Teenager builds own NZ Minecraft contest

Whangarei teen Zac Miller-Waugh, 16, is organising what he believes is the only Minecraft gaming event in New Zealand. Photo / Michael Cunningham

A young Northlander is giving locals the opportunity to explore new land on the other side of a world once occupied by an ancient civilisation.

Participants will be tasked with building a new land and controlling weapons of mass destruction in what Zac Miller-Waugh believes is the only Minecraft gaming event in New Zealand.

The 16-year-old was first introduced to Minecraft - a computer game where users can build or destroy houses, mine, fight monsters and create worlds - in 2011 through a friend and has been playing ever since.

"I like the fact there are infinite possibilities. You can do a lot and create worlds and build things. You can make switches which open things and build computers in the game," he said.

Zac has organised two other Minecraft events in the past on a smaller scale but this is the biggest event so far.

The Flareplex Minecraft Gaming Days will be held today and on Thursday, January 28.

Today's event will see about 30 people aged from 10 to 13 come together to play in a Minecraft world created by Zac along with people he hired from the United States and volunteers.

"It's been a lot of work," he said "For the last three months I've spent a lot of time playing Minecraft and setting up the world for this event."

As part of the event players will be split into two teams and each team will have a leader who will head the mission.

Zac said the story behind this gaming event was about a new land called Argos where a "vanished civilisation" once lived.

Each team must travel to Argos, build a new world, gather resources and seize control of weapons.

"I do this so I can learn new skills. I've met people all over the world through this game," he said.

The Flareplex Minecraft Gaming Days will be held at the Whangarei Club from 8.30am to 5pm. For more information visit flareplex.nz/register