Minecraft
and World Builder
The
short film "World Builder" that we watched for week 3 of the EDCMOOC
made me think of my 13 year old son. For him, the ability to create a 3-D world
like the one in the film is something that he currently engages with for hours
each day as he plays the game "Minecraft" on the computer.
In
case you're unfamiliar with Minecraft, it is a massively popular game with
teens and pre-teens. The main objective in either Survival or Creative mode is
to build a world out of blocks of various substances. It's more difficult than
it might sound. Recently I read that schools are using Minecraft in the
classroom to teach various problem-solving skills.
So for
my son, imagining a scenario where someone could create a town like World
Builder would be nothing extraordinary. He does that all the time.
This
film got me thinking about what it means to be human in this context. In the
film, the man creates the town for his wife. It's unclear if the woman we see
walking around is a memory he has of her, or if she is able to participate via
technology even though she is in a coma. If she is engaging with it, then why
wouldn't he interact with her? That is unclear.
Back
to my son, in the Minecraft game there are no other people with whom to
interact. In some settings there are 'villagers' but they are basically unable
to communicate and they just walk around. Unlike other games on the X-box or
other platforms, he doesn't join in with friends to build this world. So essentially my son is building and living
in a virtual world alone. What does that mean for him? How will he view
humanity? Or how would he define what it means to be human if as parents, we
didn't also engage in various other settings; school, sports, church.
One
final thought. For me, being human is defined by our creativity. We are able to
create various items, some practical and immediately useful (chairs, houses,
cars) and some imaginative (novels, movies, theories). Will my son be more
creative in the rest of his world after spending hours on Minecraft? I don't
know. But I do know that as he engages with this game he is engaging in a
creative process.
I thoroughly recommend you check out http://massively.jokaydia.com where @jokay has created a safe community for children aged 5-16.
ReplyDeleteThe children take ownership of the world and often collaborate on building projects and share in in-world events.
Rick - my 2nd grader also is a huge Minecraft fan! Has you son seen these family friendly Minecraft videos by Paul Soares, Jr.? http://www.youtube.com/user/paulsoaresjr
ReplyDeleteI've set up a Minecraft server in our house so that when my son's friends come over they can play in the same world together. Excited to check out the @jokay world referenced by Barbara! - Keeley
Rick, I love the comparison between Worldbuilder and Minecraft. And I'm excited to see some of the links. Have you ever thought of asking your son what he thinks about the time spent in building a 3D world in Minecraft?
ReplyDeleteRick don't worry! I can tell you this: artists spend most of their time in a world they inhabit all alone. Doesn't mean they always have problems socializing. Sometimes it's the other way around and they can have and express ideas of great value for their community. For me being creative is a very lonely act but not at all in a sad way! From time to time I like to work on projects with others together too but not always, because the feeling I get being immersed in my own thoughts while I am creating something new is incredibly beautiful. I love and need to be left alone when I am in the flow. Doesn't mean I don't need inspiration and time being with others. :)
ReplyDeleteI wonder if anyone ever played Age of Empires? For me, that game was enthralling and I could get lost for hours building communities and setting out in ship to conquer new lands. Minecraft is very similar to that game, just at an easier play level.
ReplyDeleteI think both these games are creative to a point but not in a true artistic sense since all the dimensions are worked out by the computer. However, it certainly is constructivist learning (which I'm a big fan of).
The boys is my class are obsessed with it and I am trying to find a way of integrating it into some of my lesson. Most likely it will be the one on architecture. However, it is addictive and I think it has to be very carefully managed in a class situation.
I'm sure your son is learning a lot from playing the game but just like worldbuilder, you might want to figure in some kind of time limitations!
I am a bad quadblog partner! this is a lovely post, Rick - I love the way that seeing this through your son's eyes has enriched the experience for you (and therefore for me!) - and I also love the fact that you have chosen creativity as your human characteristic. I had chosen cruelty - and for some reason one of the comments I received was that I was misanthropic! Best, Sandra (Latest post: http://lastrefugelmu.blogspot.co.uk/2013/02/edcmooc-week-3-are-we-posthuman-now.html?spref=tw)
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