'We had a mission. We're trying to kill the dragon. It was just a lot of work and he kept messing up. ... But it was a wonderful bonding moment between father and son.'
