A GROUP of some of the Sunshine Coast's most entrepreneurial businesspeople and engineers has enlisted the help of the world's most popular game, Minecraft, to generate ideas for the Maroochydore CBD development.

New consortium The-Core wants to tap into the minds of creative and innovative people to show off their vision for the upcoming Maroochydore CBD development.

From today, gamers around the world are invited to try their hand on popular video game Minecraft to design an iconic building or buildings for the future city centre.

The game allows players to focus on the creative aspects of building and construction.

Since Minecraft's launch in 2009, more then 100 million people have signed up to play.

The-Core co-founder Craig Josic (pictured) said Minecraft was the ideal game for the project as it promoted creativity and building.

"The strong community built around Minecraft means that The-Core can bring a diverse group of people who, while sharing similar interests, have unique points of view that will lead to things we can only dream of," he said.

"The Sunshine Coast has gained a reputation as one of the most tech-savvy communities in the world, winning multiple awards including the State e-Town award from Google last year.

"This achievement helped inspire the creation of The-Core and this competition."

University of the Sunshine Coast computer gaming researcher Colleen Stieler-Hunt said games such as Mine

craft gave children great opportunities.

"There are lots of personal skills that children learn through playing games, such as persistence, creativity and working together ... all life skills," she said.

Ms Stieler-Hunt said she recently saw Minecraft used at a primary school to promote literacy, with Year 2 students writing enthusiastically about their Minecraft adventures.

"For many children the experience of playing a game is just as interesting as going on an excursion," she said.

The-Core is giving away more than $10,000 in cash, prizes and education as part of the competition.

The overall winner will receive a 3D print of their creation.

Go to the-core.co for more.

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As the official media partner, the Sunshine Coast Daily has a special promotional code for readers to receive the early bird rate of $10. To receive the discount, enter the code "Daily" when signing up at the-core.co.