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‘I have been playing Minecraft almost every day since I was 7. I am 10 now.’
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They say that if you do what you love then it doesn’t feel like work. I’m pretty sure that’s a bunch of baloney, but I can understand the allure of becoming a professional landscaper within Minecraft. That’s the job on offer from WhatShed, a British publication that covers all things sheds and gardening. It’s no surprise that such an interesting job is attracting a lot of applicants, I just didn’t expect so many of them to be kids.
In case you’re not one of the millions of people playing Minecraft on a regular basis, landscaping is a pretty big part of the game. Players have made an art of building meticulously crafted spaces in Minecraft’s procedurally generated natural landscapes.
If you’re wondering exactly what a virtual Minecraft landscaper does, here are the official duties on the job listing:
So, basically a landscaper, but in Minecraft. The pay is no joke—consultants make up to £50/hour and can set their own rates, apparently. The listing includes a form for applicants inquiring about their relevant experience and what would make them an “excellent virtual landscape gardener.” Based on the comments below the listing, a lot of the site’s most enthusiastic candidates are skewing pretty young.
“I have been playing Minecraft almost every day since I was 7. I am 10 now,” said applicant Emma, perhaps from the Kindle Fire 8 tablet that they play Minecraft on. Emma is shooting their shot unabated, but commenter Marrat is tackling the age question directly. “Hello, can I participate if I do not have a game console and I am 14 years old?” Good question, Marrat.
“I’m 14 I’m trying too good luck,” Richard replied. User Swagg chimed in with legal support that rained on Emma’s parade. “Legally you can. I’m 15… the 10-year-old is gonna get declined tho.” I’m not so sure any of these kiddos should get too excited, even Sir Swagg. Though the United States’ minimum work age is 14 ( 13 in the UK), the age selection in the listing starts at 21 (though there is an “Other” box where you can fill in your age manually).
“My father owns his own landscaping business so I’m around gardening and landscaping a lot. I also have plenty of free time. Since I’m such a young age, kids will not feel creeped out as such as they would feel with a 30-to-40-year-old. As you can see I have all the skill sets and requirements for this job. Shoot me an email.”
Most of these kids are all talk, but I appreciate that Daniel came resume in-hand. Here’s an example of their landscaping work that was made completely in survival mode. The South Park school bus is a nice compliment to any gardening shed, I reckon.
Jokes aside, all of these talented younglings are absolutely better Minecraft landscapers than I can ever hope to be. I’ve played the game off-and-on for 11 years and still couldn’t decorate a yard if my life depended on it. My mind is too utilitarian to worry about placing crops in a neat row or adding flowers to the mix. Maybe I should hire whoever WhatShed ends up giving the job to.
Morgan has been writing for PC Gamer since 2018, first as a freelancer and currently as a staff writer. He has also appeared on Polygon, Kotaku, Fanbyte, and PCGamesN. Before freelancing, he spent most of high school and all of college writing at small gaming sites that didn’t pay him. He’s very happy to have a real job now. Morgan is a beat writer following the latest and greatest shooters and the communities that play them. He also writes general news, reviews, features, the occasional guide, and bad jokes in Slack. Twist his arm, and he’ll even write about a boring strategy game. Please don’t, though.
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