As the world gets deeper into the 21st century, video games have become more than just a pastime for the billions of adolescent teens and adults who play them. Education video games and simulated avatar concepts are now essential tools for learning development in some schools in the U.S.

According to The Recorder in Greenfield, Mass., the popular avatar simulated video game Minecraft is now being utilized as an option for Greenfield Middle School's Expanded Learning Time after-school program. The course will enroll about 50 students from fourth-through-seventh-grades each trimester.

Students attend the after-school program twice a week for 80 minutes, while the other three days are dedicated toward tutoring and standardized test preparation.

The Swedish based game, which can be played on PC, PlayStations 3, 4 and Vita, as well as Xbox One and 360, allows players to construct their virtual homes and landscape by collecting natural resources. Players can also travel through the Minecraft universe and interact or battle with other users.

The course's instructor Brian Westbrook, 25, was a Greenfield High School alumnus and told the local newspaper he doesn't believe video games are a waste of time and that it's important for children to engage in a variety of activities.

"I've always felt that there's a kind of deeper educational aspect to games that a lot of people don't realize. In Minecraft, creativity and logical reasoning can seemingly produce anything," Westbrook said.

The U.S. and Finland developed "Minecraft EDU," which is a modified form of the game geared for instructional use as it allows the instructor to modify parts of the game. The EDU version also embedded a history and geography aspect so students can venture and learn through historical monuments and artifacts.

Westbrook said the game gives some of the younger students who are not yet familiar with computer technology to become knowledgeable of the computer applications and systems.

Greenfield Middle School Principal Gary Tashjian said he had already recognized it was a popular game among his student and that he didn't require a lot of convincing when Westbrook pitched the idea of using the game during one of their after-school courses

"More than just a mindless computer game, (Minecraft) challenges students to be creative and build extensive communities," Tashjian said.

4J Studios, the games development company for PlayStation and Xbox, released Minecraft's new City Texture Pack for 360 and PS3 users Friday, International Business Times reported.

Last month the 4J tweeted a teaser of the new pack with a screenshot of the V&A Dundee to show how users can construct the building. Minecraft players can purchase the expansion pack for $1.

The game's popularity has grown exponentially since computer programmer Markus Persson developed the game in 2009. When the game was released on Xbox 360 in 2011, four millions copies of it were sold in five months.