Students hold graduation in Minecraft after their real-life ceremony got cancelled

In Japan, schools have been closed for over a fortnight thanks to the coronavirus outbreak, and will continue to remain shut for the foreseeable future - meaning many students are missing their graduation ceremonies and a chance to celebrate their hard work alongside their classmates. Yet some students didn't take no for an answer, and instead organised their own graduation ceremony inside the world of Minecraft.

An image shared by Twitter user backyennew shows the graduation ceremony in progress, with his elementary-school son explaining he and his friends "all decided to have a graduation ceremony together" (as translated by SoraNews24). "Awesome. The elementary students gathered to start graduation themselves," backyennew added. The kids built the school hall themselves, and it's pretty well-made.

「何やってんの？」
「みんなで卒業式をやることにした」

え？すげえ。
小学生が集まって自分たちで卒業式を始めた。 pic.twitter.com/qqk2XnmK6g

会場もすごくよく出来ている。 pic.twitter.com/HKjVCaOmOf

The students apparently spent all day playing games together and having fun, which seems like a welcome break from the doom and gloom of the current news on TV. It's wonderful to see video games used to reduce the isolation felt by social-distancing measures, and in such a creative way too. The kids are alright.