Minecraft Classroom Management: Items and Codes
Q. How do I allow my students to destroy and build, but keep them from destroying or changing certain areas?
A. If you want your students to be able to destroy and build as they go through the game but not destroy certain features. You have two options available to you.
Option One: Deny Blocks
The Deny block deny building and destroying, but only for any blocks above it (at any height). Players can still interact with things like chests, levers, buttons… they just can’t break anything. Deny blocks can be found by expanding the menu by clicking on the plus symbol on the red border block to view all three “permission” blocks. The grey and black one is the Deny Block.
Put deny blocks underground in the areas you want to be protected. You can use /fill to quickly place them at a later underground.
- If you are new to using commands, you may want to export your world first, in case there are any mistakes. /fill can be an awesome tool to do things quickly, but it can also easily wipe out everything if you type a number wrong.
- turn on “show coordinates” in the settings.
- Use the /fill command and select two opposite corners of the area you do not want students to break. Then type the following into the chat bar:
/fill x1 y1 z1 x2 y2 z2 deny
x1 y1 z1 would be the coordinates for the first corner of the area and x2 y2 z2 would be the coordinates for the opposite corner.
4. To make the Deny Block fill underground just set both the y values for a few blocks underground by subtracting 2 or 3 from the middle number of your coordinates.
Option Two: Command Blocks
Using command blocks, set areas within a certain radius to any mode (adventure, survival etc.).This will prevent students from destroying anything without a tool that has been given to them with the specific ability to destroy objects.
- Place command block
- Set it in a place that students have to pass by
- Use /gamemode commands. /gamemode s @a [r=10] (This would put all players within 10 blocks of the command block on whatever mode you choose).
- Make it a repeating command block so it is always active but then you will need another command block to put them back in another mode
- Or have a button/lever/pressure plate to activate the command block
Below are two resources that have a list of the commands required to do this:
