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Minecraft: Denmark replica disrupted by 'cyber vandals' 7 May 2014 Cyber vandals have destroyed the virtual Denmark that was designed to teach children. A small portion of it was destroyed despite a prohibition by its creators, the Danish Geodata Agency (DGA) on the use "dynamite". minecraft servers In the area where the first battle was fought at the beginning of the area, large US flags were displayed, along with white, red and blue "America" signs. The state-owned agency believed the "vandalism", and stated that the damage was repaired. Images showing the changes were posted first to the fan site minecraftforum.net by one user who wrote: “I Americanized [sic] this site a little." Chris Hammeken, chief press officer at the Danish Geodata Agency, told the BBC: "Only a minor area was destroyed. "The flags actually appeared right at the point where players start I believe that the people who put them there wanted to gain the maximum amount of attention." Hidden 'dynamite' "Minecraft's about building and rebuilding," stated Mr Hammeken. He explained the incident as being part of Minecraft's "nature" of play. The buildings were destroyed by virtual dynamite, the use of which was banned on the Danish server - after users discovered that it could be used to detonate when hidden in mining carts. "It was the players who cleaned up the mess and replaced it with green grass and flowers the following morning," said Mr Hammeken. The city was not "hand-built" - the topographic data of Denmark was transferred into Minecraft and is available as a free download on the DGA's website. Anyone who downloads the data can upload it to their own private Minecraft server that will give a restored city and shield users from attack. The replica has already been downloaded over 220,000 times since the start of the month. Virtual field trips The DGA created an exact replica of Denmark to spark interest in spatial data, with particular focus on education for children. The website says: "There are real addresses in the game, which means it's possible to engage in a discussion of place names and their meanings." The agency has also suggested using the replica as a method to take students on virtual field trips. "We've observed that children are more engaged when they are able to see something familiar," stated Mr Hammeken. He said that Minecraft has been extensively used in Denmark as a tool for education for a long time. It is not clear who the "vandals" were, or the reasons they were able to target Denmark. Why Minecraft is more than just another video game 7 September 2013 Minecraft gamer eyes big money 7 March 2014 Gamer's Minecraft videos have become a global sensation 11 April 2014 Related Internet Links Geodatastyrelsen The BBC is not accountable for the content of external websites.