Skip to Content

How to Build a Picture it! Mini-Game in Minecraft

Note: This guide was written before Command Blocks were a thing.

minecraft picture it mini game

Picture it! is a fun game in which you have to map out an enormous part of land and be the first to guess what image slowly appears on your map. This game is best played in a large group, perhaps as a server event, but it can also be played with just a few people.

While the aim of the game is quite simple, mapping out the entire map can take quite a while, as a full map covers 1024×1024 blocks. You can also make it even more difficult by placing mob spawners, building the land with different height levels or by allowing people to attack each other.

minecraft picture it mini game

Building the map can take quite a while, but it generally isn’t too difficult to build. You pretty much use the same techniques as when you build pixel art, but you apply it horizontally. However, note that a single pixel on the map equals an 8×8 chunk in the minecraft world, so you’ll have to plan your land accordingly. You can also only use 10 colours on your map, as most blocks of the same type (like wood, stone, grass, etc) are translated as the same colour on a map. The full list of colours can be found lower down in this article.

To start the game you simply give each member a map, which has been created in the middle of the map (or else it can’t cover everything) and then you could either release them from a fenced off area (spawn) or tell them to run when you’ve counted down.

minecraft picture it mini game

A final note, the landscape you create will look horrible, as you’re basically creating large squares of seemingly random materials. You might want to either build this area far away from other buildings or cover it with a layer of grass or water when you’re not playing, then remove it with world edit when you want to play.

minecraft picture it mini game

Map colours

Colour Blocks it could represent: Beds, Block of diamond, Block of gold, Block of iron, Block of lapis lazuli, Brewing stands, Clay, Couldrons, Gravel, Iron doors, Iron bars, Silverfish blocks, Soulsand, Sponge All stone blocks, including ores, nether brick, obsidian, enchantment tables and other blocks made out of stone. Ice Water Grass, Mycelium All nature-type blocks, like saplings, leaves, mushroom blocks, lily pads and flowers. Gravel, Sand, Soul sand Dirt, Farmland All wooden blocks, including chests, fences, signs, wooden doors and all other blocks made with wood. Snow, Snow blocks

Note that transparent blocks, like glass, rails and even portal blocks and fire will show the colour of the block below them.

Guide Contents